Annuals? Bulbs? Perennials? Shrubs? Exposure?

Annuals, Bulbs, and Perennials would all be good. The area, as well as the containers I currently own, are probably all too small for a shrub of any sort. I don't have all that much experience with bulbs, but I'm willing to learn.

Half my patio is in almost full shade 24/7. The other half gets bits of morning sun with just a wee bit of afternoon sun, and much of that gets cut off by the trees around the complex, especially during the summer. So at most I get only partial sun, which rules out for me almost all the plants I have experience with (Goodbye roses! *sniff*) Most of my plants will be going in the partial sun area.

Let's see, what else....until I get a chance to build up my collection, I am currently using mostly cheap terracotta 15" diameter pots from IKEA. I'm not gonna invest in anything better until I know what I'm doing.

Thanks again!

This should be an interesting topic.

About 8 years ago, we moved to Georgia for a period of about 8 to 9 months.

Not only did the sand gnats, fire ants and chiggers drive us out, but I realized that my landscape skills were tailored to having been in the Pacific NW for 35 years.

So I know what you mean.

Pruning was near identical there. That's what I did for business on the side while there.

Transplanting was almost the same. A lot of other plants were the same too, like crape myrtle, which is very popular there.

But the soil, temps and climate were noticeably different for quite a few aspects of gardening.

You will probably adapt very quickly once you get a feel for the weather and soil here.

You might get something out of this one. Author lived and gardened in Bothell for years.

Here is a link that might be useful: Timber Press: The Complete Shade Gardener

bboy - Thanks for the link. I put a hold on it at the library. I love Timber Press books so I'm sure it'll be useful.

mdvaden - I spent over 20 years in various parts of GA, and after a week in Seattle I swore I'd never go back. I won't even return for a family visit b/w the months of May through September.

Now for a couple questions.
1)What do you recommend for slugs? There are like 100 different products out there and I don't know yet what works and what doesn't.

2)All my Athyrium ferns died late fall of last year. Is that normal? I thought they were deciduous, but I've read more than once that they are evergreen here.

Thanks again for the tips.

Sluggo works very well and is safe for use around kids and pets. One of the more eco-friendly of the available slug/snail controls. I grow lots of plants in containers and have little problem with them and slugs, although conditions can vary widely. One method to deter them from containers is to run a band of copper tape along the inside of the container lip with a slight edged exposed on the top - copper and slugs don't mix well :-))

Lady ferns, Athyrium, are herbaceous and will dieback in late fall and with the onset of cold weather. Some species/cultivars are slower to do this than others and will hold on to green fronds well into the winter, but they never look good and I recommend cutting them back. But there are lots of evergreen ferns to choose from as well. Polystichum polyblepharum or tassel fern is one of my favorites with glossy, deep green fronds year round that look almost like they have been polished.

I'd also recommend that you consider larger containers - I consider an 18" diameter pretty much a minimum for any kind of significant mixed container planting. Most local retail nurseries have pot recycling bins for discarded black nursery pots and you can often find a good selection of larger sizes in spring as the planting crush hits. This is a good source of very inexpensive (free!) containers to use until you feel comfortable investing in more decorative ones. They tend not to dry out as fast in summer as terra cotta ones do and are far more durable through winter. For smaller pots, a single plant type is often very effective. In your situation, I'd consider hostas - they are dramatic as a container plant and IME, far safer from slug damage in a container than in the ground.

FWIW, you can grow anything, including small trees, in a container provided you provide the correct size and appropriate care. Visiting local nurseries and investigating their offerings for shade or part shade should provide all sorts of possibilities. Many of these will also offer classes in container design as well with many helpful tips, as this is one of the fastest growing aspects of hobby gardening.

I did a shade container for a client using a Japanese maple, a brunnera, and a clump of green and white carex. Simple and pleasing, but needs a good-sized pot to succeed. I have one with a small, upright yew as the tallest plant and other things come and go--heuchera, vinca major, ferns, primrose, spike moss, begonias. A bit of a riot but always something to look at there.

I concur about using bigger pots. The small ones are harder to keep evenly watered during the dry season. They also tend to clutter up a small space like a condo patio.

Hopefully I can add something here. I moved to the area (south of Tacoma) from Louisiana, which has a similar if not more miserably hot growing season to Georgia. To be honest I have found I can grow most of what I did back home, PLUS much more with a few exceptions. The things you want to stay away from or tread lightly with are those that love heat and need warm night temps to thrive.

Also keep in mind that your timeline is different here. So, you can't give up on things too early. For instance down south we expect summer to be in full swing by June..tomatoes are getting red, most hydrangeas are all but done, we are trying to get the most of our annuals before they poop out in the midsummer heat. Up here it's more like August (and late August at that) before many things get moving. That is a hard adjustment. I still cuss my tomatoes and threaten them at the beginning of August when they are still green and just sitting there. I've had a couple of plants that barely had ripe tomatoes by the first frost.

Can I ask what you tried and didn't have success with? Could be more to do with your shade than with the actual climate up here or as other's have suggested too small of containers.

There is so much more variety here than I ever found in nurseries back home..you just need to familarize yourself with some of it.

I agree about slugs..they are a bain on my existence. I've found though that once you start addressing the issue the population will decrease, even in future years. But they won't ever go away!

gardengal - thanks for all the info.

digdig - I totally agree with you and gardengal about needing bigger pots. However, being able to afford the pots is another matter. I'm keeping my eyes open, but I will probably have to build up my pot collection slowly and I don't wanna wait till then to start growing things. At least this way I'll hopefully have an idea of what does and doesn't work by the time I get some nice pots. I HATE plastic pots and would prefer to avoid them if at all possible, especially since I know I'd just throw them out once I got something better.

nightnurse - Lousiana? yeesh. That is possibly the one place more miserable than GA in the summer. While the shade has caused me problems (I'm used to growing veggies and except for salad you really can't do that with how much shade I have), I think most of my problems are from my inexperience with using containers and my surprise at realizing how serious a problem slugs were up here. I had heard horror stories about them, but I guess I had to actually experience it to believe it. They ate everything!

I really wish the library would hurry up and get my books in. Now that I have plants on the brain I need something to occupy me until the weather warms up.

Again, thanks for all the advice. I'll keep sending in the questions as they come to me.

I've found the secret to getting rid of slugs is start EARLY! Like now! As soon as the sun comes out in February, the weeds and slugs become active. I find that putting out lots of slug bait now means I only have to do it again maybe once in midsummer.

Daphne in Tacoma