Are these plants not commonly grown in your area then? Here in coastal NW Z8 they are almost all backyard staples...if by plantain lily you are referring to more hosta. All that you have mentioned do well in our naturally acidic soil, mainly clay for me, providing it has been amended enough that it has good drainage....your worms should be an indication that you are at least headed in the right direction. Dappled shade or morning sun should be enough light, although so close to the coast and further north, the above plants will also do fine with more sun exposure here in W. Washington.

I don't see anything on your list that would require special treatment....the hosta are attractive to slugs and snails and you do mention a pet, so you might have to come up with organic ways to deal with those. Pulmonaria (lungwort) can be prone to powdery mildew, but shearing back unsightly growth will generally give it a flush of fresh foliage.

As for your lack of gutters, I don't know of a plant or shrub that appreciates an overhead runoff from roofs, and it would certainly have to compact the soil in beds as well as damage foliage or flowers. And the dog? Could be tricky trying to establish new beds with a large dog running through them.....it probably wouldn't injure a large rhody, but none of the others would do well being trampled, whether by 2 feet or 4.

Where I am, if you can grow an azalea, you can probably grow a rhody. Put one in that sunnier spot and see what happens. Mine got am sun sitting right next to an azalea and did just fine.

I've grown "snakeroot, hostas, lungwort, misc ferns" (among other things). No offense intended but snakeroot, common hostas, regular pulmonaria (lungwort), and hardy ferns are around here pretty much things you can grow on autopilot as long as you remember to water and weed once in awhile. It may be different down there though- I don't know.

Your biggest problem sounds like it might be keeping the dog off stuff. Good luck with that.

These plants are not grown around here by choice. Most of the gardners are growing veggies, day lilies, azalea, and camilias. My azaleas are at the opposite (sunny) end of the yard. I've never had this much shade before.

As for the plants being on autopilot... for now, that's fine. I'm a newlywed and remodeling my first house. I don't have tons of time. I'll put more fun or delicate plants in once I get the roof/gutters/bathrooms/painting done. I can't wait to put my orchids in the trees. I'm just tired of looking at these empty beds.

As for Glory... she's not outside for more than 30 min. a day. Perhaps I can teach her to herd the grasshoppers towards the azaleas. :)

Well, if they aren't grown "by choice" around there, is it a heat problem (too hot) or a cold problem (not enough cold for dormancy or something)? Maybe selecting cultivars that would stand the conditions better? Surely there is a native fern?

But, looking back, you asked for actual experience (which I ought to have read as "actual experience in my zone in my conditions") so I'll shut up now.

Good luck.

ferns probley wouldn't mind the run off. If you can find native ferns & mulch them with leaves or needles, & make sure they have plenty of water- they would love it.

I dig in a little peat and leaf mold to make my clay soil more friable. It will hold the water better in the summer, and drain better in the winter.

Ferns are a lot of fun if you can get some that will thrive where you are. Moss would like the run-off too.

I dont know HOW hot MS is in the summer, but here its dry and sometimes doesnt rain for 45-ish days and I grow ferns.. tons of kinds, and hostas AND fuschia (in a pot of course) and they all do very well in our hot HUMID and then HOT DRY (one extreme to another) summers... just remember to water and if its going to be dry.. mulch... ferns and hostas dont usually need much more than that from what *I'VE* experienced!

Paula

Of your list, I've only grown fuchsia hybrids. It likes lot of water. It also needs about 2 hours of sun for spectacular flowers. I tried mine in an area with only an hour of sun and it doesn't flower as well.

Good point. My beds *might* get 2 hours of direct sun in the summer am. Right now, I bet they're not getting more than 20-30 min. The rest of the day they get dapled shade turning into full shade in the afternoon. I've already purchased some soaker hoses, so I don't think water will be too much of a problem. The temp does reach 100F for a day or two in the summer. Hubs has nixed the fern idea, but he's open to the hosta... thus I have 26 baby hosta sprouting in windows. I'll be planting those and impatiens in the ground in March. I think I'll try the fuchsia and rhodies in pots first, that way I can move them around easier.

I am in zone 8 also, and recently bought a house with a huge live oak shading most of the back yard (some morning sun, dappled shade all day). The plants growing happily under the canopy are monkey grass (liriope), cast iron plant, camellias, hydrangeas, ivy (which I am going to attempt to rip out because it is out of control), kerria japonica, and azaleas. I am planning to fill in all of the bare spots with tons of ferns.

Azaleas should do fine in shade. All mine grow in shade under trees, and I'm in zone 7. If you can find them, try indica azaleas. Hostas will do well. Japanese anemones should be fine, and they give you autumn bloom and are EASY EASY EASY to grow. heuchera gives you foliage colors other than green. Woodland phlox likes shade and is a beautiful blue. Caladiums should do well. Find out what the native shade plants are in your state. Can't go wrong with those.

