North Facing Border

M Fent · July 2017

can someone with experience of north facing gardens suggest cottage style plants that do well in a north facing garden? My particular border recieves a good 5-6 hours of sun in the height of summer, but gets no sun at all from mid October till the sun gets high enough in spring to shine over the house.

all advice welcome !!

Busy-Lizzie · November 2015

I grow hostas, pulmonarias, heucheras (different coloured leaves), aquilegias, epimediums, brunnera (good one is Jack Frost) and Geranium macrorrhizum in my shady places. There are other hardy geraniums that will grow in a north border.

Fairygirl · November 2015

Although it's north facing, you should be able to grow lots of perennials as it's only in winter that it's shady. I've had several similar sites for borders.

In addition to most of the ones BL mentions above, I also had Polemonium (Jacob's Ladder) is a good plant, as well as early things like Wood Anemones and native primulas, and don't forget spring bulbs. In the shadier borders here, I have loads of those but Hellebores and the species tulips will also give early colour. I also use shrubs as it's good to have a succession of flowers and greenery for as long as possible

Alan Clark2 in Liverpool · November 2015

Anemones and hellebores also do well in partial shade.

M Fent · November 2015

So would growing typical "cottagey" plants like pestemon, catmint, scabiosa etc be out of the question even though it would recieve sun in summer? Or will i be limited to shady plants

hogweed · November 2015

My back garden faces north and I grow all the normal cottage garden flowers. I only take aspect into account when localized ie. under the canopy of a tree or in the lee of a hedge. Otherwise, anything goes!

M Fent · November 2015

Does your garden get sun all year round hogweed?

Fairygirl · November 2015

Summer flowering perennials don't need sun when they're dormant

M Fent · November 2015

I did wonder about this fairy; would perrenials emerge later seeing as the ground would take longer to warm due to the sun only hitting the border say mid spring instead of all year round?

Posy · November 2015

If you look up your favourite plants on the RHS site, you will be able to find out the specific conditions each needs because full light isn't the whole story. Some shrubs and perennials thrive in heavy, moist soil, some need light sandy soil to flourish, and so on. Ph. is important, too The more you can provide of their needs, the greater your hope of success. For example, catmint hates my heavy clay, sun or shade, and rots off over winter, penstemon is a non starter, too, but oriental poppies will grow anywhere in the garden. Have a good look at what you are offering your plants, not just the sun hours.

Obelixx · November 2015

Yes but it doesn't stop my most shaded north facing border from growing with gay abandon. Mine is also damp so I grow hostas, astilbes, ligularia, primulas, ferns, chelone, lily of the valley, astilboides, Japansese anemone, hakonechloa and daffs and snowdrops in there.

I have three smaller drier beds with clematis Minuet, Caerulea Elegans, Nelly Moser, Rahvarinne and Blue Angel plus bergenia, hostas, hardy geraniums and alliums and a Falstaff rose.

A bed a bit further from the house which gets sun a bit earlier has clematis, roses, primulas, dicentras, clematis, echinops, hardy geraniums, achillea The Pearl, lychis chalcedonica, more hostas.

Normal scabious doesn't like my garden conditions but the giant one does. Penstemon and catmint would be best in the sunniest part of your garden.

North Facing Border

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