apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Ferns: cheap, and like the shade!

A wall trellis painted a cheerful color might help dispel some of the "creepy" vibe. You could put a pot or two of English ivy next to it-- that's a good, fast-growing, shade-loving climber. (Though it would probably make the space more cheery and pretty even without anything growing on it.)

ooh...that's a lovely idea! I would think that most shade loving plants would be fine. Hostas like shade, and are usually easy to find/care for. Soil is probably your biggest issue, getting rid of the gravel and putting in topsoil will be some work...although perhaps not too bad, small spaces are great.
good luck!

also...container gardens!

Yes, I'd research container gardening. The pea gravel probably helps a good deal with drainage of the area. Containers will elevate anything you plant to a more noticeable level.

How will you get water back into the space? I assume there's not a hose bib or faucet. Make sure that any containers you use retain water, like a self-watering container or earth box, or even just plastic instead of unglazed terracotta. When you have to carry water for each plant, you want to retain as much of it as possible.

A container garden may be the way to go, given how much work it'd be to get the soil ready to grow anything. Plus it's easy to vary heights, which in a small space is nice. I have a north facing balcony that looks over a pond, so gets some indirect light all day, but only about an hour of direct sun, just before it sets. Daisies, various evergreen trees, regular geraniums all die a rapid and sad death. But, Ivy, hosta, coleus will grow nicely. (And the ivy is nice for staying green through the winter). For flowers, begonias, impatiens, pansies, fuchsia, columbine and ivy geranium all do well. Impatiens are also pretty aggressive, so I've planted some with ivy and coleus and they look nice and don't get choked. I have another hanging container with a fuchsia, some white impatients and a coleous that's just now making little purple flowers. Are you allowed to drill stuff into the wall? I've always admired some of the wall mounted planters, but they're completely verboten in my building.

1. If you can put a net across the top opening (from one roof to another it will keep the birds out. Then you can get of the spikes on the windowsills!

2. Paint? I know. I just started a firestorm talking about painting brick.

3. you could hang candle holders or lights! or solar christmas tree lights!

I'm so jealous. Make sure you photograph every step you take.

If you don't want to worry about the soil, use colorful planters with hostas, fushias, ferns... it will add a lot of light!

@Idril Ivy is evil. It damages the building and can be a royal pain to dig out. Maybe if it's kept away from the building with good pruning?

I'd love to see flagstones with moss there, it would look lovely. The gravel isn't terrible, though. With some container gardens, it would look fine.

I wouldn't put anything there that you wouldn't mind others using. You mentioned apartment and since unless you actually rent this space as well, it's free for others to use as well if they like. It's more than likely how the trash got there.

Consider drainage issues; if you can wait a see what happens after a heavy rain it might help you. Pea gravel is going to drain differently than slate/moss or topsoil with grass etc.

Impatiens and begonias like shade and would give you colorful flowers.

I like the trellis idea since you don't have much floor space. Instead of cultivating ivy to grow on them you can hanging pots of ferns or shade loving flowers from the trellis. Wall mounted planters would be great too! Flagstones and moss would be lovely.

i'm on board with the trellis idea. paint it something bright and cheery, and you'll have an instant atmosphere. it makes me think of the crazy (and expensive!) trellis that miles redd used on his garden in the april '08 issue of domino:

http://gardenrooms.typepad.com/garden_rooms/2008/04/an-outdoor-draw.html
http://www.litetown.com/content/view/332/48/

just inspiration, but still! how fab. your table and chairs would be right at home there.

Coleus comes in a remarkable array of colors (from bright light green to dark purple) and leaf shapes. They take shade and are easy to grow. You can even get cuttings to root if you put them in a bottle of water in a sunny window.

Ikea has great, cheap planters btw.

I love the idea of a secret garden - be sure to submit pictures of the process!

There was a post on here a few months back about someone using camoaflage ivy to hang on a patio to obscure the view. Very inexpensive, bought at army surplus if I remember right. Might could be used here as well to help with the secret garden idea.

I would probably put large bark mulch on the ground. It would be cheaper, help ensure drainage, and look more like a forest floor. Container gardening is the way to go. I think the painted trellis idea is a great one. And a couple tall shepherds hooks to hang a pot or two. You need vertical things to hide the walls with plants that like shade. Tons of web sites, magazines and books (check your local library or agricultural extension service) will have good suggestions for appropriate shade plants in your area. Honestly, I would buy a couple cheap wood trellises at a hardware store, paint them and put them against the dark walls. Even if you only hang some non-living decorative things on them they will look so much better than the hideous walls.

It looks like a great place for your imagination. I hope you send pics of your results.

