| What hanging plants will do while on a shaded porch? Flowering plants, like petunias, have lost all their flowers and done poorly here. Also, any suggestions for plants around the base of pine trees with little to no sun? Thanks, Paul |
| For the hanging basket in shade you could use impatiens or tuberous begonias or houseplants such as a variegated English ivy (Hedera helix), a Boston fern, or even asparagus fern. Planting under pine trees can be a challenge because it is usually very dry in addition to being shady. You might try Gaultheria procumbens (winterberry) or the spreading hay scented fern (Dennstaedtia punctiloba) as a groundcover, or possibly an Epimedium, for example. Enrich the soil with compost and be sure to keep the plants evenly moist (slightly damp, not saturated/sopping wet) while they become established. Using an organic mulch in between them will help keep the soil moist and also help feed the soil as it breaks down slowly over time. The pine needles can be left in place to act as a slow-decaying mulch as well. |
