Extremely shady

I am getting ready to totally redo this very shady secret garden. I plan on laying down paving stone for walking on. The soil is incredibly awesome and fertile but gets very little sun. Lots of moisture but good drainage. I don't want ferns as they grow rampant and I am looking for some nice color. Temps are cool and damp during the winter months as this is the central coastal Oregon area. Not on the coast but about 7 miles. We have lots of trees and brambles that I have pulled out. The brambles not the trees. There was miles of ground cover which I will let come back after I get planted what I want in there. I can do potted plants but would like some nice in ground growth.
Help please. This is the area.

Neoregelia bromeliads are a possibility. They are tropical though and won't take frosts/freezes. I don't know what your temperature is in that part of Oregon, and if you get temperatures much below 40F, you would have to keep the bromeliads potted and bring them in. The Neoregelia bromeliads are shade lovers but do very well with a few hours of early morning or very late afternoon sun. In fact, they develop their best color with a bit of sun. The Neoregelia don't get as tall as many other varieties of bromeliads, usually staying at or under 12". Here are two that I grow, 'Voodoo Doll' and 'Michi'.

hi Gourdbeader-
I garden near Seattle, so just a tad colder in the winter, cooler in summer. In general I would say pick lighter colors in shade, dark leaves or flowers are not very visible. Some ideas for easy care plants:
Shrub: Choisya ternata 'sundance' grows slowly and evenly in deep shade. Foliage glows year-round but it hardly flowers. absolutely trouble free. Sarcococca hookeriana var. humilis. A shady botanical garden near Seattle has a Paeonia lutea (I think var Ludlowii) that blooms in shade. It is quite tall about 7 feet. I am growing one in shade- it is now about 6 feet and has lovely leaves. it hasn't bloomed yet they say it takes years.
Annual flowers for color:Impatiens bloom all summer. Nicotiana sylvestris, N. langsdorfii are tall, smell nice-may reseed or winter over.
Groundcover: Epimediums but watch out some of the new Chinese fancy ones want to be coddled apparently. E. davidii yellow blooms all summer for me.
Perennials:Aruncus, Astilbe, Cimifuga, Foxgloves (pick your color they will naturalize), Hellebore hybrids (pick your color at the nursery in early spring), Hosta (pick slug resistant varieties), Iris foetidissima (I just bought lutea-yellow flowers, red berries that persist). I am trying daylilly Hemerocallis fulva 'Flore Pleno' this year, said to bloom in shade we shall see. Geranium phaeum 'Lily Lovell', Geranium macrorrhizum (several colors to choose from). I have lots of slugs so some traditional shade recommendations don't work for me like Brunnera. I have even tried some Daffodils that have a nice smell and could not keep the slugs away!
Bulbs: Erythronium, some daffodils, snowdrops
Grass:Japanese forest grass grows slowly-'Aureola' matches the Choisya shrub. Carex 'Ice Dance' also matches.
Vines: A few Clematis will do ok in shade, but NOT all. Try "The President' or 'Hagley Hybrid'. I have C. viticella 'Blue Angel' in dry shade. It survives and even flowers a bit.
what fun you will have! Please give us pictures as you proceed. I love watching these kind of projects.

pic#1 a foxglove pic#2 Choisya 'Sundance' pic#3 Iris cristata 'Abbey's Violet' is a PNW Coast hybrid that Edelweiss Perennials says does well in shade(only for PNW gardens).

Wow!!! Thanks for all the great suggestions. Looks like I am going to have to hit the nurseries on sale day. Love the idea of the lighter colored leaves. Makes since as they will be seen much easier.

Gourdbeader,
Those trees are so tall - the fence in the photo really puts their height in perspective. Sure is a lovely spot to put a garden. Is that moss on the roof of the bird feeders/houses? Nice...

