Question
Hi Russel. I have a question as to what to plant. Right now I have no landscaping in the front of my house. It is north facing. I am looking for easy to care for and maintain and also easy to plant myself.

One spot is approximately 8 feet across in front of a chain link fence. I have approximately 4 feet of depth to work with. Something that won't expand to much higher than the 4foot fence. This spot is all shade of average soil.

The second spot is shaded and very moist soil, about 10ft across and I have maybe 3 feet of depth to work with. It is a section in in front of the house, under a window. I am looking again for easy to plant and maintain. Low to the ground probably.

The last spot would get morning sun, average soil and is again under windows. Maybe 4 feet in width.

I'm at a loss as to what should be planted here. Something to give the birds cover and give the house a nice look that is easy for me to maintain and affordable. I hate roses, they get too much out of control. I live in Michigan, zone 6.

I hope these are the types of questions you can answer! I look forward to you answers!

Answer
Hey, Jill.

I'm not going to be much help for you there in Michigan because of your cold winters and the summers that can get brutally hot and humid.

I can highly recommend hostas, though. They would probably love your shady, moist spot.

Probably the best thing for you to do is to drive around some nearby streets and look at the houses that face the same direction yours does. Look at their plants and, if necessary, even knock on the door and ask what they are and if you can take a picture to take to your nursery.

Once you do that, check out the mom-and-pop nurseries that have been in business for decades and in the same family. I've found them to be more helpful to people like you and me rather than just trying to sell the latest plant that showed up in their nursery.

Hope that helps some, Jill.

Russel