Clay border and sometimes shaded

seantfowler · May 2018

so I have just dug a very heavy clay border over. lots of ivy taken out and some huge laurel bushes dug out.

My next stage is to lighten up the soil with some less dense loamy goodness. This border lies very close to a fence and for a good portion of the day it gets a lot of shade being north facing. However it can get a good hit of sunlight at the end of the day (potentially 3-7 onwards this time of year.)

I really want to incorporate a lot of ferns and doing some pretty intensive reading it seems some fern species would suit this border but I am worried that the sun exposure will make this achievable.

Am i setting up to fail even contemplating these kinds of plants or with some clever canopy shade plants could it work?

Fairygirl · May 2018

I doubt that amount of sun would be an issue for shade loving ferns. They can take a surprising amount of sun if they're happy at their feet. If the clay has some manure/compost etc worked in, it will be very good medium for them. A good mulch of bark will also help retain moisture if you're worried about the soil drying out too much in summer.
You might want to add other planting for variety too. There are plenty of shrubs, bulbs and perennials which will offer a good backdrop or ground cover in between them

seantfowler · May 2018

thanks fairygirl. I thought it may be the case but wasn't sure just how delicate some of these beautiful delicate plants could be!

They are a key feature but I do want to offset them with some other lovely plants, lots of mossy rocks and some fallen wood. beautiful forest floor is the theme!

Clay border and sometimes shaded

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