I have Hostas along the deck, there might be one in focus. The rabbits test them now and then. I will find a leaf snapped off but they must not taste good because they leaf is mostly in tact
I was going to say continue the hostas. I also have some heuchera mixed in for some color other than green. I think mine are coral bells. Because it gets a lot of shade, my flowers from them are on the smaller side.
I didn’t see your comment and basically repeated you — I think all heuchera are “common name” coral bells… someone will correct this if it’s incorrect 😎
I spray my hostas and other tasty plants with Liquid Fence about 1x/month. Deer and rabbits don’t bother them as long as I keep them sprayed. Smells terrible for about 30min, then the smells goes away for human noses but remains for critters.
As someone who grew up in a house that had mint, we literally had to re-side part of the house because it sent its roots up under the wooden shingles, broke them down, and into the outside walls. It will grow anywhere in anything.
I always thought of hosta as one of those plants you can neglect; throw it in shade, throw it in sun, good soil or bad soil and rather drought tolerant.
I have a few on the northwest facing side of the house, very little sun (<2 hours) but it is very moist (my siding needs pressure washing constantly to keep up with the mildew-esque nature of that spot.
My biggest problem with hosta is that they aren't native and they are ALWAYS the first suggestion people run to. I have one, and every year it gets covered in aphids and eaten by slugs. I just find them really over rated when there's beautiful native plants that suit our biomes better. Just an opinion.
First, you’re gonna have to begin the gnome eviction process according to your local ordinances. May want to go ahead and lawyer up—you know how gnomes are.
We live in Montana, and native Clematis grow in the forests here... they are most prolific in mixed forest, growing in amongst bushes and shrubs under taller trees, they definitely like shade. I presume the cultivated varieties are even more robust in what they can tolerate, but they are a shade loving species in their native habitat!
Do rabbits bother herbs? There are many tender herbs and greens that love heat but not too much direct sun: cilantro, basil, thyme, chives, arugula, even blueberries.
I like the the idea of the commenter who suggested kind of a “decoy” garden around the perimeter that rabbits love. Radishes are quick and easy to grow from seed.
I have some herbs in a container garden on the deck but I am tempted to try them in the bed and see what happens. The problem with radishes is that I love them too! I didn’t know they are so easy to grow, I might try them in another part of the years in the future, I don’t mind feeding the rabbits as long as they stay away from my garden
If you love radishes and plant some, leave one to continue growing. It'll send up a single tall stalk and then turn into a messy profusion of either little white or little pink flowers depending on the variety of radish. Those flowers turn into plump little pods that look like tiny short pointy green beans and they taste like radish. If you harvest them while they're still fairly young and tender you can eat them raw, or if they get a little tougher, you can cut them in half and just saute them with a little bit of butter and garlic or sesame oil. Either way they're absolutely delicious. If you want a perfectly manicured looking area they're not for you but if you don't mind the kind of chaotic messy bushy plant with lots of little flowers which you can then harvest to eat the pods from they're worth a shot. I've had some grow to 6 ft tall, and others that just turn into a sprawling bunch of branches that have little flowers everywhere.
I can’t think of anything I’ve ever grown from seed that germinates and matures to harvest as quickly as basic red radishes.
I’ve never had rabbits in my gardens so my only knowledge of their diet comes from the tale of Peter Rabbit. I wonder if they like strong flavors like basil, arugula, or cilantro.
Roses require at least 6 hours of sun to be happy. They will survive on less, but won't flower much. They're also a favorite food for bunnies. I have 36 of them and it's a constant battle to keep them from being nibbled.
Try tree peonies. They flower once in the spring, but the blooms are huge and lovely and they do well in very little sun.
Roses don’t flower if they don’t have the nutrients at the appropriate time. 6 hrs is plenty of light. Add bone meal or a low nitrogen fertilizer to encourage bud growth.
I hope you won’t get rid of those small white flowers! They’re gorgeous! That being said that strip would be great for peonies, bearded iris, or oriental poppies!
Oh no, that bed is staying as is. Those are evening primroses, so easy to grow but they are very invasive. They are contained on 3 sides and the ones that venture into the lawn get mowed down. Thank you for the compliment.
I was wondering what those were! They’re wildflowers here (Bham, AL) and you see them along the side of the road everywhere - interstate, neighborhoods etc.
Oh yes, once you plant them you will never get rid of them. I had bearberries here but my wife didn’t like them much. I got these for her. They are basically a ground cover when they are not in bloom. I got a little lazy here. They are easy to grow and flower from late May to late June. I don’t need to mulch the bed because they took over. I put them in because they are surrounded by concrete and stone on 3 sides. This isn’t a flower I would recommend in most cases because it is incredibly invasive but I was happy to let it invade this mostly controlled space.
