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mgood4u

which plants exceeded your shade expectations?

mgood4u
17 years ago

I about to put in a shady garden area. I know what plants do well in shade but I am wondering if anyone has any suggestions of part sun/full that have done really in shade. I have heard Rudbeckias do well in shade as well as Nasturiums. True for anyone? Suggestions please! Thanks!

Comments (20)

  • Pipersville_Carol
    17 years ago

    I had good luck with Bishop's Goutweed (Aegopodium podagraria), especially in dry shade.

    But most people consider it an invasive nuisance plant, so I'm hesitant to mention it.

  • gillian_
    17 years ago

    Liriope and dianthus have done well for me at the edge of my shade garden. They receive some direct sunlight but mostly dappled throughout the day. I also have some monarda doing well there. Maybe some people already think of these as "shade" plants but they aren't not what I think of as typical. Most of my shade plants are hostas, heucheras, columbine, ferns, primula...etc, all the regulars. But my absolute favorite shade garden plant is Celandine poppy aka wood poppy. The bright yellow flowers really stand out in a shady area.

    ~Gillian

    Here is a link that might be useful: Wood Poppy

  • earthlydelights
    17 years ago

    carol , it's funny you mention bishop's weed. i got it in a swap last year, it's variegated and pretty and grows low to the ground. i have it in a front bed that gets full sun. a few months after planting it there was this big controversy over it being invasive, but mine is so contained. i debated the other day of taking it out and putting it elsewhere, but wasn't sure where. i have a very shady problem area that i could put it in. thanks for that advise.

    maryanne/earthly

  • caliloo
    17 years ago

    I have lamium growing in a mostly shade bed and it is wonderful! Silver and green foliage with lovely pinkish purple blooms.

    I also have some daylilys that are growing in partial shade and seem to be doing okay. Not as many blooms as the counterparts in full sun, but well enough that I am leaving them.

    Alexa

  • wolfe15136
    17 years ago

    Astilbe, lungwort, hellebores do well for me. Sadly, my foxglove died out after 3 years of self-seeding.

  • annebert
    17 years ago

    Turk's cap lily (Lilium superbum; orange) does well for me in a spot that gets only a couple of hours of sun. I just picked up soime Lilium speciosum (pink and white) bulbs, and it looks like they'll do well in partial shade, too.

    Some lesser-known plants that should do well in partial shade: Doronicum oreintale (perennial; yellow daisy flowers) and Dracocephalum moldavica (annual; blue tubular flowers).

  • jenny_in_se_pa
    17 years ago

    Dicentra, some peonies (especially if they're on the edge of the shade), many of the lilies including the asiatics and orientals.

  • bobs2
    17 years ago

    I second dicentra, particularly D. 'Bountiful (Zestful).'

    A recent favorite is Corydalis Cheilanthifolia (fernleaf corydalis). This plant could easily be mistaken for a fern, except that it flowers. Blossoms are usually yellow, but apparently can be blue. The true species has a bronze tint to the folliage, not a blue cast. This plant also self seeds, and now grows in several shady spots in my garden.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Good picture, little info.

  • westhighlandblue
    17 years ago

    Hypercium (St. John's Wort) is a favorite of mine. Its yellow flowers are a sunny surprise in a shade garden.

  • PRO
    Kestrel Shutters & Doors
    17 years ago

    I've had really amazing results from the Bleeding Heart I placed in the shade. I have 5 that were all bought at the same time. The one that gets a bit of morning sun and shade teh rest of the day is huge. It is close to 4' tall and about 3' in diameter. The ones that get morning shade and afternoon sun are only about 12-18" tall and maybe 12" across. The one that gets late morning sun and early afternoon sun is halfway between the others.

    Writing this I am wondering why I don't just move them all into the morning sun area. hmmm...

    Jim

  • Al Dinsmore
    6 years ago

    My hakone grass is probably my favorite shade plant ,never a problem,brightens up the area

  • cranefire
    6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    Plants not known to do particularly well in shade that have done very well in my shade garden include Phlox paniculata, which floweres reliably and well with just a few hours of bright filtered sunlight per day. It provides a nice height and color accent in my shade garden. The white variety I have is somewhat prone to downy mildew, but a pink variety is more resistant. Filipendula (Queen of the Prairie), a tall variety of Platycodon (balloon flower), and Siberian iris have also done very well in part shade. Chasmanthium (northern sea oats) is positively invasive even in deep shade. Dicentra (bleeding heart) self-sows prolifically.

  • poaky1
    6 years ago

    Wlofe- Hollyhocks don't usually last more than 2-3 years, they are called Bi-ennials, sometimes only 2 years hardy.

  • bluesky1 (7a PA)
    5 years ago

    Japanese painted fern, many hostas to choose from, bleeding heart, pulmonaria.