The list that mimilakestevens posted gives you a lot of possibilities to choose from. Some additional shade plants that I've had success with that can add some bloom color are old fashioned bleeding heart, phlox divaricata, chelone, spiderwort, toad lilies, japanese anemones, and oriental lilies.

Yes, moss is everywhere. I have very little grass as its mostly moss which is so awesome to walk on. Like walking on a carpet. Sort of like Mosswomen on FB. I know that some folks hate moss and try to kill it but its like a given for me and I like it just fine. So long as it doesn't start growing on me. I guess so long as I keep moving I am safe, heheh.
Thanks for the additional suggestions. I was thinking of the bleeding heart too and some fuschias and begonias

What is that tall tree on the right side of the first picture? It looks as though there's a good 30-40 feet before the first branch.

Aralia elata and the birds love the berries but they aren't edible to humans. Dang it. The Doves and Jays go nuts for them.

Your temps I noticed can get dip into the twenties for a few days, and the average range stays relatively cold through winter until late spring. Keep the focus on local plants or non-natives from Japan/Asia/Europe that thrive in a similar climate. Moving out of that range will cause you grief.

I have the opposite problem - very shady but hot and dry most of the year so I'm not much help. No moss down here! Look for variegated plants like hydrangeas, liriope, euponomous, gold dust acuba bushes. Nice touch might be hanging baskets mounted on the tree trunks with cold weather epiphytes (if there are any), or various moss growths. Japanese aralias would do very well I think in your area. Hostas of course. For slugs - use Sluggo or any iron phosphate bait. It's the best.

I have dogs so all slug bait has to be pet friendly. Tried beer but my Puggle loves it. Gotta watch that kid. heheh He guards Dads snacks sorta.

Sluggo (brand name), other makers, but any iron phosphate bait is pet and human friendly. Iron phosphate occurs naturally in the soil, just not in high enough quantity to hurt snails and slugs. They feed on the bait, the IP immediately disrupts their digestive system and they die/starve in 3-4 days. You could accidentally eat a small amount and it would not harm you. It's a very small granular pellet you broadcast, so Fido would have to do a lot of work to find it. It's an organic type of bait.

I tried the beer traps - nasty and a pain to put out and ineffective. Once I started using this, I haven't had a snail or slug problem in years. When I see signs of them, I do two applications about 10-14 days apart. That's the egg gestation period for those slimy critters. I have over 50 Hosta's in my yard and no slimer problems. When I first started, the slugs were in the hundreds. I laid some heavy applications out every month even over into my neighbors yard.

The cheapest source is online in bulk. I recently bought a case of eight 1 lb bottles for what it costs for two in retail. Stores well, lasts a long time. First time I bought a 25 lb sack, lasted over four years, and I gave a bunch away.

Thanks, Have lots of Hostas and not so many slugs up here as I had down on the lower area. ???? not sure why but not going to question a good thing. eheh. Its not really the time for slugs just now but will keep an eye open.

I was talking about the mega conifer on the right side of the pic...which is that?

Sequoiadendron4
I'm not sure what sort of pine it is but we are surrounded by them. I live in the trees so to speak and we love it. Not much lawn but loads of cushiony mossy carpet to lay on. Feels like walking on a lush thick carpet.
Phoebe spotted a deer. They like to play games with her. She will race up the hill and they will bound out of view then creep back in when she's not looking and all I have to say is Deer and she off. She doesn't bark at them just likes to watch them bounce out of view. eheh

Wow, that's gorgeous country. I would love for that to be my back yard! Those trees must be an easy 80ft tall! You guys on the west coast are so lucky to have the climate you do and all the cool trees :)

80' doesn't even come close to most of them. There is one in front that is easily 200+ that is dead and has to come down but we can't find anyone to cut it down. That is the bad part as it would either take down our neighbors carport with their Motorhome in it or my landlords Huge new barn house or our carport and possibly the back side of the house. It is up to my landlord but still its scary as someone is going to get the blunt of it if it isn't taken down soon.
I will post a pic of it later.

