| Shade gardening is more about texture and leaf color than about blooms. For example, there are many hostas of different heights and leaf colors--some are huge, some small, some are accented with white, some yellow and some, especially when planted next yellow or, better, pink, look blue. Bleeding heart has finely cut leaves, a beautiful arching form and gets pink or white "hearts" in the spring, but will die back during the summer. For similar cut of leaf in the late summer, cimicifuga is beautiful and is almost black in color, so shows up well against chartruese. Its blooms are feather-like (like grass heads). Ladies Mantle also has beautifully shaped leaves, gets sprays of chartruese "flowers" in late spring (which are wonderful in bouquets) and, in summer, its leaves hold the dew or rain to provide sparkle. One of my favorites is Meadow Rue. Has blue-green leaves of a pretty shape, grows a tall stalk topped by sprays of tiny pink flowers that looks like they are floating in the air (needs dappled shade). Don't forget lamium for ground cover! Its varigated silver leaves really light up a shady spot and gets pink or purple blooms in early summer. (This is when everyone stops by to ask if they can have some). Goat's Beard is great for its great plumes of white in the early summer, and will sometimes bloom again in fall if cut back after blooming. Variegated Jacob's Ladder is wonderful. Look at any of the "worts" (lungwort, spiderwort, etc)--they are all wonderful shade plants and bloom. |
