I have a corner of the garden (NE) where I have the swingset a couple of
metres from the fence each way. On one side is a large apricot, on the other
a smaller nectarine. I'd like to plant something child-friendly, compact and
pleasant looking in the two strip areas between the edge of the swings and
the fence. One part of the strip is under the nectarine. It is well shaded
and retains moisture well but is not really moist. Something waterwise would
be great. Any suggestions?
Liz

In article <44320bfd$0$10674$afc38c87 [at] news.optusnet.com.au>,
"Staycalm" <lizirwin [at] ihatespamoptusnet.com.au> wrote:

> I have a corner of the garden (NE) where I have the swingset a couple of
> metres from the fence each way. On one side is a large apricot, on the other
> a smaller nectarine. I'd like to plant something child-friendly, compact and
> pleasant looking in the two strip areas between the edge of the swings and
> the fence. One part of the strip is under the nectarine. It is well shaded
> and retains moisture well but is not really moist. Something waterwise would
> be great. Any suggestions?

Turn it into your child's own garden plot. Give her some nice big seeds, like
sweet peas or sunflowers, or perhaps some bulbs. In fact, you could even get
her planting vegies (again, peas would be a good choice). Maybe bluebells in
the shaded area, and vegies on the sunny side, and trellis at the back for
peas? Edge the area with strawberries.

--
Chookie -- Sydney, Australia
(Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply)

"Parenthood is like the modern stone washing process for denim jeans. You may
start out crisp, neat and tough, but you end up pale, limp and wrinkled."
Kerry Cue

"Chookie" <ehrebeniuk [at] fowlspambegone.com.au> wrote in message
news:ehrebeniuk-B7A518.20224404042006 [at] news-vip.optusnet.com.au...
> In article <44320bfd$0$10674$afc38c87 [at] news.optusnet.com.au>,
> "Staycalm" <lizirwin [at] ihatespamoptusnet.com.au> wrote:
>
>> I have a corner of the garden (NE) where I have the swingset a couple of
>> metres from the fence each way. On one side is a large apricot, on the
>> other
>> a smaller nectarine. I'd like to plant something child-friendly, compact
>> and
>> pleasant looking in the two strip areas between the edge of the swings
>> and
>> the fence. One part of the strip is under the nectarine. It is well
>> shaded
>> and retains moisture well but is not really moist. Something waterwise
>> would
>> be great. Any suggestions?
>
> Turn it into your child's own garden plot. Give her some nice big seeds,
> like
> sweet peas or sunflowers, or perhaps some bulbs. In fact, you could even
> get
> her planting vegies (again, peas would be a good choice). Maybe bluebells
> in
> the shaded area, and vegies on the sunny side, and trellis at the back for
> peas? Edge the area with strawberries.

I think I explained the space poorly. It's L shaped around two sides of the
play equipment, bordered on those sides by the fence. Each bed is about a
foot wide. The northern side is in shade and under the nectarine. The
eastern side gets more sun once it's away from the nectarine. Obviously both
will get a lot more sun in the winter.

I like the bulbs idea. Would the sweet pea grow on the eastern side, up the
fence if I put some trellis or something? How much sun do strawberries need?
I have some atm with runners ready to be snipped.

Liz

In article <44325178$0$7604$afc38c87 [at] news.optusnet.com.au>,
"Staycalm" <lizirwin [at] ihatespamoptusnet.com.au> wrote:

> I like the bulbs idea. Would the sweet pea grow on the eastern side, up the
> fence if I put some trellis or something?

Yep!

> How much sun do strawberries need?
> I have some atm with runners ready to be snipped.

Dunno, at your latitude! I'd try them and see. You might find one area is
more productive, but remember this is a kid's garden and she may spend a lot
of time digging the plants up!

--
Chookie -- Sydney, Australia
(Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply)

"Parenthood is like the modern stone washing process for denim jeans. You may
start out crisp, neat and tough, but you end up pale, limp and wrinkled."
Kerry Cue