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flowersandthings

Blue and or white flowers for shade?????

flowersandthings
19 years ago

HI I would like some (shade)..... plants with blue or white flowers for shade...... I've thought of brunnera and white hostas (white flowered..... at least....) any others.... How about hardy plumbago???? HOw would this do in shade????? Thanks.... I don't want vinca its too invasive .....

Comments (20)

  • gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
    19 years ago

    Plumbago needs sun, but there are lots of others you could include:
    Aconitum - blues (also some creamy yellow)
    Pulmonaria - blues to pinks
    Anemone sylvestris and divaricatus - white
    Japanese anemone 'Whirlwind', 'Honorine Jobert'
    most campanulas will tolerate at least part shade if not more
    Iris cristata - blue and white (white is hard to find)
    Iris japonica - pale blue
    Cardiocrinum giganteum - giant lily, white
    white astilbe
    Corydalis 'Blue Panda', 'Gold Panda', purple leaf - blue
    Dicentra eximia 'Aurora' - white
    Dicentra spectabilis 'Alba'
    Solomon's Seal
    white epimediums
    many hardy geraniums will tolerate part shade, including Rozanne, G. macrorrhizum 'Album'
    Polemonium - blues

    and for something larger, hydrangeas, Pieris japonica, azaleas (last two, whites only)

  • Iris GW
    19 years ago

    Blue lobelia, hydrangea arborescens (Annabelle is one of the cultivars, but the straight species is nice).

  • rross
    19 years ago

    How about forget-me-nots? You can get them in both blue and white.

  • vetivert8
    19 years ago

    Sanguinaria canadensis and Parochetis communis which is frost tender but has strongly blue pea-shaped flowers over clover-type leaves. Alkanet can be obliging about flowering in light shade.

    And the Tradescantias...

  • freebird
    19 years ago

    Plumbago will bloom in the shade, just not full shade. The plants will not be as lush, will bloom later, and will not bloom as profusely as they do in the sun, but they do bloom. The bright blue really adds to the fall shade garden.

  • Barbaraga
    19 years ago

    Phlox divaricata comes in blue or white, and blooms well in pretty heavy shade in spring.

  • Kristi_TX
    19 years ago

    Torenia (a.k.a Wishbone Flower). The most reliable blue bloomer in my shady garden. Did very well all summer, with a max of 2 hours of filtered sun. I've seen in blue, violet-blue, and white. Moderate reseeding in my climate.

  • ego45
    19 years ago

    Small(ish) Clethras 'Hummingbird' or 'Sixteen candles' will be great structural addition to shade garden.

  • brenda_near_eno
    19 years ago

    Grab a copy of "Made in the Shade' - cheap on eBay.

  • mary_pnw_7b
    19 years ago

    gardengal provided a great list; I highly recommend the Corydalis 'Blue Panda', it has a really long bloom time and is a beautiful light blue. Japanese anemone comes in many different sizes for whites and is a great late bloomer. Sweet woodruff, tierrella (foam flower), and rue anemone are great too. I planted plumbago last year in a pretty shaded area and it bloomed nicely.

  • springcherry
    19 years ago

    The tall Lobelia comes in white as well as blue, thou the white is harder to find. Gentians often need shade and many come in blue.

    Heavenly blue morning glory blooms for me in part shade, thou its cousin, white moonflower, wouldn't.

    Springcherry

  • seventowers
    19 years ago

    How about Tricyrtis aka toad lilly ? There are varieties that comes close to blue flowers and they are interesting foliage due to very different leaf shape , growth habit than other shade plants .

  • Istanbuljoy
    19 years ago

    I am putting in several types of Campanulas, carpatica'Blue and White Chips'-they can handle part shade, Campanula persicifolia coerulea,two foot one that will bloom blue (light shade), the rotundifolia (which is called Scottish Bells-needs lt. shade-sun), and C. cochlierofolia Bavarian (sky blue-takes lt. shade to part).

    The Blue and white chip variety bloom all summer into fall. The C. persicifolia coerulea bloom all summer, so I am adding Adendefolia (Ladys Bells) to extend the blue through fall.

    Istanbuljoy

  • springcherry
    19 years ago

    Browallia is said to take some shade.

    Springcherry

  • sugarhill
    19 years ago

    Wood asters come in both a purplish blue and a white.

  • dclee123
    18 years ago

    columbines come an a purple that looks like blue...they love the shade.

  • arcy_gw
    18 years ago

    Jacobs ladder is blue.

  • Andrea_in_KS
    18 years ago

    Geranium 'Biokovo' blooms white with a pinkish tinge. I have two different areas of them -- one that gets quite a bit of afternoon sun, the other that gets practically none. The ones in the sunny spot are bigger and bloom more, but the others are doing just fine. Brunnera macrophylla blooms blue, but it's over with so early in the spring. Goat's beard (aruncus dioecus) blooms white, but later, and those can get pretty big, I've heard. Mine aren't so far -- about the size of a big astilbe.

  • Ann_in_Houston
    18 years ago

    Kristi,
    You said the Torenia re-seeds moderately. Does it still form a ground cover? What cultivar do you have? I am planning a shade garden, but I'm sure it will be late August(Happy Birthday to me!) before it happens. I have been wondering what to use between the plants. The google pics I searched up looked quite promising, but they were not grown in Texas.

  • karinl
    18 years ago

    Omphalodes - blooms early, usually blue but available in white, and in shade. Ground cover.

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