Living in Winnipeg seems to make it a bit hard to choose hardy flowers and plants that won’t die off over the winter. Coupling that with the fact that our deck faces east and is shaded by a large tree, it doesn’t get much sunlight during the majority of the day, which makes it hard to pick out colourful things with which to fill our planters.
We’re planning on expanding the deck around the corner of our house this summer. It’s still not a tremendously large area, so the cost should be fairly minimal, but I’m trying to plan now how to best utilize the L-shaped space available. I currently have a 6 piece patio set which is fine for eating, and a BBQ, but I’d love to have a more casual sitting area.
Has anyone built a smaller deck before? If so, do you have any tips or anything I should look out for? If not, what do you look for in a deck/patio? And if you have any ideas for plants that grow in a shady Zone 3, I’d love to hear them.
I have no tips…I personally hate upkeep on decks…but they’re a necessary evil!…I’d go two levels maybe to create “zones”…I love the idea of a “seating area…there’s so many nice sets…No idea on the plants…you could always get small trees/bushs (with nice foliage) and then plant them in the ground in the autumn…(I hate flowers that only last a season!) Sounds nice.
You could put a raised bed against the fence to the deck on the side of the house. That way, you can see the plants from the dining room. There’s a window there right?
Then, you could put shade perennials in there, or fill the bed with impatiens (shade annuals) then cover the fence with vines, or a line of disposable cedars (almost annuals in Winnipeg) for a graphic look, or a variation of all of that. Or, instead of a planter (which is more permanent) you could just to a ton of pots and planters.
But, I’m not really expert. Talk to Dawn. I’m sure she would draw you up a plan. And, check this episode of Grow Dammit! on shade gardens…
http://www.vimeo.com/4431065