I'd cover the whole area with an interesting mix of hostas in different shades and variegation. Strawberries and blueberries are going to be too difficult under a maple. Most things will have a hard time under a maple, in fact, because its roots are so shallow and suck up all the moisture. But hostas can probably handle it, especially if you water them occasionally, and they will spill over the edge of the cinder blocks nicely. I don't think you need to plant anything *in* the skinny holes of the cinder blocks, just plant right next to them. If you really want fruit, flowers or other color, try them in pots.

Maybe someone else can suggest a vine to grow up the fence.

What about planting a vine for the fence in a large pot. That way you wouldn't have to worry about the maple's roots. I don't know what vine because I am not familiar with where you live or what grows there. The pot should be up on small blocks to keep it off the ground. It would be easy to make a trellis above the fence to provide more coverage.

Hosta planted in the ground around the pot would be nice. As lala said, no need to plant in the block holes.

Mike

The vine you call indestructible, can it be trained to cover the fence? I would just look for something to block the view. If you do a vine it will need maintenance which you may not want to do.

Hadn't thought about using a large pot, another good idea! Thanks Mike.

Emmaene, as for the indestructible vine, I'm trying so hard to eradicate the one that is on the other side of my shed which keeps trying to choke my cedar hedge from that angle that I don't think using it here would work for me, since I have another cedar hedge that starts just to the left of the maple...

Not good at zone 5b, but that chain link and the shade are your main issues.

I'd put a partial cedar fence in front of the chain link, paint it green to match the other fence or gate or whatever that is, get a blower and get rid of the leaf litter, then set up your BBQ, table and chairs and enjoy the space without staring at the neighbor's trash.

We have a lot of leaf litter here, and DH is blowing the front porch often, but it's a quick job.

Good luck!

The ones I listed are some of my favorites. Donald Leopold's "Native Plants of the Northeast" lists no less than 50 ferns and fernlike plants, grasses and grasslike plants, wildflowers, and shrubs that tolerate dry soil and are suitable for partial to full shade. (And then there are the 9 trees, which you probably wouldn't want in that location anyway.)

See if you can find a copy in your library. This book also has photos and descriptions of the plants, including hardiness zones, cultivation requirements, attribute, and notes.

Native plants usually are low maintenance, if properly sited ("right plant, right place"), as they have evolved in the region. (Just check their habits, as some will run or reseed very generously.) They are also usually better at supporting our native beneficial insects like butterflies and other pollinators, as well as birds and other small wildlife. Aside from giving your landscape an ecological function, the presence of these creatures throughout the seasons can greatly enhance the enjoyment of your property.

Another plant I like that does well in shade, is a small broad-leafed evergreen native to China commonly called sweet box, botanical name sarcocca. May not be easy to find (took me three years) and may not be winter hardy in your zone except in protected areas. The tiny flowers that bloom in late winter are exceptionally fragrant.

Would post a photo of my coral honeysuckle, but cannot just now ... technical difficulties.

Thanks for the suggested source, though it doesn't appear to be available in my library, I might be able to find it in a neighboring municipality. I certainly would benefit from a plant being lower maintenance. I have had limited success in my gardening attempts so far, even though most of it has been focused on REMOVING stuff.

Looking into the availability of sarcoccoca. Love fragrant things!

Is the fence yours or the neighbours. If its yours, consider hanging some antique frames or mirrors there that will reflect whatever is on the nicer side of the garden. Another idea, buy one or two of those new garden easels and large outdoor canvasses. You will then have height and less space to fill with vines (I might try climbing hydrangea in a large pot and some hostas at ground level. I have an equally bad (if not worse spot in my backyard, which i disguised for a recent garden tour in just this way.

I would look into inexpensive rolled bamboo fencing and cover the cyclone fence for a backdrop to the planting....

On another thread, I saw where someone had used FAKE ivy, woven into the cyclone fence to create and instant privacy fence. I wouldn't have believed how good it looked, but it did. I don't think it was plastic ivy, but maybe fabric (polyester?) and the poster said it had held up well. She was waiting for the real plants she planted to climb the fence to mature and cover the fake stuff. Sorry, i can't find the thread.

