What to fill a bare shady patch by the fence

polly.keane · 4 March

hello, parts of the lawn of our small south facing garden go right up to the fence, the grass refuses to grow here (see picture) and I’m wondering what I could plant to fill the space and cover the ugly concrete! One fence is east facing and the other west facing. Would some shade loving ferns work here for example? Thank you!

Plantminded · 4 March

Ideally, roses prefer a clear space around their roots so it might be better to create a deeper distinct border of 3 feet or so. You could then grow something away from the rose as an edging like Nepeta which will soon reach a height to hide your concrete footings. It's happy in sun and light shade. If you ever plan to paint your fence, you could also paint the concrete posts and footings the same colour. I've done the posts on one stretch of fencing and it made a big difference.

Buttercupdays · 4 March

If grass won't grow there neither will anything else!

It looks very dry and I suspect the concrete and the rose between them are soaking up all available water. There may also be a rain shadow so that little rain reaches that spot.

For the rose to flourish you need to clear away all the grass to double the present size, so it has no competition and make sure it is kept well watered.. If you don't like the concrete a lick of paint or a piece of plywood to cover the front should make it look better. Once the rose is flowering you will have other things to look at

Loxley · 4 March

Geranium Rozanne would easily fill that area. You could plant one, shoved into the corner, and it will spead out two or three feet, covering the base of the rose without causing too much competition. There would be a bare gap in winter though.

What to fill a bare shady patch by the fence

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