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Gardening in Shade

Perennials for Shade in Gainesville, FL

13 years ago

Hello, Gardeners!

I am a new home owner and am assessing the needs of my yard as the months go by. I have an area that faces north, is up against the house and therefore shaded by the eaves. It does not get direct sunlight at all. However, it is very "bright", if you know what I mean. There are not a lot of trees providing shade, just the house. I am looking for easy-care perennials to plant in about a 2.5 ft wide by 15 foot long area (there is irrigation). It is currently mulched. At about 3 feet in and 9 feet, there are windows, so I would like something lower growing for under the windows and something a little taller for the area between. I went to a nursery in town and they suggested a vine with a trellis for the middle part, which I thought was a good idea. The other thing I thought of was a topiary azalea for the middle. I also don't mind planting some annuals like impatiens/caladiums, but would love to have low-maintenance perennial plants for the most part.

Any suggestions from the experts? I appreciate any feedback.

Best,

KMM

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Comments (2)

jameson12
13 years ago
I don't know if this will work in your zone but a very unique perennial which acts like an annual and blooms all the time is called lamium. We have some pink (it also comes in yellow and perhaps even white) in our shade garden. It can either act like a ground cover or grow large enough to be noticed very easily. It is also easy care and transplants easily. It definitely fits for low growing plants. Since I have 3 boys, I can tell you that they take abuse easily and still keep growing :)
kmmlangston
Original Author
13 years ago
Thank you for the suggestion! I will look up lamium. I have never heard of it (no surprise there as I've not heard of the majority of plants!), but I will research to see if it would survive in Gainesville.
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