What can I plant in my flower bed?

It's about 10 feet long, but here's my problem- we do not have rain gutters (and my husband says we can't afford to put any up yet) and the flower bed is right underneath where the rain comes off the roof. So when it rains, any flowers that I have planted get demolished and uprooted. I need to plant something that can take the beating. I was thinking ivy. Will this work? Any other ideas?

What can I plant in my flower bed?
Is this site in the Sun or shade?


I also lack gutters but I have a row of trellises depending from the eaves along the entire thirty feet. They attach to the face board that is at the drip line. This gives me room to walk behind the trellises to paint, which I did last year, and tend the plants. I have enough room to put up a short platform to stand on. The other way I've seen it done is to have the trellis feet hinge so the plants can be laid down when house work needs to be done.


I have ivy, Hedera helix, 'Gold Heart' along with an espaliered Camellia sasanqua that blooms earlier than C. japonica.


There is an Hydrangea petiolaris, a climbing hydrangea, and a rhododendron.


All of these plants have leaves of substance and show no effects from the constant Pacific Northwest rain. I also have no drip line dug into the soil from the constant impact of falling water, the leaves scatter it. We never get torrential rains like the East Coast though.


I have been considering Kadsura japonica Fukurin a glossy leaved plant for afternoon shade that has a striking variegated leaf.


Plants for any other direction would need to tolerate more sun more than these do. Salal (Gaultheria shallon) would work. Grapes also have pretty tough leaves. Vitis vinifera 'Purpurea'. Purple Leafed Grape is stunning, much smaller than a fruiting plant, but, though edible, there are no huge clusters of grapes produced. You'll disappoint the birds with such small offerings.


http://www.gardenvines.com/catalog/vitis...


Humulus lupulus 'Aureus' has bright yellow-green lobed leaves that render it the most desirable ornamental hop. also smaller than vines used to produce hops for beer. I have this growing towards the grape across the back property line. http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/1153/index....
Reply:Better to go with shrubs that can take a pounding of the rain. You give no ZONE so must ask your local nursery.
Reply:iris' and some species of daylilies. These are prety hardy.

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