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Help with just-weeded shady bare soil under leylandii - will these plants work, how many do I need

Pink678Pink678 Posts: 498
edited November 2023 in Problem solving
Hello all,
I had some great advice earlier in the year from you, with suggestions for the kind of plants I could grow under my leylandii.  I wanted plants that would be happy to grow in shade under trees and stay low-level. Left alone, the area fills with weeds and looks pretty terrible.
Well I have just managed to clear out a massive amount of weeds this morning, but now I've finished, I wonder if I've bitten off more than I can chew! It's still looking pretty bad. The soil is now quite loose, and looks like a giant cat litter box.  There are many neighbourhood cats around (none of my own). I am now thinking my best way to manage it is stamp down the soil, spray daily with citronella/eucalyptus homemade spray which helps somewhat, and poop scoop daily, while waiting for my new plants to cover the area. It's unfortunate but buying spiky metal netting to put down is rather expensive and I don't much want to get a remote-sprayer/sound device. I just hope the plants will spread quite fast.
Any advice on these plants I am thinking of buying would be very welcome - whether there would be enough for the area, and where to plant them in the area, or any other suggestions of what I should get.  I am hoping the plants I am getting will naturalise there and spread. I didn't go with ivy in the end as I thought it might want to grow up the leylandii and/or end up rising too high off the ground and hide flowering bulbs/plants. But if there was a lattice-like ground ivy that stays down low and doesn't climb that might be good.
Plants I am thinking of getting:
 - English bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta 30 bulbs
 - Vinca minor lesser periwinkle 6 × 9cm pots
 - Cyclamen coum (pink) 9 × corms
Or maybe I need to get something different altogether to try and cover the ground better.
I love the look of wood anemones and snowdrops but they are not for sale right now.
I already have some periwinkle (I think, not sure) in front/behind the trees (on the right in 1st photo and on the left and further along in 2nd photo) - but it never flowers, and I don't know if it is the major or minor variety. Should I remove it or keep it there?
I couldn't get it all in one photo, so the 1st photo is the left, the 2nd photo is the right, and the 3rd photo is a close up of the soil. The little green leaves on the soil are an invasive blue flowered ivy-ish plant (I don't know the name) that was there. I don't mind it so I didn't worry about removing every bit of it, but I could remove it all if needed.
I'm feeling a little overwhelmed so would be very grateful for any suggestions!



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Posts

  • Balgay.HillBalgay.Hill Posts: 1,089
    Ajuga reptens might be worth a chance there. Various foliage colours and nice blue flowers.
    Sunny Dundee
  • Pink678Pink678 Posts: 498
    edited November 2023
    Thank you Balgay.Hill, that looks interesting. I'd want something that spreads pretty fast I think.  Now I've cleared that area it seems I have committed myself to ongoing weeding until my intended plants take over! :s
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    edited November 2023
    @Pink678 Can you actually dig into the ground to plant? It does look very hostile. There are lots of plants that will grow in dry shade but may just hold on and growth can be poor. Do you have other plants in the garden you could try without spending money. The soil is obviously poor and 'spent' the introduction of something to improve the soil is worth a try but the cats will also love it! It is possible that nothing will be happy under Leylandii
    If you do decide to go ahead I would look at Epimediums [some spread more than other] Ferns for dry soil, Geranium phaum,G Lily Lovell, Euphorbia Robbiae, Phlaris Arundinacea. Wood Anemones are wonderful but are dormant after flowering and again could be dug up by cats.
    Sorry if this all sounds negative it can take years of trial and error in a difficult spot like yours. On the positive you will find out alot about gardening in dry shade and it's challenges. These include always having to water in dry spells.
    Any form of height is not really possible tooo shady and too dry. 
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    Vinca minor might do OK once it's established. You could encourage the one you have by spreading out the long stems and pinning them down to the ground - it should root where it's in contact with the earth if the conditions are OK.
    Lamiums might be worth a try too. They spread in a similar way, putting out long stems and rooting where they touch down.
    Both of those are sometimes described as "invasive" because they can spread too vigorously in good moist conditions, but that vigour is what you need for the dry shade under the trees.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • Pink678Pink678 Posts: 498
    Thank you both very much.
    It's not too negative at all Fairygirl, it's really helpful, because you have set my expectations and saved me trouble!
    I'm not sure about digging in - I think so, well around 10-20 cm seems OK, I have not tried further, but I will check tomorrow.
    Unfortunately I don't really have anything else in the rest of the garden I could transplant that could work - only loads of foxgloves and baby lavenders, but they wouldn't do.
    So it sounds like maybe the bluebells and cyclamen wouldn't do so well there then.
    I like the look of these two:
    Epimediums
    Geranium phaum/G Lily Lovell
    Would I buy these as small plants, or just scatter seeds, and how many would I need? I would like to try and fill in the area in first photo with them, if they would work.
    At the very worst I could choose the plants with the best chances, then buy seed packets and scatter the seeds - a low cost/effort way, at least better than more weed seeds coming in? I'm feeling a bit disheartened, I guess because I don't relish the idea of ongoing poop scooping/spraying for a long while, only to have it not look great after months. Makes me think I could have just left the weeds and lived with them, :s
    Phlaris Arundinacea - this could be useful for filling in areas instead of weeds, maybe on the right hand side where there is more space vertically - or maybe the vinca will be enough there.
    Ferns for dry soil - I have not looked these up yet
    That's a great tip about the Vinca minor Jenny J (I hope it's the minor one) - there are some very long vines on them, so I'll try trailing them alongside the trees on the right and try pinning as you said.
  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,043
    Geranium macrorrhizum is a good one for dry shade.
    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
  • ButtercupdaysButtercupdays Posts: 4,546
    You will be able to buy snowdrops early next year as they are best bought 'in the green' with all their leaves. They are able to grow under trees as long as there is some moisture and small clumps will get big enough to divide in a year or two so you can spread them some more. Try to plant them somewhere  where you won't be wanting to dig!
    For something taller you could try Geranium Psilostemon. Mine seeds itself into cracks in the paving stones and doesn't seem bothered by heat, drought, light shade or lack of good soil. It makes clumps of cheery bright purple flowers and will self seed but the leaves are quite distinctive so it is easy to spot and dig out if unwanted.
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    edited November 2023
    Sweet woodruff would grow there and stop it being a cat toilet. I think foxgloves would be worth trying.
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    edited November 2023
    @Pink678 I agree with @Fire if you have lots of Foxgloves it is worth a try. Sweet woodruff can be a thug but the conditions may mean it stays in control. Really anything that gets out of hand elsewhere is worth a go. Donations of thugs from friends and family are worth considering too. I would just be aware that spening your hard earned cash at this stage could be a waste of time. Start with the soil.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    edited November 2023
    I agree it can be a thug but I find it fairly easy to pull out. If you are looking a plant to quickly cover a bone dry shaded bed, that is one. I would probably start with planting spring bulbs and see how they do. I agree - don't spend good money on plants yet.
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