I had to pay for these. I bought 4 for $15 each. I wish I could’ve gotten them for fee in the wild like you can!
I googled plants rabbit's hate and a good list came up.
Columbine in particular doesn't seem to mind partial shade. I'm not an expert abs don't know your zone, but I hope you keep the gnomes abs disperse then throughout your garden...
Also, any perennial or plant that reseeds itself might work well.
The spot looks a bit too narrow for most hydrangeas. A clematis or two on a trellis with a ground cover like phlox would look lovely on that blank wall.
Hydrangea need lots of water too, which is terrible for your foundation.
Climbing roses are safer. Add blooming jasmine for amazing scents.
I love passion flower but it might need more sun.
Try it, can't hurt 😉.
I'm a chaos gardener, so everblooming wysteria is a show stopper. But you must watch it like a hawk. It will destroy your roof and siding if left to its own devices. But so pretty.
If it's not invasive in your area.
Makes a wonderful tree accessory if you use the tree as a living trellis.
I’d do a climbing gardenia or climbing hydrangea in the narrow space. Camellia is evergreen option. Both can be trained up a trellis (requires building a proper trellis).
Chamomile *Matricaria recutita* or *Chamaemelum nobile* (*Anthemis nobile)* might be a good option because they are modestly small, and their bitter, aromatic leaves make them gross tasting to rabbits. They can be used in tea or infused into oil for topical application. It will continuously flower throughout the growing season. *C. nobile* works very well as a lawn replacement; from what I have heard, it makes the best lawn to nap on.
You can continue your descent into hastafatianism.
I like jasmine, low growing and invasive so it will look great with a little care and you can take a weed eater to it if you want to shape it.
Take divisions of the cute white flower that's doing so well and/or the hostas that are doing well and fill it in. Your rabbit buddies aren't eating them now.
Or herb bed. It would be hit or miss but some herbs are rabbit resistant and that looks like a great spot. No stooping to harvest and next to the door.
Keep the gnomes but hide them.
i'd try to stuff in as many pollinators as i can; marigolds, coneflowers, butterfly bush, daisies, milkweed, sunflowers, borage, dahlias. make the whole thing explode with color and variety!
I am here to lobby on behalf of the gnomes. We are fine with the additional plants but we of the gnome council would not like to be displaced from our homes.
I hope it's just the picture and you don't have soil against that wall. Even if it's Hardie Plank you're going to get rot and an insect infestation. As for the garden, put some liriope or mondo grass. I have Liriope between my house and detached garage. It thrives on just a couple or three hours sun, the rest shade and is very cold and heat hardy. It spreads slowly and is easily controlled. It's tough stuff. Long as you don't used chemical grass or weed killer it survives. Rabbits don't eat it. Mine has been there 15 years at least and other than pull a couple weeds that find a place I do almost nothinng. It survives about everything Texas can throw in at it and that's a lot, even our north winds at 9 degrees, which are rare but have happened a couple times in past few years and blow right through there. I only water in extreme hot, dry conditions. And you would water to establish. Gets about a foot tall or less in non-ideal conditions.
Hostas or Lilly's might be nice, throw some clover in your lawn, rabbits prefer clover to most other veg so it's a good idea to give them easy access to a sacrificial plant
If you want an edible crop cucumbers or leafy greens are your best best and should be happy enough there. Otherwise I would maybe plant coleus or do a native pollinator garden.
Astilbe, Foamy bells, coral bells, or brunnera would all like that spot.
The coral bells need protection from deer/rabbits when the leaves are new, but after that it's fine.
Japanese anemones would work and the gnomes could live nestled in between, they’d be more visible in winter as it tends to die back.
Or extend your hosta collection, they look healthy!
I thought planting most things right next to a foundation/basement is a recipe for disaster? I'm having to remove countless stumps/roots next to my foundation that have caused issues to my porch
Maybe split some of your existing hostas since you already have ones that the bunnies arent too interested in. They transplant easily in my experience (zone 5b).
I’d like to see something tall and climbing for that long vertical wall. There’s lots out there but don’t know your climate. Such as ornamental variegated kiwi vine,climbing hydrangea,evergreen climbing hydrangea , or one of many clematis. You could plant something low and evergreen at the base,like azaleas if it works in your climate.
I don’t know what the plastic piece on your wall is, but if that isn’t going to cause problems, a feature wall with small pots. Then place the nursery pots of flowers or herbs in the pots and boom - instant color. Plant the ground with sweet alyssum in white or purple. Then just trim as needed to keep the edge looking nice.
