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[SG] Welcome

Hello Sherryl!

We moved into our new home just outside Oslo, Norway in November of last
year - and I
was very exited at the prospect of finally having my own garden. It's not
very large, only
about 500 m2, and it surrounds the house on all four sides.
The garden was well established (the house was built in '75), but the
previous owners had
opted for a low-maintenance profile - grass and lots of bushes of various
kinds, hardly any
flowers. I set out this spring getting to know the garden, and one of the
first things that struck
me was that it doesn't get nearly as much light as I would have expected,
even in the spring
and summer (the winter around here is relatively dark at all times).
There's a big hill to the
south which takes away a lot of direct sunshine, plus the fact that the
house itself casts a
shade that moves around the house through the day - what I suppose you
would call
wandering shade, giving two to three hours of direct sun at the most.
There were a few plants worth preserving: a large climbing "Flammentanz"
rose on a
sheltered wall, two large bush jasmines (jasminum officinale?), two largish
clumps of yellow
daylily (hemerocallis lilioasphodelus, I think, it smells of
lily-of-the-valley), one blackcurrant
and four redcurrant bushes.
I've spent this summer removing quite a few of the bushes (some of them
frost-damaged),
and planting av few new things - plus getting rid of weeds. Two of the
redcurrants will
have to go too- I don't know what to do with 20+ kg of redcurrants, I've
already got a cellar full
of jam and redcurrant juice!)
I've tried a few David Austin roses,  but there is probably too little
light - the old albas seem to
be doing better - I've planted three of those also. I've started a
perennial bed outside our
north-facing front door, with only white, shade-tolerant flowers and a few
hostas (hosta
sieboldiana, they're such a lovely colour). I'm very fortunate in having a
nursery nearby that
stocks about 600 different perennials. I also live 2 km from one of
Norway's best rose
nurseries, specialists in old roses.
I spent the summer wondering whether I had to give up my dreams of a
sun-filled garden full
of roses and annuals.....but from the reading I've done so far, there seems
to be a world of
possibilities with a shade garden as well; but it's something I don't know
very much about. So
I look forward to participating in your mail discussions.


Yours,

Astri Tverst|l
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