Shade Gardening: Deep Shade III, 1 by rcn48

rcn48 wrote:
Curious, which "chocolate" Geranium did you order? We've had several in the gardens, some do well, others not so good. I really like 'Espresso' but it's never grown to be the beautiful clump I've seen pictured. The one thing I do love with 'Espresso' however is the foliage turns to the most spectacular red when the temperatures dip in the fall! I just planted another one and giving it a try with a little more sun, so we shall see! I'm trying to find this new one 'Cheryl's Shadow' to add to the gardens http://www.planthaven.com/geracher.html Looks intriguing with the compact habit and would be perfect in the rock border we have along the driveway.

Pollia japonica - YES, definitely spreads! However it's taken about 5 years to get to the point where we could make divisions. It's in an area where it's always been neglected but since Rick has been planting in this area over the summer, it may be very happy with the amended soil and spread rapidly!

The V. Solomon's Seal will spread, but will probably take 3-5 years before you have a good stand of it. However, that's based on my experience with our miserable red clay soil. If you're lucky enough to have good soil you may find yours will grow faster. This is probably one of the nicest plantings I've ever seen of it. I have no idea how mature this clump is - taken at AHS River Farm in Alexandria several years ago.