Yikes!!!....the tallest trees in our neighborhood are a lame 70' or so

Hi guys, I live under a hundred year oak tree so I am also looking to plant my back yard.. In the front I have lots of hostas so I have slugs. I use in a spry bottle a mix of water 1 gal. 1 cup of amonia and some Murphy's oil soap. I think that would be safe for the puppy and cheaper than in store slug chemicals.
First picture Golden Accuba, two kind. 2 , 3rd and fourt my hostas in pots. Last is a Chocolate chip ajuga, fast spreading ground cover, you can walk on it, you can have some if you want for postage. Etelka.

If you like Hosta's, and you have slugs.....use the iron phosphate baits. Sluggo and Sluggo Plus and Bug N Sluggo are brand names. The newer generation of Sluggo is Sluggo Plus, or Bug N Sluggo - which is the iron phosphate with Spinosad that controls additional pests like earwigs, pillbugs, cutworms, etc. It is safe around pets and kids, dissolves in a few days, then goes back into the ground to its naturally occurring state. It contains 1% of IP.

The worst/poisonous bait is the Slug & Snail baits with Metaldehyde. That is poisonous one you want to avoid.

Iron Phosphate +/- the Spinosad, is the safest, best, and certified for use in organic gardening as the most natural way to get rid of them. Read up on it for yourself. Here's the info from the Bug N Sluggo site:

Bug N Sluggo site: Organic Certification and Material Data Safety Sheet

http://www.certisusa.com/pest_management_products/insecticidal_bait/bug-n-sluggo.htm

"Bug-N-Sluggo is a broad-spectrum bait that controls earwigs, cutworm, sow bugs, pillbugs, slugs and snails. It contains a combination of iron phosphate and spinosad."

Organic Crops
NOP Logo
Bug-N-Sluggo is NOP Approved:

"This product is approved for organic production by the National Organic Program (NOP), a marketing program housed within the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service, the agency that sets marketing standards. The NOP mission is to develop and implement national standards that govern the marketing of agricultural products as organically produced, to facilitate commerce in fresh and processed food that is organically produced, and to assure consumers that such products meet consistent standards."

I guess you don't have any problems with the Imp disease? I almost forgot that Imps were around....

Imp disease - please enlighten me/us. Have not heard of that one.

Yes, what is Imp disease, I have never heard of it?

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1298071/?hl=impatiens

Read that thread and it should tell you all about it. Many people, me included, cannot plant impatiens anymore unless we want them to die. Summer of '12 all of our imps died due to this disease so now I have to plant something else or New Guinea Imps. The NG imps have done well for me this year.

Sequoiadendron.. did you know there is actually a human disease called Imp disease? I googled it and you would be surprised at what you find besides the impatients disease.

hmm...I didn't know that :)

I don't know whether this is helpful (I am in zone 5a performing like 6a but) I had a shady area next to my house with some hostas, and filled it the empty spots this springin front of it with layers of:

Bergenia winterglut
Geranium Bevan's variety
Wintergreen
Mertensia
Trillium grandiflorum
Ornithogalem nutans

I am about to add lilium martagon album.

The second pic is from very early April, and I had just installed the mertensia, geraniums and wintergreen.

I have some pretty bad photos, but it gives you an idea, and the maintenance (after acidfying the soil for the wintergreen) has been nonexistent. And except for the hostas, there was nothing there this spring. The previous owners had given up on the area and figured that nothing would grow there but hostas because there was not much light and the soil was poor.

The hostas go dormant and the mertensia goes dormant, but the wintergreen, geraniums and bergenia are there most of the year.

This message was edited Nov 12, 2013 8:00 PM

DonnaMack, that looks really nice. I am sort of hold off till the beginning of spring to do anything else as weather is really changing now. Thank you all for all the great suggestions.

Thank you for being so sweet.

For me, winter is when I dream. Spring is when I begin again in the garden. May your dreams be pleasant ones!