If you need groundcover, vinca minor is great. See if galium will grow in your zone. It's beautiful too.

Don't worry about the dog. I have a German shepherd and a corgi in my back yard. They've never hurt anything. They're way too busy thinking of ways to escape the yard.

Jlogwynn, I've had no luck with Fuchsias. I don't think they like our Gulf Coast heat/humidity. The same goes for hostas--there are only a few that can take our long hot summers. I have a beautiful one that has a purple flower. Wish I knew the name of it, but if you visit a local nursery, they may have something similar.

I have lots of ferns. Most appeared naturally, so I'm not sure what they are. I do know I have sword ferns and royal ferns. Keep them out of full sun and give them plenty of water.

Azaleas don't like full sun and prefer acid soil. Pine trees are perfect partners for azaleas.

Here is a link that might be useful: Deborah's Garden

There are rhodos that will grow for you, that some of us Northern types long to possess. Yes, I have grown all of the plants listed - I grew most of them in a small garden at Fort Benning, Ga. The problem I see with the rhodos and the sweet gum is that the root systems will compete for moisture and nutrients. And as for camellias - well, if I could, I would. But I can't .... you can, you lucky person you.

Periwinkle (Vica Minor, the ground cover). Grow very nicely in full shade. Excellent ground cover on it's own or in between other perennials. We have that ground cover under sweet gum, maple and oak trees in an area which receive no direct sun except for early spring. Does excellent and blooms in march.

• Hostas and Plantain Lily. These are the same plants. They do wonderfull in situation like yours. Go with blue and green varities and varigated varities with dark and light green. Avoid yellow varities as they usually require more sun.

Rhododendron. Nice for north-north east corner and excellent and understory for mature trees. I would suggest you plant where it get some sun especially in early spring because that improves flowering.
Ferns Because ferns grow shallowly they do very well under mature trees as long as you can provide enough water. Full shade or even a few hours sun is great.

In my opinion, hostas and ferns together gives you an excellent look. Vinca Minor (periwinkle) is great for a non-agressive ground cover around the hostas/ferns and will make it look great. I will try to take some pictures of our yard this summer.. we have those excact combinations...

Kenneth

I have black snakeroot, and I really like it. It gets fairly tall but I like the greens and it's a host for pipevine swallowtails (so I've been told)

I used to have a whole bank of periwinkle, however since I've been trying to get more into native and less into invasive I removed this. Don't plant it if you ever consider getting rid of it, it was the worst crap to ever pull up and it is still sending runners into the neighbors yard.

Hostas- I have a lot of these, honestly, they look alright but I dont find them interesting. The flowers are not very pretty and I think they are boring :>

Rhododendron- I like mine, though this past summer in the drought they had a very hard time. They like it to be moist and don't tolerate drought here.

Misc. Ferns- I've just started planting these. Some have done really well and some have not. I think the best thing to do with these is just pick one each of a few you like, plant them and then see which does well. Replace those that have died/not done well with those which are prospering. The hayscented, royal, and cinnamon ferns have done the best for me.

I don't know why people find periwinkle invasive or hard to eradicate. We have plenty of it and it is not invasive at all (Sometimes I would even wish it would fill in more quickly). It is very usefull ground cover which do well with other plants without over taking them.

We have no problem pulling it in our sandy loam soil.

kdjoergensen,

Do you have Vinca Minor or Vinca Major? I had Vinca Minor which is what was very hard to get rid of (on a sandy bank). Its very low to the ground and sends long runners. Vinca Major is usually bi-color and grows up more than across. Vinca Minor is a major problem, it's even listed in my states "not to plant" list for invasives.

Here is a link that might be useful: Invasives not to plant

I grow 70+ rhodies and azaleas here in Western Mass and the only advice I can give you is DO NOT plant them where the water runs off the house until you have gutters. Rhodies are very shallow rooted and resent having their roots disturbed.

Rhodendrons-NO, they like a cooler winter then you have in your zone, do the azaleas instead, they will do best in deep shade but do well in full sun also.
Periwinkle-the flower, HATE it, it's very, very invasive in a warm climit, I've been trying to eradicate it from a flower bed for 10 years now!! the vine does great in the south and blooms well.
Hostas-most will not grow in the higher zones so if you do buy some look for a zone rating of at least 8, 9 would be better. I finally realized they don't like heat, or humidity, or flooding or drought and gave them up.
Lungwort-failed miserably, again it doesn't like heat or humidity.
Fuchsia-nice spring plant but treat it like an annual if you have a long hot summer.
Don't know if this helps, I garden in the heat, humidity, floods and droughts of Galveston Texas.
Good luck! Tally

Here in Ohio, my lungwort has done well. No maintenance, and it has beautiful little flowers in the spring and nice foilage.

