|
| Hi, gerard here in zone 8-9 Louisiana. I've come to my new place from all sun, the only shade i had was under some pecan trees and all i had was lirope and amaryllis. I am now in a yard with six pines, and two rather large and DENSE live oaks. I used to grow daylilies but had to leave them all.
Now i have my spring gardening bug biting me like crazy, but i have no idea what to do, or what to plant. I had some hydrangeas that were suffering at the other place because of lack of shade, but other than that dont really know what to do..... Im not familiar with shaded gardens and/or the plants. Home Depot and Lowes have very little to choose from on the color side, i see alot of mosses, vines, and groundcovers, but i want flowers and COLOR. CAN YOU ALL PLEASE HELP ME!!!????? I hope to have a picture of the area to post tomorrow.
|
Follow-Up Postings:
|
| Shade plants don't always offer a lot of color, but you can certainly lighten up the area by using variegated plants. The only reliable plant with color that I know of would be impatiens - an annual flower for me that comes in a lot of colors. For shade, consider Ferns, Hostas, Epimediums, Polygonatum falcatum 'Variegatum' (solomon's seal). There are an increasing amount of variegated shrubs to choose from such as Illicium floridanum 'Shady Lady', Gardenia jasminoides 'Variegata', Aucuba japonica variegata 'Gold Dust' , Hydrangea macrophylla 'Variegata'. |
|
- Posted by ncdirtdigger 7b (My Page) on Wed, Mar 26, 08 at 22:34
| you could try the new encore azaleas, native american azaleas will bloom in summer, pieres japonica, dogwoods, japaneese maples, fothergelia, camelias (sasanqua for fall/winter blooms, japaneese for winter/spring blooms) leatherleaf viburnum will grow in a closet, but all are just splashes of color. I find that combining leaf textures and colors the best way to deal with shade. You could go with contrast like a fine leafed japaneese maple underplanted with large leaved hostas. Florida leuocothe (sp) has a somewhat weeping form that gives a waterfall effect when underplanted with sedges or northern sea oats. Just some ideas, good luck. |
|
| Columbines, bleeding heart, astilbe, foam flowers,violets, all offer some color. Even Hosta flower. |
|
- Posted by allison1888 5 (My Page) on Sat, Apr 19, 08 at 14:46
| For spring color, try forget me nots, which come in blue and pink. They spread quickly, then have a nice thick leaf (depending on the variety) throughout the season. Japanese ferns have great leaf colors. Hellebores also are nice, spring flowering, but nice leafs all summer. Forget the home improvement stores, go to a real nursery for a good selection! |
|
| I'm a different zone than you are, but I have a lot of shade too. Some plants I have in shade are: hydrangea Some of the above are in beds that do get some morning sun. Do you get any sun at all? And can you plant spring bulbs that can bloom before the oak trees leaf out? Shade gardens can be incredibly lush and beautiful, places of peace that refresh. Okay, I know, corny, lol, but I do believe that. You just have to learn what can grow in the shade, accept that these will grow while sun-lovers just won't, and learn to appreciate the beauty of those plants. :) P.S. Agree with the above - go to a real nursery! :) |
|
| Forgot toad lilies, primroses, and lobelia also... :) |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Gardening in Shade Forum
Instructions
- You must be a registered member and logged in to post messages on our forums.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review the contents and make changes.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- It is illegal to post copyrighted material without the owner's consent.
- HTML codes are allowed in the message field only.
- No advertising is allowed in any of the forums.
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.