I lile the bamboo fencing idea, too. And a garden easel and a piece of outdoor are would really look good in front of it, particularly something with an oriental look.

Heuchera can take quite a bit of shade and you have quite a variety of foliage colors to choose from. If you're worried about plants spreading, use a below-ground barrier. For deep-rooted plants you have to have a deep barrier (3' for bamboo, for example), but for most plants that spread by runners near the surface, just cut the bottom out of a large nursery pot and sink it in the ground.

Putting a barrier for bamboo would be almost impossible with that large tree and it's roots right there.

Mike

I wasn't suggesting bamboo, Mike, just citing the example of a three-foot deep barrier for it.

Oh, OK.

I see now.

Mike

Alright, so I ended up planting stuff less based on what I really wanted, but according to what I found on sale at the garden center (I'll probably eventually learn that you're better off buying what you want than just getting what you can get cheaper, but we'll see...).

So, from the left, there's a "Sum and substance" hosta, a "Hollywood" heuchera, then three parts of a "Gold Standard" hosta (I divided the plant I bought, I think it was big enough to do so), with a "Black sea" hosta and a "Plum pudding" hosta. In back on the right, there's a small cinnamon fern.

I think I should have switched the Plum pudding and the Hollywood based on where the morning sun hits (more on the right side than the left). I'm also not sure that the plants are far enough apart, so that the hosta plants don't end up hiding the heucheras. I'm guessing that the cinnamon fern will grow tall enough to provide a lot of privacy, but I read that it will need a fair bit of moisture and I don't know that there will be enough there. If it doesn't do well, I'll move it to another shady spot on my yard and try with a different breed.

I really wish the garden center had offered wifi so I could have looked up the plants before buying them, because I didn't really know what I was getting. I hope none of the plants die if they are not well adapted to the area, and that I can just transplant them and start over if necessary. Still, it's a huge improvement on the previous weedy chaos!

Still hoping I can get an epimedium (there was none at the garden center). I would also like sarcocca but I don't think it would be hardy enough for my area (I read zone 6 or higher)... And I might still go with a bamboo fence if I can do it without my husband noticing (if the fern doesn't get big enough).

Thanks for your help!

Oh I like your choices! But then again, I'm a huge fan of both hosta and heuchera. Your Sum and Substance, however, should get VERY large. Like 3 foot high and 4 or 5 foot across. So you eventually will have to move some of its neighbors. If it were me, I'd probably get another (or two) Sum and Substances - widely spaced out, of course - instead of the Gold Standards, because you want to hide what's on the other side of the fence. But you can do that later, after you see how they all grow.

Good job.

Click on this link to the Hosta forum on this site. Look at that S&S!!!

Sum and Substance

Congratulations on taking some action and not dithering around! You'll probably end up transplanting and moving stuff any how. When the soil freezes you might want to

throw some chopped leaves, oak leaves or pine straw on the new perennials.

Nothing wrong with saving a little money, and you couldn't have gone far wrong with

h & hs.

Oh wow! That's quite a specimen! Well, I knew it would get big, so I placed it in the corner where it would have the most space to grow, (the picture doesn't really show the space it has well) but It still may not be enough.

My colleague kept telling me not to buy anything because I could raid his garden and take parts of anything I wanted, but I wasn't going to be able to do it this year and couldn't bear another fall or spring with that horrible mess.

As for the leaves, this is under my giant maple so it will be leaves galore in no time. Maple leaves are okay, right?

Thanks for your comments!

You'd think otherwise but maple leaves are not ideal. They mush down flat when they get wet and make a thick inpenetrable layer. My experience is that a thick layer of maple leaves left over the wet winter smothers grass. And that layer is really hard to rake up in the spring. It's like an inch of sodden cardboard. I've found that when I rake hard enough to get up the maple leaves I inevitably uproot some plants beneath.

In my garden I'd rake up the maple leaves. A cheaper way of mulching would be to run your power mower over the maple leaves (when they are dry) and put that fluffy layer on top as mulch.

The leaves will decompose faster when you chop them. Chopped fall leaves are great as mulch.

No...smaller pieces more spaces between them....don't pack down the same way.

mow all the leaves you can find and hoard them....Then dig them in when you do more planting.