How to Landscape Under an Overhang

Gardeners are often presented with locations that are difficult to landscape. One such location is under an overhang. Like the space under a dense shade tree, overhangs such as awnings and deep eaves challenge the gardener with dry shade. Even if you've had many failures in dry shade, you can achieve success through careful preparation and plant selection.

Compost
Mulch
Trowel
Shovel
Hand-held pruning shears (as needed)
Lopping shears or pruning saw (as needed)

Instructions

- 1
  Remove unwanted plants, and trim nearby trees and shrubs to increase sunlight to the site. This also reduces competition for water and nutrients.
- 2
  Mix several inches of organic matter into the soil to improve water and nutrient retention. Compost, leaf mold and soil conditioner (very finely shredded bark) are ideal amendments for improving soil structure.
- 3
  Choose plants that are well suited for dry shade. Appropriate shrubs include mahonia, oak-leaf hydrangea, blueberry and fothergilla. Among perennials, you can choose hardy begonia, hardy cyclamen, corydalis and Christmas fern. Epimediums and ajuga make excellent groundcovers.
- 4
  Plant your dry shade landscaping selections using a trowel or shovel. In addition to the soil amendments previously added, organic matter can be incorporated into the soil at planting. Follow the recommended spacing for each plant to avoid overcrowding.
- 5
  Conserve moisture by mulching the planting area and watering as needed. As the garden grows, prune shrubs and divide perennials to reduce competition.

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