What to plant in edge of shaded garden?

[Bigempty2025]

Hi, 

Looking to maybe put some plants around the edge and maybe mulch under. Currently it's just a mud pit which my son does enjoy! 

This is in Melbourne and whilst it's a pretry shady area. 

[JacobZ]

Hi @Bigempty2025,

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, it is wonderful to have you with us.

I would start by putting in some edging to create some garden beds with a delineation from the grass. There are a variety of different Garden Bed Edging products you can use, so have a look and see what you like. You can also check out How To Install Garden Edging for a bit of guidance.

If the area is particularly soggy all of the time, you might want to consider adding some drainage, such as a socked agi pipe to the area to help move the water away. It should be run to a discharge point, such as a stormwater pipe, if possible.

I'd then turn the soil with a garden fork and incorporate some compost to add nutrients and kickstart the soil. This will encourage beneficial insects and microorganisms, which will help with both moisture retention and drainage in the soil.

Once the soil is prepared, you can add any number of different plants depending on your preferences. Check out Shade-loving Plants For Your Garden and Top Low Maintenance Plants For Your Garden for some ideas. You'll just want to confirm that any plants you choose can deal with the shade. Two nice options that are shade-tolerant, easy to manage and kid-friendly are Clivias and Liriopes.

Once you've planted, you can top up your garden bed with some mulch to keep things looking neat and tidy, keep the soil warm during the colder months and help with water retention. The mulch will also slowly break down over time, adding nutrients to the soil. Just make sure to leave a bit of space around your plants so they don't have moisture against them at all times, as this can lead to fungal issues and rot.

Let me know what you think and if you have further questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Jacob

[mich1972]

Good afternoon @Bigempty2025  First of all, LOVE your fence mate !!!!!! Love the colour. @JacobZ has given awesome advice on how to prepare a new garden bed and I agree with him, add and build up with garden edging for sure. By raising the garden bed, it will help with good drainage for your plants. We are in Perth and it’s a totally different gardening experience here, dry and sandy soil. An edged garden will make your fence look fantastic !!! Your son will love playing outside even more, good luck 🌿🙂

[Bigempty2025]

Thank you so much for your inputs! 

[DIYCat16]

Hi @Bigempty2025 

You could try some phlox which is a good ground cover which is thriving in my shady spot in the garden or some Lotus berthelotii 'Red Flash otherwise known as Red Lotus Parrot Beak which is a seriously good ground cover one it gets going, but heads up, it will try and take over everything within a good metre of it, so I would recommend planting things with some height as it will try and taking over anything including the alyssum which also grows well in shady spots but better in sunny spots.

I believe cyclamen would quite like the more shady areas as well as Rhaphiolepis Snow Maiden which is also thriving in more shaded spots in the front garden at my place. Impatients love a shady spot too and provide a lovely pop of colour. The violas seem to be doing ok in the more shady spots in my garden too. I hope this helps. I personally would not invest in mulch as I was told it can prevent water getting to the plants but as good compost like black gold compost would work a treat. I hope the recommendations help you get started. Wishing you happy gardening  

[EricL]

Hello @DIYCat16 

Let me tag @Bigempty2025 as well to make them aware of your recommendations.

Eric

[Bigempty2025]

Thank you so much @DIYCat16