  • poaky1
    5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    I just planted Japanese forest grass (Hakone) this spring, I am hoping it does well, I haven't been able to keep Dicentra alive more than 2 years, but, maybe if I try again and mulch it more often, it will do better, and the tree is bigger and provides more shade than when I first tried A Dicentra, I had tried the fernleaf one. I have very nice Lamium under a dwarf Maple, it was planted in my parents yard when I was a baby, and getting an ID on the tree hasn't been successful, but, anyway, the area under the tree had had lottsa bird seed under it for probably 15 years, most of the birds had not eaten the seed husks, so all of those husks composted over all those years, so the soil is likely nice and rich compost, and the shade from the tree has made the Lamium grow really nicely. I've just tried Nasturtiums this year from seed, I have them planted in sun and shade, and I have foliage, but, no flowers, I have some in full sun (not looking good) and some in mostly sun, they are okay as far as foliage, but, the ones in just a tiny bit of sun, but mostly shade, they look the best, but, no flowers yet.

    I have 1 nice Hellebore, but, i never seem to see it bloom. My Primula must be in too much shade because it never has bloomed for me, I have great foliage, but, no flowers so far, unless they'll bloom in late summer, they must be in too much shade.

    My Lungwort died, not sure why. I've always wanted to try St. Johns wort, but, I hadn't been aware that it will grow in shade, it's always in full sun at the nurseries, will it flower in mostly shade? I would love to grow "Ditch lillies" if that is the Orange blooming Tiger lilly that is native to roadside ditches in Pa and surounding areas. I bought some bulbs that I thought were those wildflower orange lillies, but, they are likely asiatic lillies with flowers that look like those flowers, but, the foliage shows that I chose wrong. I love Goutweed, the vareigated groundcover, I had a nice bunch of it growing under a Sycamore tree years ago, but my Sycamore tree started rotting, and after getting rid of the tree it hadn't been growing so good. I want to grow another Sycamore in my yard, and have the Goutweed as a nice little groundcover under it again, the Goutweed seems like a nice groundcover underneath the Sycamore, it goes nicely together. Also, sorry this is getting long, I know, but, as far as Astilbe, I have had so many die on me, but, I have 2 plants that have been doing good for me, them along with another shade plant, which I can't remember the name of, it has similar foliage as the Astilbe, MAYBE Foamflower, Tiarella(?) BUT, I think the AStilbe has done so well, is because the p;lace they are so happy in is where we used to have horses, and it was a manure collection area for about 15 years or more, plus I feed it bunny poo tea, water it regularly when there isn't rain. I haven't ever had any success with Astilbe before planting these 2 plants where the horse poo had composted for several years before it was planted there.

    Lastly, I had wondered about Peonies, they are long lived and flower nicely, but, I had always shied away from many sun perennials, because I am planting shade trees everywhere, my goal for my yard/property is too have mostly shade in my whole property. I have just made 2 raised beds in full sun in my yard and I have some sun plants there, but, I am mostly trying to have a largely treed property, mostly all shade, and besides a couple places for some Tomato and pepper plants in summer, I want mostly shade, well, anyway, just how much shade would you say the Peony plant can take and still bloom? My good friend has one in full sun, so another reason, I never thought a Peony would perform well in shade.

  • poaky1
    5 years ago

    Besides my longwinded post above, I must also add that my best performing shade perennials are Many Hostas (of course) but, Solomons seal has done really well. I also have a nice patch of Lilly of the Valley under 1 of my Pin oaks, a form of Perennial Geranium has done pretty good too, I have a couple Huecheras that have stayed alive but aren't really growing well. I hope to get pics and post them eventually, I would love to see other peoples Huecheras and other shade plants, I really don't do well as far as computers, I will need to pester my brother to help me post pics, but, hey, yinz out there, I would love to see your pics too.

  • poaky1
    5 years ago

    Some pics


  • poaky1
    5 years ago

    Also,

  • poaky1
    5 years ago

    Hi y'all guys, I am going to try and explain my last 3 pics, the first pic is my Nasturtiums in a big pot, with I think it';s Cosmos also in the pot, with Solomons seal on the right, and the metal white framed thing has some big Hosta "Sum and Substance" behind it, but, you really can't see much of it. The Yellow groundcover in the first pic is "Creeping Jenny" and the second pic shows "Solomons seal" a native american shade (woodland) plant, and the last pic shows my Sum and Substance Hosta growing in between 2 ASIAN Rhododendrons, in other words the Rhody's you can find at many big box stores, I am only saying this about Rhody's because there are native american rhodies, and the normally found asian rhodies, ASian rhodies are fine and beautiful, but, I have both asian and american rhodies, and it is harder to find the native american rhodies than it is to find the asian ones. Native american Rhodies are the ones that grow wild up in the mountains in most of Pa, there are the native Rhodies, and there are the native shrubs that are the TRUE Mountain Laurel, many times people think that the wild Rhodies up in the mountains are "Mountain Laurel" but, mountain Laurel is "Kalmia Latifolia" and those wild Rhody's are "Rhododendron Maximum".