Donna, how shady is that area you have the geranium. I looked it up and it's really pretty. I have an area that gets about 45 minutes of sun a day that would be nice to plant that. It's in a Rhodi bed that is dominated by Galium Odoratum as a ground cover.

I have Bevans on all four sides of my house in areas from full sun to almost complete shade. It is extremely flexible, and is actually better in areas that do not have full sun. Those areas have completely different conditions. It accepts dry soil. Heck, it accepts abuse. A friend of mine tore them out of her yard, put them in a bucket, and brought them to me. It took me almost a month to get them all into the yard. I would periodically throw some water on the bare plants. The ones that were not even in soil survived. I later read that the thick rhizomes protect them from drought.

The area I showed you is against the building on the north side. I also have it in an area that has gallium odoratum.

I have a bunch of them heeled in because I am propagating them. Every few weeks I move them to new areas.

The first picture shows them in bloom very early in the season, a couple of weeks after I put them in.

The second picture is only a few weeks later. I should add that it is a super weed suppressant, which is why I put it in lots of places. I have several other geraniums but this one beats them all in that department.

I have striatum, Biokovo, Karmina and maculatum. Not of them perform to the level of Bevan's Variety. It's just phenomenal.

Donna - wintergreen - I'm curious. I've got a couple of tiny little plants started from seed this year. They're staying incredibly tiny in pots. I've read that the wintergreen likes a damp, sandy soil in part shade with cooler temps. After a little research, I'm curious how well they'd do here with clay-based soils, drought and heat. How long have yours been in the ground?

Well you've sold me, I think I'll try some out next spring and see how they do, thanks!

Hi Cindy,

Mine have done very well, and I got them quite inexpensively. I got them in spring. They actually flowered, but I wasn't diligent about watering, so they have lovely fall color, but no berries. I planted them with soil conditioner. I do think they need special treatment, but they are worth it. Many people say they fail, and I do think that it's not a plant it and forget it plant.

They do spread quite slowly, but I find them lovely - one of my fantasy plants. And I keep them near my back door, so I can keep an eye on them. And I think that's what you have to do for a couple of year.

Sequoia, I think that you will be very happy with them. Do keep me posted.

Donna

Donna - thanks for your input. Please define "soil conditioner" as I'm at a loss with that term.

I apologize - I didn't know what it was at first, either! This is the listing from Platt Hill Nursery.

Black Forest Soil Conditioner

2 cf. bag $6.95 each

Black Forest is our #1 recommended soil amendment. This soil conditioner is a must for difficult soil conditions. Excellent for breaking up clay soils. Soil acidifier lowers soil pH to establish the best growing conditions for plants in the alkaline soils of Illinois. Especially good for evergreens, maples, and birches. Can also be used as a top dressing or mulch. We recommend this for installation with all new tree and shrub plantings.

I should go read the bag to find out EXACTLY what is in it.

Cindy, a plant like wintergreen needs more acid in the soil than we have naturally. I also use it on my azalea, and any plant that prefers acid soil. You don't need much, but it really helped a so so azalea turn into a tiger, and I often hear about wintergreens not making it and mine are thriving.

I'll have to do some research to see if it's available locally. Sounds like there might be some iron or manure of some type mixed in but haven't seen a content list on the web. Wonder if it's similar to Black Gold which I have seen locally. Thanks for the info.

Looking at Black Gold, it looks extremely similar.

Thanks for the comparison. I know Alsip carries the Black Gold brand and might have to run out there to pick some up.

In my shady area I have
Fatsia Japonica (green and varigated) (can get very large).
Hellebores
fern
iron plant
tricyrtis
azalea
camellia
bleeding heart
Astilbe
hosta
Heucheras
Geranium
trillium
Florida and Georgia anise
Digitalis

Thanks gang for all the great suggestions. Can't wait to hit the nursery and walmart to get some stepping stones and black forest or gold.