Oh, just reread and saw the moss idea. You can buy it online, but I just put lots in my small deep shade garden by digging up big sections that were growing in the unused back yard of the apartment building. If you have friends or family with yards they may very well have little patches they are indifferent to. It transplants very well, but you ~must~ keep it moist. I have a spray bottle for the times the heat rises and the rains don't show up.

How about using a mirror? They can be great outside, particularly in a small space, here a mirror could make the whole space lighter and cover up one of the blocked up windows.

Don't know about there but in Texas bark mulch tends to attract wood roaches. I did a garden from a trashed out space once and used the crushed stone (granite?) like you see on jogging paths. It drained well and is quite cheap

Clean it
Paint the walls and window frames white (will brighten your apartment)
pea gravel
good sized fountain or sculptural item in the center
This will be no maintenance and calm

What about clean white or pale gravel as a base for containers and flagstones - if it was fine ehough you could rake it for a tiny Zen garden!

You can buy portable wooden walkways that you can lay down over gravel, for example at:

http://www.improvementscatalog.com/mercado/search.do?freeText=walkway&Search.x=0&Search.y=0

but google portable wooden walkways for many choices.

Well, I'd absolutely do containers, but choose ones you won't kill yourself over if somebody hauls them off for their balcony. (So, ideally, scavanged and free or thrift store and cheap!) Paint them in bright colors with spray paint (if they aren't already) and fill them with some of the aforementioned shade plants. I'd get some hydrogel crystals to put in the potting soil to retain moisture (ask at a nursery) and get a good watering can to tend them with.

I'd leave the pea gravel alone, it's good drainage and looks fine, if you clean up the trash. (Add some more if necessary -- Home Depot sells it by the bag.)

I'd paint or disguise the ugly window frames with trellis in front even if you don't grow anything on it. (English ivy is known to damage buildings, but baltic ivy and some other varieties are ok, if you want a shade tolerant vine.)

Oh dear, I hate to be the voice of doom, but I suspect that that space is so horrible that there is nothing you can do to decreepify it. And as ChrisGal points out, other people will have access.

How about windowboxes?

Alison, you need to run, not walk, to an exquisite little alley in Market Square in Lake Forest, IL. (To skip all the running, you can take the Metra, actually, which plunks you right across the street.)

It's tucked behind the second Marshall Field's location in the country and an adjacent century old building. All summer long it is used as a fruit and vegetable market, and though it's only about 7 feet wide, hundreds of people wander through to buy produce, and admire the hanging baskets, vine-covered trellises and wrought iron shelves pushed against the old brick walls.

It's a tiny, shady, escape into a mini-daydream of everyday European living, right in the middle of the north shore. You'll come home with lots of ideas for your space, which looks like it has a ton of potential. Good luck!

Thanks so much everybody for your suggestions and input! I love the trellis idea and I've already begun collecting info on container gardens. This has all be so helpful! I'll be sure to send progress reports along.

As far as people who are concerned with access, our building has six units in it, and our shared backyard area is fenced in. I'd be happy to share the spot with everyone else in the building, and since it's so tucked back, I'm not sure anyone would notice you even have access very easily.

Bredlo, this place sounds awesome. I'd love to check it out.

*been* so helpful.

What is sticking out on the bottom of the window to the left. Looks like nails. lol!

I think you have a really interesting situation to deal with. It could be too warm with no breeze...plus bugs/mosquitos. But you know, I bet if you goof with it long enough....you'll come up with some great idea to WOW everyone. I can't wait to see what you end up doing with it.

It's like a tiny little 'secret garden' waiting to come alive.

In addition to getting permission of your super and the building next door, you should really ask all of the tenants in your building. I know you are thinking, "I'm making it better!" and while it seems that you very well will be, your neighbors might take it as "I'm claiming this space for my own!" I lived in a duplex where my neighbor was constantly "making it better", and I felt crammed into my little box because everything on the patio, in the yard, and on my (our shared) stoop was hers. It looked just fine, but there was definitely an issue of whose turf it was (and before I moved, it wasn't just an issue I was having).

I once lived in a place with an enclosed back court that never got any sunlight. Some of the walls were painted light yellow in the bottom (ca 3 storeys) and light blue above that. This really brightened up the space. The court was a lot bigger than yours but I think the same colour scheme could work on a smaller scale.

alysaaria -- You have a good point. Since the OP must realize this will wind up being a shared space (again unless you want to rent it and fence it - LOL), maybe ask some of your neighbors to pitch in on it. Then it'll feel like everyone's space.

Check this new AT post! I bet you could do this with some shade loving ferns...

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/la/roundup/roundup-10-inspiring-vertical-gardens-087295?image_id=172341