Don’s Expert Answers: Tricky garden area – summer sun, winter shade

Question From:
Monique in Booval, Ipswich Queensland

Nature of problem:
Tricky garden area – summer sun, winter shade

Type of Plant (if known):
Any

Symptoms of Plant Illness (please try NOT to diagnose your problems yourself):
Depends if a sun or shade plant

Soil Type (e.g. sandy, clay or loam) OR Potting Mix Type:
Black clay

How often do you water the plant:
Twice weekly

How many hours of sunlight does the plant get each day:
5

How long since you planted it:
2.5 years

Have you fertilised? If so, with what and when:
When required

Is the plant indoors or outdoors:
Outdoors

Is the plant in a pot or in the ground:
Ground

What other treatments have you given the plant:
Mulch every 6 months

Upload photo if available:

Other Comments:
I have a Gardening challenge. The longest garden in my back yard gets the westerly sun in summer and full shade all winter. I’ve not had any success getting anything to grow in the ground for more than a year because of the lighting issues. Recently I’ve taken to rotating pots – in summer, plants that take full sun get put out and in winter it’s the shade lover’s turn. As you can imagine, this gets quite tiring!
The rest of my gardens are cottage-themed to fit the 1950s era house. Are there any plants you can recommend for my region that would be suitable for the scorching QLD summer sun but will also take full winter shade?
I’m limited on plant height as the neighbours have a pool area on the other side of this garden fence.

Answer:
Hi Monique, A dwarf lillypilly shoul ddo the job. A sasanqua camellia like Star Above Star would also be good. Don