Shade Patio Gardening

Since I am somewhat of a fan of gardening and I have a deck now with nothing to do with, I have decided I might get some plants if I can dig up some extra $$ for it.

I thought it would be interesting if I went pretty much all oriental. Start out with this flowering bush/tree called Camellia Japonica (left). Some mid range green some medium-high in height and vibrant colors. Of course J'alee will love the red/pink colors that it has and Baby J will just be happy to have a "fower" to see in the house.

I ought to mention that since my deck is 95% shade for 98% of the day I must get shade friendly plants. I dont have to worry about heat cus of the shade and year round temps.

Next would be a traditional fern from an oriental garden. It is a lighter green which will be nice with the pink colors and blend well with the darker green of the camille. I just love ferns cus they feel nice and are just down right pleasing to look at. This particular fern is called Polystichum (right).

Another staple of the oriental garden is to have a grass of some kind. There are several different kinds but I didnt want to get so many leaves and leave out color! I mean its nice to have greens but hey I like color and diversity! This particular grass is called Liriope. It is medium-small in height.

Oriental grasses such as these though can be tricky. They grow and you have to trim them back and it is best to not do that during really hot times or they will die. Take a gander at this Liriope (left).

I already had gone to the store and the kids had wanted to get mommy flowers. After all of the flowers fell off in transportation I have been tending it in hopes that soon the buds will slower! It is a yellow Hibiscus. This is one of my favorite flowers because it is vibrant in color and the leaves are a very dark color. Also it is most interesting to look at. It makes me think of humming birds beaks. The yellow will contrast nicely with the purple and

greens. And the dark green will fit just fine with the variations of green that I already will have (right).

Of course this is just a vision and I may not even be able to find these around here or they might just be to expensive for me to get. In that case I will just have to re-evaluate my choices.

If you are looking to do an oriental garden HERE is a good source of information on the background and history of them. It gives recommendations for some of the same plants I just did. As always you might need to take with a nursery worker you trust and is knowledgeable and/or check your zone information to make sure that any plants will survive that you plant otherwise you will end up disappointed and wasting money and time.