Any idea what I could grow in this pot by the door - North facing very shaded

Pink678 · June 2023

I'd like to grow something in this pot by the front door.

It's permanently shaded, as it's in an alcove, and North facing. It's light enough but no direct sunlight.

There has been ivy in there before, just something random with little leaves. It looked OK, got dried out easily.

I think I'd like something reasonably hardy that will look good year round, or anything at all really that you think might look good. Any ideas much appreciated.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6030279/uploads/editor/u1/y0yx30c7thef.jpg

blacksweetrolls · June 2023

Sounds like a great spot for some ferns! Ferns do really well in partly shady areas, even with no direct sunlight. Plus, their lovely foliage makes for a great backdrop all year round. So, I'd definitely give ferns a go! You can experiment with different varieties to see if any do particularly well for you - it's always fun to mix it up :).

Fairygirl · June 2023

Whatever you put in it, it'll need a lot of watering, especially as it's terracotta, and I would use soil, not compost, so that it helps with moisture retention. You can mix some grit through that which then means there's also adequate drainage. It's worth lining it with plastic too, with some holes.

I'd use something like Ajuga, or Saxifraga urbium [London Pride] but it's very small, so that limits you enormously. Both of those are evergreen.
Even some of the more ornamental lettuce varieties would be ok, as they don't like loads of sun anyway, but of course - they're not evergreen.

Pink678 · June 2023

Thank you blacksweetrolls, I love ferns, so I will definitely look into that!

Pink678 · June 2023

Thank you fairygirl, I did notice before with the ivy that water would just seem to run right through it. Those are great tips I will look to implement those, and I'm guessing holes just in the bottom of the plastic at the base of the pot to let the water out. There are holes in the bottom of the terracotta pot too.

I will check out those plants you mentioned!

Fairygirl · June 2023

Bear in mind that a pot that gets completely dried out can be hard to rehydrate, and would need putting into a bucket of water until no bubbles appear.
Unfortunately, people often think when water runs out the bottom, that the plant is moist enough, when the opposite can be true - because it's completely dry. The water just runs through without being absorbed.

The smaller the pot, the more likely it is to happen too.

Pink678 · June 2023

Thank you Fairygirl, that is exactly what was happening with the ivy! And it's a small pot too. I like the tip about submerging it, that makes perfect sense. I will do the tips, and as well I think I need to make sure that the plant I choose is OK with dry conditions.

B3 · June 2023

You could wedge something inside the bottom of it to slow down drainage - a plastic food container or something like that.

JennyJ · June 2023

Or line it with plastic (from an old compost bag or similar) with a few holes poked in it.

Fairygirl · June 2023

I use old washing up or shower/bath sponges for the bottom of pots, round the drainage hole. Mainly just for those that need consistently moist soil, like sweet peas, but that could be useful for such a small pot.
A north facing site would tend to dry out more slowly, but a tiny pot will do so quite readily, regardless of aspect and your location/climate, so anything that makes it easier can help enormously

Pink678 · June 2023

Really helpful recommendations! I had never thought of sponges or plastic containers in a pot, ingenious. I like the idea of an old compost bag for the plastic too.

Any idea what I could grow in this pot by the door - North facing very shaded

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