Herbs for shady spots

My yard is partial shade - gets some morning sun. Any ideas for herbs I can plant that will do well here. When I read "full sun" I hesitate. I am in foothills of NC - have to deal with humidity & heat. But I suspect that many herbs will do well in my soil IF the light requirements are met. Help.

What type of herbs are you wanting to grow? I have a herb garden in similar part shade, just a few short hours of morning sun, but culinary herbs don't last so well in this area and we now have a herb border in full sun.

Two that will do well for sure are sweet woodruff and sweet cicelly. :)

Mint does well in partial to full shade and loves moisture, however it will probably be very invasive in your climate you planting in the soil may not work for you. Chives do well if they receive some protection from afternoon sun and many of my creeping thymes prefer the same protection.

Rosemary is pretty adaptible I think....

Sage, will NOT tolerate those conditions nor will lavender
Chris

Vickip,

I'm in NC in the piedmont area. I have the same heat and humidity that you have to work with. I growm my herbs in a raised bed under a dogwood tree. I built the bed with the tree in the corner. The canaopy starts at about 6 foot and the herbs grow underneath. I grow an assortment in this bed which is partial to full sun most of the day. I have rosemary, hyssop, spearmint, lemon balm, sweet basil, orageno, thyme, chamamile, chives, sage, parsleys, and miniture roses. The bed gets naturally mulched deep when the leaves fall and overwinters nicely. I only have to replace the sweet basil every year. I grow the mint in a buried pot - it stays contained, and is hidden from view. I have spaces to try new things as I have the notion, but I manage to have fresh herbs year round. My first herb bed was in full sun all day and if kept watered well, it seemed to do nicely. As a matter of fact, I moved some of the plants to the bed described above over 6 years ago. Give them good loamy soil that drains well and mulch a good layer. Herbs don't do well in the red clay soil of this area - it gets too hard. When your rosemary gets some height to it, then plant your sage and lambs ears at the base of the rosemary. It will be shaded and they are good companion plants in my gardens.

Hope this helps.

swoznick

Swoznik, I like the raised bed plan. I have my herbs similarly located but not in raised bed. (I lived in Reidsville for a decade and the full sun and red clay drove me to raised beds for everything.) I guess I will move the lavender. Thanks.

Another shade-loving herb is wild ginger (asarum). It is native in North America from Canada through GA. The rhizomes smell (and taste) like ginger, but is not the kind sold in stores. Spreads well if divided, otherwise stays in a clump.

Lungwort (pulmonaria) is another shade-loving herb. It was medicinal, not culinary, discredited now. Beautiful flowers in spring, variegated foliage in summer/fall/winter. Many cultivars available.

Roman wormwood (artemisia) also thrives in light shade, but not dense.

Beware of mints: many self-seed all over.

Valerian officianalis also does well in shade, just needs to be staked to prevent flopping.

Black snakeroot (cimcifuga) requires shade, thrives in right conditions. Also a former medicinal herb, now regarded as unsafe.

Monarda (bee-balm) does very well in shade, but tends to mildew even more than normal. Not a problem for people who grow it for use for tea.

Horseradish thrives in full shade; roots are even more pungent than those grown in full sun :)

-- Herb garden volunteer and fellow shade-gardener on heavy clay

Thanks for shade-loving tips for herbs. Keep 'em coming. Lupinelover, your suggetions are taken. I have to scout out a herb-farm up here. Most seed stores carry only the standards. Also, I received two packets of Stevia from Parks Seed Co. Anyone know anything about growing this herb?

i have parsley in dappled shade and morning sun. another dappled and afternoon sun, they do great when it starts to get hotter here.

Lupinelover:

Do you know a source for wild ginger? I'd prefer the risomes if available.

Asian Ginger is a specific for upset stomach, nausea, and the like. The Cherokee used wild native ginger for the same purposes, so it would be a nice addition to my medicinals garden.

I have plenty of wild ginger for anyone who wants to send SASE. Just let me know by e-mail...