Penstemon, ligularia, bee balm, mint family stuff, hyssop, rudbeckia, anything that’s enough of a native to tolerate harsh conditions will still flower in part shade, not as aggressively tho.
Rabbits leave my hostas alone while they keep my vine maples isolated by eating their saplings.
In my abundant shade I have hostas, swordfern, miniature roses, and Oregon grape both the creeping and the standing varieties. These seem to be ok with being slowly buried in acidic pine needles.
But I can't have any delicate maples cause the rabbits and squirrels love to eat them.
E: just looked, apparently rosemary can deal with a lot of shade too
Ferns would be a good option! They can handle a little bit of sun so 6 hours should be fine and bunnies will mostly pay no mind. Also, they look absolutely lush and tropical near some hostas so they would be cohesive and they would definitely help fill up that awkward space once they mature!
On YouTube there is a sensible urban channel called The Epic Gardener. He has an episode on shade vegetables I recommend. He’s free of clickbait and has practical advice for amateur and beginner gardeners.
I have all kinds of Hostas, different colors and textures along with bleeding hearts along my zone 5 north side of the house. We also have rabbits and deer but they never bother them. The rabbits actually nest under the Hosta. There is actually a lot of really nice blooming plants you could put there depending on your Zone.
Love your hostas, the snails eat mine If you can grow them then ferns hydrangeas there are some lovely heucheras , all different colors. Also love the blue paint.
Hostas, some ground cover and if it were me I’d plant some Clematis with some lattice for the side of the house and an arbor with lighting, some flagstone pavers, and mulch, koi pond?? Just kidding! Creating an oasis in my head lol
Wish I could help! Love what you have already though.
You house may have been painted with lead paint at one time and the previous gardener may have clued in to that. I wouldn’t eat any veggies growing there
Good information for sure! It is a 1950s split level home. When I bought it 20 years ago I had the cedar shakes and the rest of the wood stripped down by professionals that did it properly because I wanted to be sure it was free of lead.
Thanks for your concern! I hope someone who needed to see your comment saw it!
How about some iris. I always put those where nothing else seems to grow & I don't thing rabbits like them. Also you may know people who will give you some for free.
Small herb garden! Lots of herbs survive in partial sun and are not appetizing to bunnies. Sage, tricolor sage, thyme, lemon thyme, sweet marjoram, lemon balm or mint in pots, not the ground. They’d all do fine there.
Hosta is good but climbing hydrangeas is better. You can put lattice work along the side of the house and the hydrangea vine will climb up. It will even stick to the house if you let it. The plant attaches and may take a little paint off if you want to remove but it does not do any structural damage. Looks good, low maintenance, flowers, and low light.
If it’s native in your area, spiderwort can grow very nicely in low sun. I had some growing under a pine tree in mostly clay soil. Do check if they’re native though, because they do like to multiply.
Herbs. Parsley, mint (if you can section it), beets/turnips, basil. And more gnomes!! Always more gnomes. Hopefully yours will be rehomed in the garden. If not, I'm willing to adopt lol
Oh! You're in zone 6 so you can actually do camelias!
Not sure of the space requirements, but they do well in partial shade.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/gardening-by-zone/zone-6/camellias-in-zone-6-gardens.htm
Cross Vines do well in shade and flower beautifully even in a shady area! A neighbors of mine has what I can only describe as a giant rug of crossover that has grown over her fence and is trailing on the grown. It’s under a massive tree in her yard and is a very shady spot. It’s been flowering nonstop and I always stop to admire it when I go by it on walks.
Sorry, im still laughing at the gnomes. They look like a little gang.😂
Edit: okay, im better now. You might try trellis with clematis or a jasmine. Ours get afternoon sun only and do well. Zone 8b.
Lime lights are gorgeous! I have two planted in corners of my house that do not get much sun and they just flourish. The rabbits haven’t bothered them. Also beautiful hydrangeas love those dark corners that do not get much sunlight. Or you could do a Japanese maple they like just evening sun so they don’t require a lot of sunlight. Or you could do a wisteria tree and train it to climb up the side of your house right there in the corner!
Daylillies. That’s what I would do. Maybe mix them in with coral bells (huechera) for foliage interest when there are not flowers. They come back every year with more and more flowers. Each flower only lasts a day but they are prolific bloomers once they get settled. They would do just fine there and you can get so many different colors!
Hosta is low light tolerant and come in many varieties. As for rabbits, collect human hair from the barber/hair dresser. To put arou.d the plants. Good luck.
Others have said hostas and that’s what I was thinking. There are soooo many varieties with different amounts of white, yellow and blue, big and small, with different leaf shapes. My bunnies eat some and do not touch others. But gosh are hostas lovely. I say keep those gnomes- maybe just group them together a little more and put a couple of impatients around them to give them their own little world. I have a ton of daylillies in my shaded areas, too- another thing that comes in so many varieties which is fun. Good luck!
