made in the shade

You don't need a lot of space to create a soothing oasis in your own backyard.

In the summer, shade is a wonderful thing. A canopy of leaves can help shield us from the sweltering sun, creating a cool umbrella-like cover. This small patio nestled under mature hardwoods and pines is a great backyard getaway. High limbs crisscross overhead, allowing only small beams of light to sift across the garden and spotlight a menagerie of well-groomed plants.

When Ralph and Sally Anderson of Birmingham step out their back door, they enter a wonderful outdoor room. The space is inviting and lush with attractive foliage and flowers, but this patio wasn't always so wonderful. When they moved into the house seven years ago, it was rather boring. Dwarf yaupons and a few other evergreen hollies surrounded a rectangular concrete pad, and the generic planting created little interest. "It was really just a nothing space before, a cement square barely big enough for a few chairs," Sally says.

Seeing Potential

After settling into the home, Sally carefully evaluated the backyard patio. A Master Gardener, she has a keen eye for design and could look past the concrete pad and tired plants to see lots of potential. A large brick wall gave the space a nice backdrop. The wall was 8 feet tall in places and curved around the patio, enclosing the space and making it private. Large native oakleaf hydrangeas spilled over the top of the wall, producing lacy, white summer blooms. Sally enjoyed the privacy and loved the hydrangeas, but she wanted more diverse plantings and a larger terrace.

Time To Work

Instead of tearing out the existing patio, Ralph and Sally covered it with flagstone and mortared between the joints. The large, flat stones are smooth, making an excellent walking surface. The terrace was extended to sweep around the side of the house, giving the Andersons more room for outdoor furniture and additional space for entertaining.

Building Beds

They removed all the existing plants and built a low, dry stacked stone wall around the outside edge of the patio. The area behind the wall was backfilled with topsoil and leaf mold to create a fertile raised bed. "This was really the only way to cope with the poor soil conditions," Sally says. All the stone, soil, and leaf mold had to be brought into the backyard using a wheelbarrow. Sally recalls that was the hardest part of the project.

Water Feature

The Andersons installed a small pond and fountain in the raised bed. They chose a preformed plastic pond liner and placed rocks around the edge to hide it. The fountain is directly in front of the den window, creating an enjoyable view from the sitting area inside. Outside, the therapeutic sound of water running over moss-covered stones fills the air. Several goldfish add flashes of life and movement to the pond. The babbling sound of water also attracts birds to the woodsy terrace.

Putting in Plants

Sally says planting was the easy part, because gardening is in her blood. She inherited her grandparents' love of plants and digging in the dirt. In fact, some of the hostas in Sally's garden came from their yard.

Ferns, caladiums, cast-iron plants, and white impatiens weave through the raised bed. Shrubs such as Florida leucothoe (Agarista populifolia), Virginia sweetspire (Itea virginica), and gardenia (Gardenia jasminoides) add height. Vines also play a key role. Creeping fig (Ficus pumila) haphazardly climbs the brick wall, bringing it to life. Ralph made a wire trellis on a section of the wall to support Confederate jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides), which has been trained to climb up the wires.

Sweet Smell of Success

Many of the plants Sally selected are fragrant, adding a nice element to the garden. The Virginia sweetspire, Confederate jasmine, gardenia, and 'Royal Standard' hosta provide aromatic appeal. Confederate jasmine blooms in spring and early summer with clusters of perfumed, cream-colored flowers. In May and june, Virginia sweetspire produces spikes of tiny flowers. Gardenias are classic Southern shrubs with large, waxy foliage. Their buds unfurl in early summer, releasing a distinctive scent. Hostas are known for showy foliage, but 'Royal Standard' also has trumpetshaped blooms that appear in late summer or early fall on tall green stems. "It's wonderful to have the fragrance," Sally says. "That's part of the essence of the South, the smell of flowers in the air."

Furniture Fix-up

Sally made cushions, pillows, and a tablecloth to dress up the wrought iron furniture. She chose a floral print that looks right at home in the garden. Ralph hooked up outdoor speakers that surround the patio and pipe in tunes. Low-voltage lighting and strategically placed candles give the garden a nice glow at night.

Easy Maintenance

The garden looks full and complete, but Sally is always grooming her plants. She says that maintenance isn't that difficult now that most of the plants are established. Sally does have to add a few annuals in late spring or early summer. She waits until all the perennials have emerged and then fills in any holes. A hidden drip system helps to keep plantings moist during dry periods. Small watering tubes run up the brick wall and down the metal hooks holding the hanging baskets. They keep the thirsty plants full and lush.