Need help choosing shade loving foundation plants for the front of the house. On the left side of the house I ripped most of the azaleas out, because the were old and diseased, now I have a huge hole. I love evergreens, but need dwarf sized, I guess. Need some flower color, too.
Is the photo of that side of the house?? I am much better at shade plants than sunny ones and I am moving from shade to a house that is sun! The new house, I have been landscaping all summer and not finished yet as I started from scratch!
Debbie
Hostas, astilbes, tiarella, huechera, helleborus, pulmonaria, aquilegia, bergenia, daphne
Oh, I can just keep going and going.....
Hope this gives you some ideas, Tammy.
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/hil-635.html
http://www.gardensoftheblueridge.com/gardensoftheblueridge/trees.html
Oak leaf hydrangea, azaleas (you can keep them relatively small) rhododendrons, ferns, holly
Some of my favorite shade plants are astilbe, lenten rose, brunners, hydrangea. As far as evergreen goes try indian hawthornes if the area gets morning sun and afternoon shade.
Hi - here's a shade bed with Oakleaf Hydrangea, Hosta, Astilbe Regular and Dwarf, LilyTurf, Ferns.
Gorgeous Dax.
Oooo! Love your walkway! What do you have between the stepping stones? I need to put one in at our new house this summer!
Debbie
Thanks! I put compost between the bricks as I am hoping to grow various ground covers between the bricks that will blend into the beds. Hopefully, the paths will weather into the beds over time. Here is a pic of a groundcover that I started in mid-summer! ---- Dax
And here it is in the late fall - it's creeped through the bricks quite well -- but I know it'll take years to get to that mature look -- sigh -- Dax
Nice! It looks like you're using Lysimachia "Goldilocks", which is one of my favorites. Someone (on DG) asked me if I was worried that it might be invasive, but I have not had that experience - I keep it in place by trimming, but it also pulls up easily, so I'm not concerned.
I planted it here, along the street, to give me a 'buffer' between the curb and my boxwood hedge bordering a flower bed. I've tried to grow ivy in this spot for three years and finally gave up and put in the lysimachia. This is how it looked 18 months after I planted it. This area gets lots of foot traffic with neighborhood kids and dog walkers and it holds up under the abuse.
Oh - such a beautiful scene -- thanks for showing me how it will look someday -- and nice to know it can handle foot traffic -- I wasn't sure -- Super!! Dax
dax 080 - Love the pic on this thread! Great list too. Shade bed with Oakleaf Hydrangea, Hosta, Astilbe Regular and Dwarf, LilyTurf, Ferns.
My shade garden has lots of hosta varieties, oak leaf hydrangea, Solomon's seal, heuchera, lysimachia and pansies, left from last fall.
Don't discount bulbs.
I have a large yard that has more shade than sun, so in addition to plants that are listed as shade plants, I also experiment with others. For example, I now have lots of daffodils growing in a very shady area that gets very little direct sun. They are as big & beautiful as the ones in the sun. They just bloom a little later.
Grape hyacinths will also grow in shade and can be pretty in bunches. Just don't plant the bulbs in a bed that will be watered constantly as it can rot them.
Annual Salvias are another beautiful plant I've had great luck with even though they're supposed to be a "sun" plant. They come in lots of sizes & colors, plus the Hummingbirds love them.
Also check out Bluestone perennial's "Custom Plant Search". It's a wonderful feature that will show you more shade plants then you would have ever imagined.
http://www.bluestoneperennials.com
Excellent suggestions NAN! I've avoided daffodils in my shade garden because I thought they would not bloom after the first year. I do have narcissus ('pheasant's eye' and 'Thalia') which seem to be surviving. I love the suggestion of muscari - I'm going to add some this fall.
