When Idaho Statesman writer Anna Webb wrote the story on the SNOW Block Alley last summer she happened to take a peak inside the gate to our backyard. She said she was working on a story on shade gardens for the spring and would I be interested in being featured. The photographer was to come a few weeks later which put us into September, and me into panic mode. Boise is HOT in the summer and by late August everything is tired and the party is pretty much over. The pending photo session had me running seemingly to every nursery in town looking for something – anything – that might be still be blooming. Photographer Katherine Jones worked her magic and pulled it off beautifully.
The shade article ran on March 16, 2016 and Anna did such a beautiful job I have to admit I misted up a bit the first time I read it.
You can see the full article online here including 21 photos of our backyard.
Made in the Shade
Boise North Enders create color, texture in a garden without much sun
Linda Whittig and Devin Koski have gotten lots of attention as the driving forces behind SNOW, or “Slightly North of Washington” (school). That’s the neighborhood project that transformed the alley behind their North End home into a community space complete with movie screenings, basketball, beautiful plantings and art.
But the Whittig/Koski yard adjacent to the alley is a treasure in its own right. It’s a compact and lovely space filled with growing things. This is all the more impressive since the garden is virtually all shade — a condition that can make creating color and visual interest a challenge.
It’s an inspiring example of a shade yard, packed as it is with plantings, pathways, lights, sculptures, lanterns, seating areas and other points of visual interest.
Whittig has lived in the house for 17 years. During that time the garden has been an evolving work of living art.
“The yard and the house have gone through several iterations,” said Whittig. When she’s not gardening, she works as a graphic designer and writes a blog, Bistro OneSix, detailing her domestic adventures, including the alley project and garden.
The previous resident of the Whittig/Koski home was a “bachelor,” said Whittig. “The backyard was entirely grass and arbor vitae trees. The first thing I did was rip everything out.”
She built a big patio and an addition on the back of the house. The reduced space and increased shade from trees that have matured over the years mean the yard has had to be a concentrated, carefully planned oasis. But today, it’s hard to survey any corner of the garden without spotting some bright glint of color, or light or sculpture.
Part of Whittig’s garden success has been making peace with the shade.
“I don’t know how many times I replanted grass under one of the trees. It never grew,” said Whittig. “You have to embrace what you have and figure out what you can do with it instead of trying to make your garden something it can’t be.”
Besides, she says, she can live vicariously through the SNOW alley, a space with plenty of sun.
LINDA WHITTIG’S TIPS FOR COPING WITH A SHADY GARDEN:
1. In a sunny garden, you have lots of options for color. Having shade has meant incorporating elements that aren’t necessarily plant material — beautiful ceramic pots, for example. Pottery can act as little showpieces throughout the garden. I rely on those to give me height and color. Watch for sales at the end of the season.
2. Consider adding a little rock fountain to your garden. It doesn’t need sun, and, in fact, will grow less algae without sun.
3. Integrate sculptural elements: I have a metal botanical sculpture of cattails and a lotus. It’s plumbed to the gas line so the cattails and lotus flame. The sculpture adds light and height in a place where growing plants would be a struggle. Including little hanging lights in the trees and integrating little stone paths are other possibilities.
4. Take advantage of the areas where you do have sun and pack them with color. My little sun area is right around the patio. I only like purple and pink flowers, so I plant geraniums, petunias and spiky annual grasses because they add texture and height. I like ice plants for color (perennial) and gerber daisies. They’re cheery, and they bloom all summer. I also like alyssum and coleus with bright red leaves. I work in plants like dusty miller because of its gray color and soft, furry leaves. Good texture.
5. Hydrangeas, rhododendron, astilbe, coral bells, hostas and ferns all grow in the shade and can be lush and have lots of texture. Integrate some evergreens for winter interest.
Linda, I just looked at all the pictures and your yard is SO STUNNING! Not only all of the beautiful, flourishing plants, but you have such cool outdoor art pieces — I love the metal “ball” made from the wine barrel bands (so cool!) and the buddha statue. Looks like such a pretty, peaceful place. 🙂
Ah… thanks Valentina! Since I didn’t have much sun I needed to make it interesting with other things like colored, glazed pots and artwork. There’s also a cool fire sculpture. You see a bit of the lotus flowers in one shot but there’s tall cattails that fire comes out of too. It’s constantly a work in progress. I just got a big, awesome garden gnome as my newest addition.