Comments on: What’s going on in Torquay? – tips on planting in the shade

By: It’s raining in Torquay « Helen’s Blog

It’s raining in Torquay « Helen’s Blog — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 16:41:12 +0000

[...] refer readers to a previous post, namely ‘What’s going on in Torquay‘, an expose of a little area of my garden (in the deep shade of a yew tree) so named because, [...]

By: Maggie

Maggie — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 07:53:50 +0000

Hello dear Helen

I don’t seem to have your direct email address.

Just to let you know that I’ll be in Plymouth from next Saturday. We open ‘King Pelican’ at the Theatre Royal on 5th March and play until 21st… just in case you’re passing through!

I hope all’s well with you.

Lots of love
Maggie

By: dudeguy

dudeguy — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 02:27:12 +0000

It’s ok to have a comment.

By: Lila Das Gupta

Lila Das Gupta — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 22:15:17 +0000

Isn’t it funny how things that seem problematic so often turn out to be the most satisfying. My garden has a very high fence on one side so it’s total shade on the left and belting sun on the right. When I first started gardening I, of course, preferred the frilly, sunny side. Now my favourite is the solid, quietly elegant shady side. You are lucky to have foxgloves and others flowering – mine too shady though I have a small patch of native British orchids which I bought from a specialst at Hampton Court one year.
There is only one thing better than a tree fern: two tree ferns.

By: Birchview

Birchview — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 14:18:05 +0000

I read that Helen had to suddenly & sadly downsize- why was this?
Folowed her since she was near my Cousin Chrissie in Wandsworth Common.

By: Layanee

Layanee — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 11:31:23 +0000

I have a friend who uses pots to great advantage like these. Great texture and you can’t beat white for elegance can you.

By: Philip

Philip — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 23:06:23 +0000

I love what you have done here. This is a great way to show others how to plant in shade. I love the contrasting foliage and the white flowers. The woodland path. It is enchanted. Very bright and thriving.
Very best Regards,
Philip

By: emma townshend

emma townshend — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 08:07:05 +0000

I absolutely love Torquay, and all that it stands for, so I can hardly think of it as an insult. I spent ages at Hampton Court admiring the Sun’s wall of begonias!

But I think your assemblage is much classier than Torquay. (Although they do have traffic roundabouts with echiums on there, which is cool.) I bet they don’t have Kirengeshoma though. It’s a really good solution.

By: Helen

Helen — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 12:05:57 +0000

Probably (she replied, smugly). I learnt all about yew shade in my last much larger garden, where the previous owner had many years before planted a Hebe rakaiensis and some Eurphorbia amygdaloides ‘robbiae’ and various other less successful scraps of stuff. By the time I picked up the baton the hebe and euphorbia had spread themselves out right to the outskirts of the canopy, the scraps had all but given up, leaving a space in the middle – where I put an old wooden chair. It looked good, but I hardly ever used the chair because the yew made such a mess. This, in my new small garden is better, and much more fun. Who needs two and a half acres anyway!

By: patientgardener

patientgardener — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 11:39:55 +0000

I have recently discovered how effective white flowers are in a shady area. I wonder whether you would have thought to plant the same things in this area if the removal men hadnt put the pots there!