Hi everyone, I just found this site and wondered if anyone had any ideas for me. I am building a memorial garden for my Dad. The place I want to plant it is in a pine grove in my front yard. There is a rock we would sit on when he came to visit, so that is really the place I want it....but I am unsure of what could survive the pines and shade.

I really would like to plant forget me knots, but not sure they would grow..but I am going to try

Also his favorite flower is the yellow rose. Does anyone know of a small yellow rose that could grow in these conditions?

Thanks in advance for your help, Nikki

The forget-me-not is a beautiful flower and one I too use in special circumstances such as this. I made them in icing for the decoraton on my wedding cake and my eternity ring has gold forget-me-nots woven into the band.

I don't know what would grow there Nikki because I live in a different country, but violets grow here under similar conditions that you've mentioned.

Have you thought of attaching a plaque to his rock? That would be so lovely.

I'll leave the rose up to the experts but I also the love the yellow rose. Where I come from, yellow is for remembrance. Maybe Rosemary might grow in there for the very same reason? Just a thought.

How old, tall and close together are the pine trees?
Is anything growing under them now?

It is very difficult to grow things under pine trees.

Here are some suggestions.

http://www.seedsofknowledge.com/pines.html

Forget-me-nots are basically a wild flower. They bloom mostly in spring, and require alot of moisture.
I have success under oaks, with Lily of the Valley,
spring bulbs, and ivy. Ferns are nice too.

Wild type plants do better in difficult situations like you have.
Making sure there is enough nitrogen in the soil, is also important, as trees drain it out. Same with water.

I don't think roses would work...they need alot of sun.
But you might get some daylilies to bloom there (if you get 1/2 day sun at least) and there are some nice little types that are yellow.

Possibly, some type of a tea rose might survive in the area you're considering. (I have yellow, pink and white tea roses that have survived through some pretty harsh temperatures here - from 20 degrees to triple digits. They are planted in a shady area of my yard. I've had them for, roughly, 10 years.)

Hostas, Rhododendrons, Azaleas grow well in the type of soil under pine trees and they don't need much sun. I use them a lot in shady areas under pine trees in my landscape jobs. Also Heuchera (Coral Bells) is another good idea. Hosta and Heuchera are perennials while the Rhoddies and Azaleas are shrubs. You can find lots of different colors and sizes and there is even an Exbury Azalea that is deciduous that is has a very pretty bloom.

There are also some sedum ground covers that would be nice as well. Some of the variegated ones do very well in shady, acidic soil.

My advice to you is to talk to your local nursery (not the box store ones) and see what they suggest for your area. One thing about Rhoddies is they prefer well drained soil so you might have to add a little sand to the planting area, but other than that, each year adding some fertilizer for those plants, they should do fine.

Thank you all so much for your help and advice

Koala, remember the poem I wrote that I had engraved in marble for my Dad's grave site? I had 2 made, I plan to do just what you suggested! Great minds thinking alike

Mrsd, thanks for the advice, I have forget me nots in all of my memorial gardens, some have baby breath too, believe it or not, they do well in the shade here.

Thanks for the advice about the tea roses bobbi, the yellow roses would be the most important flower for me, so I would be willing to do some trial and errors to see if I could get a couple to grow.

Jo, this particular area of yard, the pines are very old... it gets a bit of late afternoon sun, but that is it. As for anything growing there, just wild flowers, like bleeding hearts and violets.

Thanks AVgirl hmmmm I dont think I want anything high like shrubs, as I think it would over power the rock, and I want that to be the center piece.I love coral bells though, thanks!

Right now I am trying to clear the small trees and prickle bushes from the area, I let it grow up this year, as Dad wasn't here to sit with me. But, now I want to get it started. First I guess I better decide if I want it to go all around the rock in a circle, or more of a half circle....

Thanks again!! Nikki

Then maybe the sedum ground cover is what you want. It's very short, and would not detract from the rock. I don't know how tall it is, but some of the Azalea's are very small.

I hope this turns out like you want I think it is a wonderful, really touching.

Hi Nikki, your garden sounds like it will be a very calming place to relax. Can't wait to see some pics.

My dad always bought live Christmas trees and it was our turn to get the tree for his last X-mas before he passed. The tree is now almost 10 years old and is going strong.

When we put our pool in the workers didn't understand why I would spend 600.00 to have it moved. I tried to explain how important it is to me but they just shook their heads. I am so thankful to hubby for not complaining about the money to move it. He loved dad as much as the rest of us.

I also have one of his rosebushes out front. When mom had to sell the house I went over and dug it up. I also put one of his big rocks he had next to it. My dad collected rocks, I even have his old coffee can half full of rocks that he wrote "rocks/ valuable" on it. They are just rocks (who knows since he worked at the test site, they may be radioactive LOL) but every time I see that can I get a smile on my face.

Oh and I pick up a rock to take home from every place we go camping. Hubby calls me Lucy Remember the Lucy episode where she filled up the trailer with rocks?

Anyway, I rambled but thanks again for happy memories of dad...Sue