Hi all! I just dealt with the strip of ground that's on the east side of my house. For years it was covered with weeds. Well I dug them weeds up and covered that ground with black tarp and then covered that up with medium size wood chip mulch. Nary a weed is going to bear its unwanted head now.
So here's my question. This 2-3 foot wide strip of ground is between my house and my neighbor's --and there's a walkway path and his own strip of dirt that separates our houses--so it's basically a shade area between our houses. Maybe an hour's sun during the Summer at best. So tell me, can anyone recommend some really spectacular shade plants/bushes/shrubs/trees to fill this now-barren space? I wouldn't mind something that grows about 3 or so feet high, maybe taller, maybe slightly shorter. Something exotic and eye-catching. Do such things grow in the shade?
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated--especially from those that have had success with such plants. Providing links or photos would make me a giddy gardener.
Thanks thanks and more thanks.
But now I have one more teeny-tiny gardening question.
Can someone tell me how to deal with this onslaught of squirrels that are ripping my backyard garden apart by burying their friggin' nuts?! And who the f$% is providing this bushy-tailed rats with peanuts in the first place?? Every morning I wake up and at least six new holes are dug up usually RIGHT next to my plants!! I came up with the brilliant idea of surrounding my newly-planted plants with rocks, but these bastards will dig right next to the rocks--sometimes WITHIN the rocks where the poor innocent new plants are!! These cretins even jump into my half-barrel planters and bury their nuts!!! It ain't too attractive having planters filled with boulders! They don't even fill the holes back up! There's just small pot holes all over my garden. I mean, they're either leaving nuts or they're searching for them. Not sure which. I do find peanuts under my dirt every so often. I have old shoes on my deck for when I catch them in the act. They always looks as if they're about to start digging, but when my breathing gets a bit more voluminous from anger and frustration, they hear it and run.
So is there a squirrel repellent spray or pellets I can sprinkle around my plants?
Again, thanks in advance. The squirrel thing really is a pain.
So here's my question. This 2-3 foot wide strip of ground is between my house and my neighbor's --and there's a walkway path and his own strip of dirt that separates our houses--so it's basically a shade area between our houses. Maybe an hour's sun during the Summer at best. So tell me, can anyone recommend some really spectacular shade plants/bushes/shrubs/trees to fill this now-barren space? I wouldn't mind something that grows about 3 or so feet high, maybe taller, maybe slightly shorter. Something exotic and eye-catching. Do such things grow in the shade?
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated--especially from those that have had success with such plants. Providing links or photos would make me a giddy gardener.
Thanks thanks and more thanks.
But now I have one more teeny-tiny gardening question.
Can someone tell me how to deal with this onslaught of squirrels that are ripping my backyard garden apart by burying their friggin' nuts?! And who the f$% is providing this bushy-tailed rats with peanuts in the first place?? Every morning I wake up and at least six new holes are dug up usually RIGHT next to my plants!! I came up with the brilliant idea of surrounding my newly-planted plants with rocks, but these bastards will dig right next to the rocks--sometimes WITHIN the rocks where the poor innocent new plants are!! These cretins even jump into my half-barrel planters and bury their nuts!!! It ain't too attractive having planters filled with boulders! They don't even fill the holes back up! There's just small pot holes all over my garden. I mean, they're either leaving nuts or they're searching for them. Not sure which. I do find peanuts under my dirt every so often. I have old shoes on my deck for when I catch them in the act. They always looks as if they're about to start digging, but when my breathing gets a bit more voluminous from anger and frustration, they hear it and run.
So is there a squirrel repellent spray or pellets I can sprinkle around my plants?
Again, thanks in advance. The squirrel thing really is a pain.
