Hi everyone! I need a bit of help coming up with an idea for the north wall of my new home. This is what I have now. An old worn chimney, a really ugly gas meter, several young trees or bushes I cannot identify & bunches of orange ditch lilies. (Photos Below) I want to fix this side of my home up. We live across the street from City Hall, so it sure would be nice if it didn't look so scraggly.

There is a HUGE oak tree just behind me when taking these photos, so this area gets quite a bit of shade. Here's a few things I need ideas on....

First off, can anyone tell me what the tree type things are that I have growing here? I am pondering on weather or not I should dig them out or leave them where they sit.

Next, about the ditch lilies, they have spread like wildfire & are actually popping up all over the front lawn. My sister says they are wonderful & I should just leave them go, but I am thinking about trying to at least trim them back...are they so invasive that this would be a never ending battle, should I just rip them all out completely? I have never seen these growing residentially before, only along road sides out in the country, so I haven't any idea how to handle them.

Next, does anyone have some good ideas on how to camouflage my ugly gas meter lol?

Next, are there any vines that I could let grow up my old chimney that wouldn't ruin the siding of my home? My husband just ripped off all of the English Ivy that was covering it because he claims it was destroying the wood frames of the windows on either side of the chimney. The house has vinyl siding, but wood trim. I personally liked the ivy, but he said it had to go.

Lastly, just looking for some fresh ideas on what I should plant here to pretty up the place. My soil is VERY rocky on this side of my home. Lots of pea gravel from the driveway has worked itself into the plant beds over the years. Soil has a good 2 inch layer of top soil that I can amend, but beneath that is hard red clay.

Thank you so much for any help or suggestions you can offer:) Chrissy





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z5b

The lilies sound like tiger lilies. We have them in our yard near the house. I like them, but maybe not as many as what you have. Here is a link about them. I didn't get to read the whole thing, but if this is what it is, you can at least find information on them now. Tiger lilies aren't hard to get rid of...at least I don't think so. They have a good sized root that you can grab a hold of and pull out. If you don't want them, send them to me!! I would like more for my shadey side of the house (I was thinking of taking a walk in the nearby woods to dig some out to get more! )

Tiger Lilies

It is a good thing your hubby pulled down the ivy. It is vicious to wood and stone. Make sure that you keep an eye on the area that it was growing from. Most likely, it will start to grow back. It is sooooo hard to get rid of.

I recently did some research for things that grow in the shade because I'm putting in a new bed on my shadey side of the house. I ended up getting some fern, bleeding hearts, lilies of the valley, and hosta. They do really well and will spread themselves out after a little while. We have Clematis growing on a lattice on the side of the house. Maybe you can build a 6 or 8 foot tall lattice around the chimney and to the right of it for Clematis to grow on?? Ours has a purple flower...and they have pink and I think white too (not totally sure on that tho). Or perhaps a climbing rose bush?

Or maybe you could do alot of bulbs in that area?? Our one garden has snow drops, daffodils (just a few on the back corners) and then a massive amount of blue bells. They all bloom one after another, so its always different. There are some tulips too. Then during the summer there are some Cosmos growing. There is also something else, but I can't think of it!!! I hope this gives you some good ideas. Good luck on your shadey side of the house!

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