Behind the Garage- Part 1
It is cold and chilly outside. I’m warm inside and in full garden planning mode. I’m dreaming up ideas, pinning beautiful gardens like crazy, making lists, and trying to prioritize…and maybe justify all of the ahem, improvements, that I am hoping to make this spring.
Because I need to reign my ideas in just little, I have decided to focus on the areas that are surrounding the Flower Walk.
The Flower Walk starts at our screened in porch, follows the new paver path, and connects to an old sidewalk that is behind our garage. The old sidewalk is narrow and connects the back of the garage to the front of the house. On one side of the sidewalk is the grass of the backyard, but on the other side is a super narrow garden. It is approximately 20 feet long and only 1 foot deep.
How we Started:
When we first moved into our 1940s fixer upper, this narrow garden was full of thistle weeds and super invasive Bishop weed.
After cleaning up the narrow garden, I was not sure what to plant in the garden, because it was such a tricky space- narrow and north facing. I divided some hostas that were already in the back garden and I planted five of them behind the garage. The hostas were a temporary solution until I came up with another plan.
Now, sixish years later, the hostas are hanging over onto the sidewalk and are not providing nearly enough interest behind the garage.
Where We're Going
There is just so much white space behind the garage and there is only one small window on the second floor. Visually, something needs to fill a lot of vertical space on the wall. A trellis or trellises seems like the logical conclusion. A trellis will look great year round and visually break up all of the white siding. You know I am all about winter interest in the garden.
Using the rule of thirds, I drew lines on the photo. I know the back of the garage is approximately 30 feet high and 20 feet long. Which means the trellis needs to be around 10 feet high (⅓ of the height) and approximately 14 feet wide (⅔ of the length.) That is one massive trellis.
I would like there to be contrast in color, so all white options are out. I am leaning towards black (to mirror the shed and echo the interior of our home), but I am also open to cedar or other wood tones.
Here are some options.
Single Free standing Trellis
DIY option from Southern Revivals
Three Free Standing Trellises
This would be a DIY option. Image found on Pinterest.
Three Trellises Fastened to the Siding
This option was featured on Garden Answer and is sold by Gardener's Supply.
In terms of plants, I would love climbing roses, but I do not think they would be right in this space. Most of the year, this space is shaded. In the summer months, it does receive only a couple of hours of direct sunshine. Roses would need a lot more sun, plus I don’t know if I would want thorns directly along our Flower Walk. It just seems like an accident waiting to happen.
Image from Gardenista
I have spent some time researching feasible options. I really, really liked the look of climbing hydrangeas. They can grow tall and have beautiful 5 inch wide lace cap blooms. When the blooms dry, they are reddish brown and can be used in crafts and other diy projects. Perfect! Well, almost. As I kept researching, I learned that climbing hydrangeas are self-clinging, meaning they have little suckers that will attach to the trellis….but they also may attach to the siding. That’s a hard pass for me.
Image from Gardening Know How
Let me explain. When we moved into our house the yard was overrun by English ivy. It was climbing the chimney, parts of the siding, trees, and the grass. It was EVERYWHERE. Seven years later, we are still digging out ivy. It seems like it is nearly impossible to get rid of it. There is no way I will ever introduce a self-clinging vine in our garden.
My preference would be to grow multiple clematises along the trellis. As the saying goes, they prefer to have their heads in the sun and their feet in the shade. The area behind the garage does not get nearly enough sun for traditional clematises. I am hopeful that I will find a variety (or more!) that will work in this area. I will visit some local nurseries in the spring to make my official plant selections.
Image from Gardener’s Supply
Next Steps
Over the next month, I will solidify the behind the garage plans. I will decide if I am going to buy or diy the trellis (or maybe trellises.) I am going to focus on size (keeping in mind the rule of thirds), color (black or wood toned), and shape.
Our last frost date in Columbus is in April. Realistically, the trellis could be up in March (depending on how far down I have to dig) and the flowers could be added later.
I am so excited to get outside and get started on these garden projects. But for now, I will be inside sitting by the fire, pinning and planning.
