Gardening with Gary

Gardening Advice from an Expert

Plants for Shady Areas

Q. I would like to know what kind of flower plants that grow well in the shade, but little sun?

A. I speak with much experience here! I started out gardening as a kid with a shady backyard and had to do the best with it. Throw in clay soil, construction debris, tons of woodsy weeds, and a black walnut tree and it is amazing how well I did.

Here is what I grew and what I have learned since then in school and general practice. Some are foliage, but when we cannot get flowers, let's get some color somehow:

Impatiens [great new shades, and some have variegated
    foliage, so give those more light. Can also use in hanging baskets]
Sultana [roses and reds very nice]
Balsam [huge rose-like flowers, do not overwater]
Alyssum [purple, lavender, white and a new golden]
Coleus [hybridizers have brought out many new colorations that are gorgeous]
Hosta [August lily and others, come in white and purple]
Myrtle [vinca minor, ground cover which thrives, has periwinkle flowers]
Pachystachys [green, nice foliage, wonderful ground cover for shade]
Twinleaf Jeffersonia [and many other woods wildflowers, worth getting a catalog for]
Spring bulbs [tulips, crocus, daffodil, narcissus, when the leaves are off the trees]
Daylilies and other lilies [lots of color, great blade foliage,
    keep wilted flowers off, lemon and tiger lilies are my favorites]
Forsythia [yellow, spring bloomer, nice shrub for summer]
Geraniums [yes, some can be grown fairly in shade, with a couple hours sun per day]
Trumpet vine, Jack-in-the-pulpit [bright orange, comes up every year]
Mock Orange [very fragrant, late spring blooming shrub]
Clematis [vines do quite well with a little sun, in red, purple, sky blue, pink and white]
Moonflower [evening blooming vine, white]
Primrose [bright colors, many bicolors, fine]

Mary Anne writes~ The house I live in is in a group of homes belonging to a Homeowners Assoc. so I am not able to chop down trees in the common area. My backyard used to get some sun; however, over the past 15 years the trees behind my house have grown to an extent that most of my rear yard gets NO sun. As a result all the plants and bushes in front of my fence have died. Do you know of a plant /medium size bush that requires no sun? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I live just outside of Davis, in Dixon, California - so there is not a lot of extremely cold weather.

Terrible about those trees.. This is a common complaint, including from my own father. Hickories and Black Walnut took over, years now. It is a woods, anyway.

Orange-flowered trumpet vine would work. It is extremely hardy and grows in cool weather and practically total shade.

Evergreens which will grow up to 8 feet rather quickly. Yews, Hemlock, Pine, and Juniper might work.

White Astible
Feathery blooms on sturdy stems are ideal for borders, masses or as cut flowers. Easy-to-grow; tolerates hot, dry summers.

Begonias Nonstop Hybrids
Here's a bloom-crazy flower that isn't scared off by a little shade. A rainbow of carefree colors. Bloom in borders, pots, containers. Lift bulbs in fall for winter storage. Grows 6-10" tall. 10-12 cm bulbs. Blooms: Summer-frost.

Begonia Enormous
camelia-like flowers, up to 6" across, boast heavily ruffled petals. Plant 10-12" apart in full to partial shade and moist soil. Old blooms drop off as new ones appear, so you don't have to worry about pruning! Lift in fall. 3-4 cm bulbs. Blooms: Summer.

Bleeding Heart
Nature's only heart-shaped blooms trail from arching stems in early to mid-spring. Fernlike leaves add an elegant touch.

Hosta
Attractive leaves, compact growth and delicate flowers every summer make Hosta an ideal ground cover for full to partial shade. Better yet, they flourish with little care. Your mix of 3 plants may include Blue, Gold-Edged, August Moon or White-Edged Hosta.

Simple Border for Sun or Shade
It contains 3 plants each of the blue Campanula persicifolia "Telham Beauty" and its white sibling C. p. "Grandiflora Alba" plus 3 plants of the pale yellow Perennial Foxglove, Digitalis grandiflora. The colors are simple and lovely. You"ll need about 20sq ft of good soil in full sun or light shade.

Splendor in the Shade
Large Hostas are magnificent creatures that can create a sense of scale in a shade garden, the same way that Astilboides, Darmera, and Kirengeshoma do. They also put to rest any notion that Hostas are all alike. Our collection includes one each of "Antioch", "Blue Angel", "Great Expectations", and "Sum and Substance". Bareroot and pot-grown.

Wildflowers for Shade
For woodland edges and softly shaded areas. Includes Wallflower, Shasta Daisy, Mountain Garland, Chinese Houses, Forget-me-Not, Wild Foxglove, Dame's Rocket, Catchfly, Toadflax, Farewell-to-Spring, Columbine, Johnny-Jump-Up, and Maltese Cross. 2 oz. packet. Standard shipping is free for all seeds.

Achillea
One of the great plants for summer, with broad flat clusters of fresh, bright flowers from June into September. They tolerate heat and drought with aplomb, often reblooming with the first rains of fall, if spent flowers are removed. Yarrows also make excellent cut flowers for both fresh and dried arrangements.

Ostrich Fern
At 4-6ft, this is one of our tallest Ferns, producing bright green deciduous fronds that provide a dramatic effect. Spreads by underground runners, so it's an excellent choice for naturalizing in dappled shade. Equally happy in average or moist soil; it will grow in full sun with constant moisture. This Fern fares poorly in the Deep South.

Fern
We select one each of 6 varieties for semishady, moist, woodsy locations. They'll provide a variety of lacy greens for your shade garden at a very reasonable price. Each labeled. Bareroot and pot-grown.

Endless Summer
Bigleaf Hydrangea with flowers that form on the current year's growth as well as on old wood. Endless Summer™ can bloom for more than six months in warm areas, especially if deadheaded regularly, and the flower heads— blue on acid soils, pink on alkaline— are up to 9 inches across.

Variegatea Hydrangea
Contrasting white to cream edges on large leaves make this Lacecap a good accent plant in a mixed border. Flowers vary from blue in acid soil to rosy pink (in slightly alkaline soil). Hydrangeas are at their best in summer and fall— quiet time for most woody plants— and are worth having for that reason alone.

Check your local nursery for availability.

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