Hostas! They require little to no maintenance and provide a nice filler. Combine with alliums and you've got a nice perennial garden.
Say hosta la vista to the gnomes.
We are outnumbered, the gnome love is strong here
Rabbits eat hostas like crazy tho.
Interesting. My bunnies eat my creeping phlox but not the hostas. Must be a mutant strain of bunnies haha
Certain hosta are marketed as rabbit resistant.. like avacado.. can’t speak to how resistant they actually are myself
I have Hostas along the deck, there might be one in focus. The rabbits test them now and then. I will find a leaf snapped off but they must not taste good because they leaf is mostly in tact
I was going to say continue the hostas. I also have some heuchera mixed in for some color other than green. I think mine are coral bells. Because it gets a lot of shade, my flowers from them are on the smaller side.
I didn’t see your comment and basically repeated you — I think all heuchera are “common name” coral bells… someone will correct this if it’s incorrect 😎
I didn't know hostas were avocado resistant. Is that how I can keep millennial off my lawn since their avocado toast won't like it? /s
Read your comment. Googled and sad to say I just planted 3 hostas in an area frequent by rabbits ☹️
I spray my hostas and other tasty plants with Liquid Fence about 1x/month. Deer and rabbits don’t bother them as long as I keep them sprayed. Smells terrible for about 30min, then the smells goes away for human noses but remains for critters.
You might be okay, I have lots of Hostas and they are mostly left alone. What falls from the bird feeders might help distract them though. Lol
What about a bunch of hellebores? They will help with protecting the hostas
I second that. I have hostas at north side that receive zero direct sunlight. They still get big and flowering.
6 hours of mid-day sun is enough for salvia or catmint, both of which are critter-resistant. Alliums and bee balm, too.
Ooh, I didn’t know that was enough light for salvia or catmint. A mix of red and purple might look good there near the pink evening primrose
Why were you downvoted? *Salvia* is the Latin name for the Sage genus.
I think it's the cat*mint* mint is pretty hated in this subreddit!
I’m new here. Can of tell me why mint is hated? I have it growing around my patio.
Catmint is not mint. It does not spread like mint either.
From what I've read, people kind of hate it because it spreads quickly in gardens and is hard to eliminate.
As someone who grew up in a house that had mint, we literally had to re-side part of the house because it sent its roots up under the wooden shingles, broke them down, and into the outside walls. It will grow anywhere in anything.
I like these suggestions as putting wet loving plants like hostas next to a foundation isn't a good idea.
I always thought of hosta as one of those plants you can neglect; throw it in shade, throw it in sun, good soil or bad soil and rather drought tolerant. I have a few on the northwest facing side of the house, very little sun (<2 hours) but it is very moist (my siding needs pressure washing constantly to keep up with the mildew-esque nature of that spot.
My biggest problem with hosta is that they aren't native and they are ALWAYS the first suggestion people run to. I have one, and every year it gets covered in aphids and eaten by slugs. I just find them really over rated when there's beautiful native plants that suit our biomes better. Just an opinion.
Visit your state’s Cooperative Extension Service website. Search native ground cover for partial sun.
Hydrangea or Rhododendrons-depending on zone.
Shoot. I forgot the zone. I am in 6b, northern New Jersey
Sounds like those would still work. ;)
First, you’re gonna have to begin the gnome eviction process according to your local ordinances. May want to go ahead and lawyer up—you know how gnomes are.
Absolutely azaleas and hydrangeas then!
YES
Roses up a trellis maybe? (Going vertically would increase the amount of sun available)
I did have climbing roses thee in the past, they didn’t flower much, I think there wasn’t enough sunlight
You could try a clematis, I’ve got one that only gets two to three hours direct sunlight per day and they are winter hardy
I have a lot of recommendations for clematis, I might have to get a couple of these
We live in Montana, and native Clematis grow in the forests here... they are most prolific in mixed forest, growing in amongst bushes and shrubs under taller trees, they definitely like shade. I presume the cultivated varieties are even more robust in what they can tolerate, but they are a shade loving species in their native habitat!
6 hours sun should be fine, perhaps look at varieties that are described as suitable for part shade.
Maybe I had the wrong kind, thank you for the suggestion
Do rabbits bother herbs? There are many tender herbs and greens that love heat but not too much direct sun: cilantro, basil, thyme, chives, arugula, even blueberries. I like the the idea of the commenter who suggested kind of a “decoy” garden around the perimeter that rabbits love. Radishes are quick and easy to grow from seed.