My azaelas and rhododendrens are doing ok. I have lost some. Now I listened to a garden professional and have heard that they don't like cold winters, and they die a slow death. I think they are more suited to warmer winters like in Georgia. I can't say that in the 3 years that I have had mine that I have seen much growth on them, but they do have pretty spring flowers.

Fuschia is an annual. Very pretty though.

Hosta. I know some people love hostas and they are easy to take care of, but I prefer more colors in my garden.

With well over a 1000 different varieties of hostas there is certainly something there to like. You can't beat them in a shade garden. The chartreuse ones really light up a dark, shady spot.

I have lots of vinca mixed in with hosta and pachysandra here in MD. This looks nice and am very surprised that the vinca minor has so many detractors....I find it easy to control (so far?). The roots & runners are shallow.

I have another area which is my "nursery" with several small azaleas and other projects which also has vinca as groundcover and I dont have any problems with smothering or vinca growing "thru" the other shrubs.

We also have a Dalmation in our large backyard. The electric fence was the only way to go for me with all my different flower beds throughout the yard. I have them all out of her reach and it has been a lifesaver. Still plenty of room for her to run and play frisbee.

I love hostas - They come in such a large variety of sizes & colors, that I find them to be essential shade plants. They are easy to care for & have few pests (slugs & snails mainly). Every year, they just get better & better looking - they do not need to be divided much. In the warmer zones, they may need more water until established (7 & above).

I put another vote in for the electric fence. It was my BF's idea as I had reservations about having an electric fence. After a year of puny & dying plants, I was ready to try almost anything, especially after having exhausted so many other options. The fence got the point across to my two German Shepherds. They quickly learned that those areas are off limits. Now, I rarely have the fence on. Like SandyKK, there is still plenty of room & shade for them.

I'm in zone 8B (Louisiana) and fuschias do not do well in our hot, HUMID weather. Some hostas are being developed that work ok for us, but they'll never get big like our northern gardeners grow. I've tried rhodendrons and had absolutely no luck with them either. And I've heard that lungwort won't grow in our area either.

Have you considered dwarf gardenias for your garden? I have some under big red oaks and they are wonderful. Plus when they bloom, you have that wonderful fragrance and they're evergreen.

Another plant you might consider is chenile plant--it's more of a ground cover but it's covered with those fuzzy little red blooms all summer long. There's a lot of daylilies that do well in shade, too. And some of the old garden roses are shade tolerant.

If your winters in Mississippi are mild, hostas might not be too happy. They like a cold dormancy period. Look for varieties that seem to do well in the Deep South.

Have you considered Solomon's Seal? I'm not sure about growing conditions in your zone, but I've found that it's very simple to grow, and makes a beautiful statement in the garden with it's pendulous branches and green and white foliage. Also gives some height.

Also, what about hydrangeas? Again, I'm not sure about growing them in your zone, but once established they only need to be kept moist and they are gorgeous.

One benefit I've found to growing in the garden is that weeds do not germinate or grow as fast. Love that!

I meant to say "One benefit I've found to growing in the *shade* is that weeds do not germinate or grow as fast. Love that!"

I am in zone 7b, Charlotte, NC. My Rhodies (Cattawbaeese and English Roseum need lots of protection from afternoon sun, vinca minor, and vinca illuminations (yellow and green leaves) will grow just about anywhere with some shade. Hostas will grow anywhere but you must choose the proper variety for the growing condition, and will do better with more moisture. Lungwort does well in my gardens, and I have a wide variety of ferns in my shade. With a good google search you can find the proper info on any hosta/fern to match it to your spot.

Hello!

You might consider impatiens in place of the periwinkle. Similar blooms, but they love the shade and come in a much larger variety of colors. Plus, they aren't invasive.

Our shade garden (under pines) has variegated hydrangeas, midnight ginger, coleus, caladiums, Perilla Magilla (aka beefsteak plant), and lots of impatiens and hostas.

Good luck!
Mark

Hostas and plaintain lily are the same
periwinkle is easy..... but to the point of being aggressive
rhodedendrons are easy depending on where they're sited and what kind they are.... don't get the hard ones.... if you're a beginner.... and put them in the right place.... part shade..... acid soil......
oH and the hostas are easy provided they don't dry out TOO much ..... not drought tolerant and that they're in shade.... part to full..... no full sun......
I haven't grown the others..... :)

I'll second the Hydrangea suggestion. Plant them where they will get morning sun if you can and give them lots of water untill they establbish themselves. Hydrangeas come in a huge variety, you might try calling your extention office to see if they have recomendations for your area.
I love combining ferns with Hosta and Solomons Seal

Well I'm with Kenneth -- I've never found vinca minor to be invasive at all. Perhaps our northern climate helps to keep it in check