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************************************************************* SHADE BY After having a house
for a few years, it seems we have become shady. The trees grew and spread
and many plants are not blooming as well as they did.
There are different kinds of shade from light to almost no
sunlight. Trees can be trimmed up to let in more light with a mulch and a
chair close to the trunk to prevent doing damage to the tree roots.
There are many plants that prefer the outer perimeters of shade to
keep the leaves from fading or burning. The number one
plant for use in the shade being sold for several years has been the Hosta.
Now the hybridizers have developed so many color combinations, leaf
size, and shape that anyone can have a Hosta. In my shadiest
area are Away from that
dense shade area, I have “Wind Flowers” that bloom white. It is a
rather aggressive plant that needs a hoe to keep it home.
In this same area are the Shooting Stars (Dodecatheon species) of
white and pink. They only grow about 8 to 12 inches with the flowers
having a pointed tip followed by petals flowing backward from the tip.
They must not dry out or will go dormant.
This plant is listed as an Ephemeral as are Blue Bells.
Ephemerals are those plants that disappear after blooming. Astilbe hybrids
do well in medium shade but do require a moist location with lots of
organic material in the soil. It
does not like water on its roots in winter or drought in summer. They have
fluffy, red, white, pink, and even lavender flowers about 2 feet tall,
sometime described as featherly. It is a heavy feeder remaining for many
years in the same place. It can do well in deep shade but not if it has to
fight tree roots. They seem to
do best under the outside edges of trees giving them a little sun
protection. For all my
“dark spots” I find Impatiens to do well.
There are some that can tolerate more sun.
You may hear some people call it “Busy Lizzie”. It is annual
and if you are careful you can start it from seed indoors 10 to 12 weeks
before you want to set the plants out. The seeds are very tiny so don’t
sneeze while you are planting. During
hot weather Impatiens must be kept moist as they wilt easily.
There are single and double flowers in many very bright colors for
those dark areas. You can put them in many places-containers, window
boxes, or hanging baskets. A favorite
perennial of mine is the Bergenia hardy to zone 2. It likes any kind of
shade with big 12 inch coarse leaves that do better if protected from
wind. Each spring a number of
the lowest and oldest leaves turn brown but are quickly replaced by new
ones. In fertile soil it will
spread faster but is not invasive. The
blooms are quite spectacular in a cluster held above the leaves in shades
of pink, orange, and red. You
can divide them in fall or spring. They
stay green all winter until pushed aside by the new ones in spring. For light shade
Brunnera macrophylla can not beat. Sometimes
called “Bugloss” with beautiful leaves and tiny blue flowers about 12
inches high. In the last few
years several new varieties with different leaf patterns have been
developed. My very favorite is
“Jack Frost” whose leaves do look slightly frosted all summer. Mine
are under an old “Redbud Tree”. Last
year they produced a number of seedlings. About half of them look like the
original plant of long ago and the other half are “ If you like
little Daisy like flowers (white) in light shade or sun, someone could
probably give you a start of “Feverfew” (Chrysanthemum parthenum) also
call “Matricaria”. They can take care of themselves.
They are covered most of the summer with blooms that do well in
bouquets. This means lots of seeds to scatter around.
The seedlings from the hybrids will grow to 3 feet unless you cut
the tops off early. Then they will be 12 to 15 inches and make a short
white plant for the front of the border. Japanese Forest
Grass (Hakonechloa macra) comes in various combinations of green, white
and yellow and is one of the few grasses that prefers shade and water. It
only grows about 12 inches high as it tends to flop-all in one direction.
I plant Caladium bulbs in and around my clumps growing along a path
under the Cottonwood Tree that is trimmed very high. It will need watering
as its competing with tree roots. My
species is green with almost white stripes. By March the
following plants for shade should be in bloom:
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