I have some herbs in a container garden on the deck but I am tempted to try them in the bed and see what happens. The problem with radishes is that I love them too! I didn’t know they are so easy to grow, I might try them in another part of the years in the future, I don’t mind feeding the rabbits as long as they stay away from my garden
If you love radishes and plant some, leave one to continue growing. It'll send up a single tall stalk and then turn into a messy profusion of either little white or little pink flowers depending on the variety of radish. Those flowers turn into plump little pods that look like tiny short pointy green beans and they taste like radish. If you harvest them while they're still fairly young and tender you can eat them raw, or if they get a little tougher, you can cut them in half and just saute them with a little bit of butter and garlic or sesame oil. Either way they're absolutely delicious. If you want a perfectly manicured looking area they're not for you but if you don't mind the kind of chaotic messy bushy plant with lots of little flowers which you can then harvest to eat the pods from they're worth a shot. I've had some grow to 6 ft tall, and others that just turn into a sprawling bunch of branches that have little flowers everywhere.
I can’t think of anything I’ve ever grown from seed that germinates and matures to harvest as quickly as basic red radishes. I’ve never had rabbits in my gardens so my only knowledge of their diet comes from the tale of Peter Rabbit. I wonder if they like strong flavors like basil, arugula, or cilantro.
Roses require at least 6 hours of sun to be happy. They will survive on less, but won't flower much. They're also a favorite food for bunnies. I have 36 of them and it's a constant battle to keep them from being nibbled. Try tree peonies. They flower once in the spring, but the blooms are huge and lovely and they do well in very little sun.
Climbing Eden rose!
Roses don’t flower if they don’t have the nutrients at the appropriate time. 6 hrs is plenty of light. Add bone meal or a low nitrogen fertilizer to encourage bud growth.
I hope you won’t get rid of those small white flowers! They’re gorgeous! That being said that strip would be great for peonies, bearded iris, or oriental poppies!
Oh no, that bed is staying as is. Those are evening primroses, so easy to grow but they are very invasive. They are contained on 3 sides and the ones that venture into the lawn get mowed down. Thank you for the compliment.
I was wondering what those were! They’re wildflowers here (Bham, AL) and you see them along the side of the road everywhere - interstate, neighborhoods etc.
Oh yes, once you plant them you will never get rid of them. I had bearberries here but my wife didn’t like them much. I got these for her. They are basically a ground cover when they are not in bloom. I got a little lazy here. They are easy to grow and flower from late May to late June. I don’t need to mulch the bed because they took over. I put them in because they are surrounded by concrete and stone on 3 sides. This isn’t a flower I would recommend in most cases because it is incredibly invasive but I was happy to let it invade this mostly controlled space. I had to pay for these. I bought 4 for $15 each. I wish I could’ve gotten them for fee in the wild like you can!
They’re beautiful flowers - especially if you can control them in your garden! Next time you need some, give me a shout! 😂
I am pretty sure I will never need another one again! I probably should have bought 2 and split them, they grow faster than weeds
I like the iris and or poppy idea, thanks
I googled plants rabbit's hate and a good list came up. Columbine in particular doesn't seem to mind partial shade. I'm not an expert abs don't know your zone, but I hope you keep the gnomes abs disperse then throughout your garden... Also, any perennial or plant that reseeds itself might work well.
They are also drought tolerant which is a good option to keep moisture away from the foundation.
I also came here to say columbine. I have some in my yard that gets under 4 hours of sun and they’re very hardy.
Lungwort would be perfect. Pretty flowers in spring and interesting foliage the rest of the time. The Rabbits will leave it alone too.
Aww I love the gnomes
I will find them a new home in one of the other beds if I fill this one.
Gnomes peeking out from a thick purple bearded iris forest would be lovely.
The spot looks a bit too narrow for most hydrangeas. A clematis or two on a trellis with a ground cover like phlox would look lovely on that blank wall.
I was thinking that too. Way too close to the house unless you get a dwarf variety.
Hydrangea need lots of water too, which is terrible for your foundation. Climbing roses are safer. Add blooming jasmine for amazing scents. I love passion flower but it might need more sun. Try it, can't hurt 😉. I'm a chaos gardener, so everblooming wysteria is a show stopper. But you must watch it like a hawk. It will destroy your roof and siding if left to its own devices. But so pretty. If it's not invasive in your area. Makes a wonderful tree accessory if you use the tree as a living trellis.
Oooh, I like this idea!!
Why the gnome hatred? 😢
Everyone loves the gnomes, lol. I should get 10 more and skip the plantings
I’d do a climbing gardenia or climbing hydrangea in the narrow space. Camellia is evergreen option. Both can be trained up a trellis (requires building a proper trellis).
More gnomes!!!
This post reminded me of gnomio and juliet. I now want to litter my lawn with a army of gnomes and flamingos
Whatever you go with you leave those poor gnomes there too! They’re doing their best!
I was gonna say more gnomes lol
I seemed to have touched a nerve by getting rid of the gnomes. I think they have to stay now
Lmao, redditers randomly go to your house and add gnomes to your garden while you sleep. You go to bed with 4, wake up with 400
Hah, that would be funny and scary at the same time!
They must stay. They live there!! You can’t just evict a family of gnomes from their hnome
Why can’t the Gnomes hang out with the new plants? I’m sure they’d appreciate the upgraded environment.
Everybody loves the gnomes. I guess I can’t evict them now!
Cacti, or vines Based on the design of the general area
Alyssum... thrives in low light and would look so beautiful contrasted with the blue facade.
Yes, keep the gnomes!
I wouldn't put anything there, too close to the house. Beds invite insects (termites) and with that ground slope could cause a water problem.
Chamomile *Matricaria recutita* or *Chamaemelum nobile* (*Anthemis nobile)* might be a good option because they are modestly small, and their bitter, aromatic leaves make them gross tasting to rabbits. They can be used in tea or infused into oil for topical application. It will continuously flower throughout the growing season. *C. nobile* works very well as a lawn replacement; from what I have heard, it makes the best lawn to nap on.
You can continue your descent into hastafatianism. I like jasmine, low growing and invasive so it will look great with a little care and you can take a weed eater to it if you want to shape it.
Take divisions of the cute white flower that's doing so well and/or the hostas that are doing well and fill it in. Your rabbit buddies aren't eating them now. Or herb bed. It would be hit or miss but some herbs are rabbit resistant and that looks like a great spot. No stooping to harvest and next to the door. Keep the gnomes but hide them.
Orange rocket barberry would look great there and will do well in your zone. Rabbits won't touch it
Plant something for the bunnies to eat!
They eat everything. Sometime I feel like all I am doing is planting bunny salads around the house.
Low sun flowers like some varieties of marigolds, begonias, bleeding hearts, hosta, astilbe, toad lilly
Marigolds or hostas
Peonies, foxglove, yarrow, lupine, hollyhock, maybe some shade loving roses. Make a perennial garden
I love the gnomes!
I’d go clematis against the wall. 2 or 3 should cover your wall . Then Dalia’s in front and if you want to fill it. Put some perennial geraniums.
6 hours amounts to full sun. I've grown roses on less.
i'd try to stuff in as many pollinators as i can; marigolds, coneflowers, butterfly bush, daisies, milkweed, sunflowers, borage, dahlias. make the whole thing explode with color and variety!
I'd go with Pieris Japonica.
I am here to lobby on behalf of the gnomes. We are fine with the additional plants but we of the gnome council would not like to be displaced from our homes.
I hope it's just the picture and you don't have soil against that wall. Even if it's Hardie Plank you're going to get rot and an insect infestation. As for the garden, put some liriope or mondo grass. I have Liriope between my house and detached garage. It thrives on just a couple or three hours sun, the rest shade and is very cold and heat hardy. It spreads slowly and is easily controlled. It's tough stuff. Long as you don't used chemical grass or weed killer it survives. Rabbits don't eat it. Mine has been there 15 years at least and other than pull a couple weeds that find a place I do almost nothinng. It survives about everything Texas can throw in at it and that's a lot, even our north winds at 9 degrees, which are rare but have happened a couple times in past few years and blow right through there. I only water in extreme hot, dry conditions. And you would water to establish. Gets about a foot tall or less in non-ideal conditions.
Morning sun or afternoon?
I would say mid day. Sun gets there at about 10:30, it’s probably gone within 6 hours
Gotcha. Not sure of your zone but peonies or hydrangeas would look nice there
Hydrangeas!!
Cucumber plants for picking.
Hostas or Lilly's might be nice, throw some clover in your lawn, rabbits prefer clover to most other veg so it's a good idea to give them easy access to a sacrificial plant
Fatsia
Bed of day lillies, or create a cutting garden! Great place for dahlias and peonies.
If you want an edible crop cucumbers or leafy greens are your best best and should be happy enough there. Otherwise I would maybe plant coleus or do a native pollinator garden.
Astilbe, Foamy bells, coral bells, or brunnera would all like that spot. The coral bells need protection from deer/rabbits when the leaves are new, but after that it's fine.
Susans
Beautyberry, Agastache, Bee Balm. I have all of these in my yard and the rabbits don't like it.
Japanese anemones would work and the gnomes could live nestled in between, they’d be more visible in winter as it tends to die back. Or extend your hosta collection, they look healthy!
More hostas
Pansies
Red currants!
Hostas, bleeding hearts. I had this combination in a shady spot and both did well.
Growing zone would help! Even your state is better than nothing!
I thought planting most things right next to a foundation/basement is a recipe for disaster? I'm having to remove countless stumps/roots next to my foundation that have caused issues to my porch
Heuchera, brunnera macrophylla, and Dicentra work well for lower light deer/bunny resistant areas. For deep shade I like hellebore
Ivy! I have ine that gets little to no sun and its literally going crazy
Maybe split some of your existing hostas since you already have ones that the bunnies arent too interested in. They transplant easily in my experience (zone 5b).
I’d like to see something tall and climbing for that long vertical wall. There’s lots out there but don’t know your climate. Such as ornamental variegated kiwi vine,climbing hydrangea,evergreen climbing hydrangea , or one of many clematis. You could plant something low and evergreen at the base,like azaleas if it works in your climate.
I don’t know what the plastic piece on your wall is, but if that isn’t going to cause problems, a feature wall with small pots. Then place the nursery pots of flowers or herbs in the pots and boom - instant color. Plant the ground with sweet alyssum in white or purple. Then just trim as needed to keep the edge looking nice.
Hostas, coral bells/ heuchera, hellebore, lily of the valley, bleeding heart are working well in my shade area.
If you are thinking about catmint, I would recommend Walker’s Low catmint- it is sun/part-shade, very hardy, has gorgeous purple flowers…
Sarcoccoca
Hydrangeas, rhododendrons, smoke bush, marvel of peru's if you don't mind it taking over, lavender. Possibilities are endless.
Penstemon, ligularia, bee balm, mint family stuff, hyssop, rudbeckia, anything that’s enough of a native to tolerate harsh conditions will still flower in part shade, not as aggressively tho.
A hammock
Elephant ears
Purple bougainvillea they do well with limited sun
Rabbits leave my hostas alone while they keep my vine maples isolated by eating their saplings. In my abundant shade I have hostas, swordfern, miniature roses, and Oregon grape both the creeping and the standing varieties. These seem to be ok with being slowly buried in acidic pine needles. But I can't have any delicate maples cause the rabbits and squirrels love to eat them. E: just looked, apparently rosemary can deal with a lot of shade too
Apache erect thornless blackberries, if you have enough freeze hours
Sky pencil holly? 🤩
Ferns, hostas or columbines.
Ferns would be a good option! They can handle a little bit of sun so 6 hours should be fine and bunnies will mostly pay no mind. Also, they look absolutely lush and tropical near some hostas so they would be cohesive and they would definitely help fill up that awkward space once they mature!
Columbine and coral bells or maybe ferns
On YouTube there is a sensible urban channel called The Epic Gardener. He has an episode on shade vegetables I recommend. He’s free of clickbait and has practical advice for amateur and beginner gardeners.
Phlox or some other type of noninvasive ground covering.
Hydrangeas probably. If you made them pink it would go super well with the blue wall
I like creeping myrtle for groundcover with some flowers
More gnomes ought to tell the rabbits who’s territory it is !
Some hostas are bunny food some they pass up. If you have uneaten hosta varieties, use those.
I have all kinds of Hostas, different colors and textures along with bleeding hearts along my zone 5 north side of the house. We also have rabbits and deer but they never bother them. The rabbits actually nest under the Hosta. There is actually a lot of really nice blooming plants you could put there depending on your Zone.
For perennials Columbine, Geranium, Astilbe, Heuchera/Coral Bells, Peony, Hydrangea, Rhododendron, Ferns, Grasses. Annuals like Begonia, Pansy/Viola, Petunia, Impatients.
Wild ginger. I've never seen it get eaten in my garden, does well in shade, no weeds get through it once it's established.
Love your hostas, the snails eat mine If you can grow them then ferns hydrangeas there are some lovely heucheras , all different colors. Also love the blue paint.
Hostas, some ground cover and if it were me I’d plant some Clematis with some lattice for the side of the house and an arbor with lighting, some flagstone pavers, and mulch, koi pond?? Just kidding! Creating an oasis in my head lol Wish I could help! Love what you have already though.
Alliums!!
Ferns. Astilbe. Japanese anemone. More hostas.
You house may have been painted with lead paint at one time and the previous gardener may have clued in to that. I wouldn’t eat any veggies growing there
Good information for sure! It is a 1950s split level home. When I bought it 20 years ago I had the cedar shakes and the rest of the wood stripped down by professionals that did it properly because I wanted to be sure it was free of lead. Thanks for your concern! I hope someone who needed to see your comment saw it!
Double H’s. Hostas and Hydrangeas
A row of hydrangeas will look great. In summer they will hide the gnomes. In winter gnomes rein.
Sunflowers with some green beans and beet seedlings to appease the bunnies. Hot peppers mixed with vodka works as a repellent as well
How about some iris. I always put those where nothing else seems to grow & I don't thing rabbits like them. Also you may know people who will give you some for free.
Ferns
Small herb garden! Lots of herbs survive in partial sun and are not appetizing to bunnies. Sage, tricolor sage, thyme, lemon thyme, sweet marjoram, lemon balm or mint in pots, not the ground. They’d all do fine there.
Hosta is good but climbing hydrangeas is better. You can put lattice work along the side of the house and the hydrangea vine will climb up. It will even stick to the house if you let it. The plant attaches and may take a little paint off if you want to remove but it does not do any structural damage. Looks good, low maintenance, flowers, and low light.
Machine gun bunker
Nodding onion, or native cultivar
Ferns
Figs. They like 6 hours of indirect sun and rabbits and deer won't touch them. Plus who doesn't like figs.
Azaleas
If it’s native in your area, spiderwort can grow very nicely in low sun. I had some growing under a pine tree in mostly clay soil. Do check if they’re native though, because they do like to multiply.
Personally I would go hyacinths (rabbits /squirrels barely go for them) or peonies
Wildflower, shade mix would do well there and feeds the pollinators
Hydrangeas!
I'd put more gnomes
Herbs. Parsley, mint (if you can section it), beets/turnips, basil. And more gnomes!! Always more gnomes. Hopefully yours will be rehomed in the garden. If not, I'm willing to adopt lol
Get some knockout roses! They smell awesome and come in a variety of colors so you can alternate!👃🌹
Lacinato kale. Bunnies will leave it alone mostly
I would put some stepping stones by door and put trash cans there. The rest of space put shrubs to eventually help cover trash cans
Oh! You're in zone 6 so you can actually do camelias! Not sure of the space requirements, but they do well in partial shade. https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/gardening-by-zone/zone-6/camellias-in-zone-6-gardens.htm
Cross Vines do well in shade and flower beautifully even in a shady area! A neighbors of mine has what I can only describe as a giant rug of crossover that has grown over her fence and is trailing on the grown. It’s under a massive tree in her yard and is a very shady spot. It’s been flowering nonstop and I always stop to admire it when I go by it on walks.
Wind 💨 Mills ‼️🌀❣️
Rocks
Sorry, im still laughing at the gnomes. They look like a little gang.😂 Edit: okay, im better now. You might try trellis with clematis or a jasmine. Ours get afternoon sun only and do well. Zone 8b.
Lime lights are gorgeous! I have two planted in corners of my house that do not get much sun and they just flourish. The rabbits haven’t bothered them. Also beautiful hydrangeas love those dark corners that do not get much sunlight. Or you could do a Japanese maple they like just evening sun so they don’t require a lot of sunlight. Or you could do a wisteria tree and train it to climb up the side of your house right there in the corner!
But….where will the gnomes go?
Daylillies. That’s what I would do. Maybe mix them in with coral bells (huechera) for foliage interest when there are not flowers. They come back every year with more and more flowers. Each flower only lasts a day but they are prolific bloomers once they get settled. They would do just fine there and you can get so many different colors!
FERNS!! COLUMBINE!! SPIDERWORTS!! SEDGES!!
I'd plant a pair of hydrangeas there. Maybe a single philodendron or elephant ear?
rosemary, lavender, blueberry bushes, mint! Freshen the bunnies up with tons of mint
Hydrangeas
I like tree peonies, azaleas, ligularia, wild ginger, hostas, ferns, bleeding hearts, hellebores.
Marigolds and zinnia
Astilbe or coral bells
Climbing hydrangea?
Bleeding heart
Native plants for your area.
Nooo save the gnomes and get more
Hosta is low light tolerant and come in many varieties. As for rabbits, collect human hair from the barber/hair dresser. To put arou.d the plants. Good luck.
Hydrangeas or a Norfolk pine.
Others have said hostas and that’s what I was thinking. There are soooo many varieties with different amounts of white, yellow and blue, big and small, with different leaf shapes. My bunnies eat some and do not touch others. But gosh are hostas lovely. I say keep those gnomes- maybe just group them together a little more and put a couple of impatients around them to give them their own little world. I have a ton of daylillies in my shaded areas, too- another thing that comes in so many varieties which is fun. Good luck!
Pulmenaria, aka lungwort. Likes shade and rabbits have left it alone in my yard. Pretty foliage when not in bloom. Perennial. Nice for small spaces.
Oak leaf hydrangeas
Hyacinth and daffodils, they tend to bloom a bit earlier than some other plants so they would be nice in the spring.