Butter Cream and Fresh Greens

Things in the yard are progressing - slowly. Over the past few weeks Spring has well and truly ousted the dreariness of Winter and the weather has been glorious. A series of dry, sunny days has allowed me to tackle the paintwork around the yard. A few spreadings of Butter Cream coloured masonry paint cheered things up a bit and infused the area with a glow I didn't think possible.



As you can see, all this warmth and work has prompted me to start acquiring plants for the area. This may be somewhat premature as major decisions still remain to be taken over what to do with the yard's ground surface (paving? gravel? decking?), but I just couldn't resist. At the speed I work, it could be some time before a permanent flooring is achieved, so I said what the hell, greenify the place.

With the exception of two square metres on the back wall, the yard receives no sunlight whatsoever throughout the year so I had to think carefully and do some research before populating the area with plants. I have accepted that a profundity of summer flowers is just not going to happen and I have plumped for lush green shade-loving plants: hostas, ferns, ivies and hydrangea. I have sneaked in some plants with a liking for acid soils too (camellias, dwarf rhododendrons and azaleas) to see if their colourful blooms will enliven the space. As yet, I am not convinced. Seeing the contrasting foliage of the hostas, ferns and ivies side by side, with their many shades of green and their many textures, has swayed me towards thinking about a yard festooned with green, highlighted maybe with one or two accenting colours. The camellias and azaleas may yet have to find somewhere else to flaunt their prissy pinks. Anyway, who needs colour when you can have foliage like this: