Problem area in garden

15 years ago

Hello, I live in Ellenbrook in Perth. I have an area in my garden in which I've had little success over the last 10 years. The area is under a pergola and the majority of plants I have planted there eventually die. The only ones remaining now are 2 bougainvillea and a climber I don't know the name of. There's also some geraniums and aloe vera that haven't been there long and they seem to be going ok, but may die. There's some other plants there that look unhealthy and I assume they will die as they've never thrived. The sand is shallow as it is close to the foundations of the house and there is brickwork and fencing under the sand. The area is quite narrow also. To make matters worse I have cats who urinate in the area. There is also too much shade, but I will fix that by changing some of the pergola roofing to clear sheets to let more light in. (The bougainvillea has never flowered due to too little light). My question is: what sort of plants should I plant under the pergola. I'm sick and tired of wasting money by planting things that will die. I'm hoping for hardy shade loving climbing plants as well as non-climbing plants, which don't go too deep into the soil and which are resilient to cat urine. is this even possible?

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alisonoz_gw
15 years ago
Would be helpful if you had some photos that you could post in the gallery here, or post somewhere else with a link, as it would be good to see it rather than visualising it.
But it sounds like your problems apart from the shade/cat issues are (1) shallow and narrow planting depth, (2)sandy, maybe poor nutrient value of soil (3) probably soil that dries out quickly and (4) heat
There may be some residual lime leaching out from the concrete etc though you've been there 10 yrs so that should have stabilised.
If you have a limited root area, not too much will survive, or if it does, it will probably lift the house off the foundations in years to come!
Putting aside the choice of plants, it may be necessary for you to really supplement what soil you have there, with lots of organic material, so it holds moisture better.
An alternative, would be to build some garden beds (timber/brick/whatever) above the existing soil areas to raise the height and give things a slightly deeper root run.
Or, on the cheap, you could find plastic pots/tubs that could have their bottoms cut out, to rest over that soil area, achieving the same result but maybe not so attractive unless you can use trailing plants to fill in gaps.
I would remove the soil that the cats have been using as their "tray" as its probably pretty concentrated by now, and by the way, nothing is really going to survive that level of urine day in day out.
When planning your new plantings, you should incorporate a mulch of rocks or stones. Not gravel or bark, but something that the cats won't be able to scratch away. Then, give then one or more designated outdoor trays with sand or whatever nearby, and they will soon get the idea that its easier to use those than your rotten garden beds with all those pebbles they can't move to make a little "toilet". Once they get the idea, you can move their outdoor trays a little further away if necessary.
If you have a chance for pics, and say where the pergola is maybe we can help with some plant suggestions
Good luck!
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Problem area in garden

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alisonoz_gw

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