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Comment by Sheri Tehan on July 11, 2010 at 8:41pm

Elizabeth, My backyard sounds very similar to yours, neighboring trees, roots, and all. My yard may be a bit smaller. I'm in Rochester, NY with a similar climate to you. We just get the weather a couple of days before you. :) Please see my pics. All of these things grow in my urban backyard. I do, on occasion, prune branches from my neighbors trees that hang over my fence and into my yard "airspace". If I didn't it would probably look pretty sad back there.

Comment by Sheila Johnson on May 29, 2009 at 10:14pm

Nancy, that's a good point about the rich color that shade tolerant annuals provide. My coleus and impatiens do mush better in containers than in the ground, and last November, just before the temps lowered to below 50, I brought two big pots of coleus and impatiens indoors. They thrived gorgeously all winter in my bay window. In early May I put hem outdoors again; the impatiens is still going, but the squirrels, damn them, played havoc with the coleus!

Comment by DEBORAH LALIBERTE on May 29, 2009 at 6:39pm

hi im from norwich, ct and just getting started with this site i love it all ya gardners here to talk to i have a lot of flower beds with a wide variety of lilies from daylilies to many diffrent bulb types talk to ya all soon deb

Comment by Frances Donovan on May 28, 2009 at 8:25pm

Hostas are a good shade plant. Ferns are also excellent for a shady area that doesn't receive much attention.

When I lived in Brookline, I did a lot of research into shade-loving plants because my gardening space was very limited and also very shady. Astilbe and hellebore (aka Lenten Rose) are also good in the shade. Columbine thrives in just about any condition, and while not a completely shade-loving plant, will do okay with just a little bit of sun.

A neighbor in Cambridge has also had good luck with ginger -- this is the American variety, not the one with the flavorful root.

Comment by Sheila Johnson on May 28, 2009 at 10:06am

Hi Elizabeth,
Have you tried Hostas? They love shade and seem to thrive in any soil.
My little garden in Bridgeport, CT is shady with "rooty" soil and I grow many hosta varieties very successfully. They don't mind harsh winters.
Sheila

Comment by Elizabeth Tongue zn 5a/ MA on May 23, 2009 at 10:09pm

Hello, I live in Springfield, MA, and have a 50' x 100' city lot. We have a house ( built in 1915), a very small garage that we store most everything in (except a car, the garage was fine for a model T, but is far too small for my newer car or my husband's truck). The driveway goes from the street all the way to the garage door. There is no fence on that side of the property until the back yard. The other side of the property has a fence, and so does the rear property line. My wonderful husband, Bob, has built us a deck 24' x 14'. There are some pictures of it on my page.. We grow tomatoes, Swiss chard, scallions, and a few herbs. My favorite small gardens have perennials, lilies, bulbs, and wildflowers. There are two large Maple trees on the back edge of our property.
Our neighbors have a huge tree that drops its small green fruit, or seeds at this time of year. The leaves are infected with something that I have never identified. The roots of this tree are underground, but shallow. This tree and the others have roots all over the back of our property, make planting things in that area very difficult. I really want to be able to plant something back there that will not only grow there, but also will be attractive. Does anyone have any ideas?