I know of "deep shade", "dappled shade" etc. I have a spot on the north end of our house that maybe gets an hour of sun in the evening (that's if there is sun). It has no trees and is open to the sky, so there is light- just no direct sun. What sorts of plants would grow here. Technically, I'm a z6, but I buy plants hardy to z5 just to be on the safe side.
Types of Shade
Lots of plants will grow there but are you looking for evergreens, shrubs, perennials? How tall can they grow to fill the space?
I would say that area gets filtered light. My shade garden is on the north side of the house, and only about a foot or two gets morning sun, the rest of the garden is in shade all day. Many plants can grow in complete shade....hostas, ferns, trillium, bleeding heart, to name a few....and there are countless others! Geesh, I'd give my right arm to have another shady spot to plant a few more hostas!! lol....
Galanthophile, I am ging to need all of the above- I don't want the plants too tall, 8 feet at most or it would block even more light. I'm interested in some evergreen and deciduous shrubs, perennials and ferms, I want to layer the planting as if it was in the woods.
Maxxy, I like hostas' too!
Some people see shade as a problem but I wish I had more of it as there are so many wonderful plants to grow there. For shrubs you could try mahonia - great evergreen structure and valuable winter flowers, hydrangea, skimmia, viburnum, daphne (superb scented flowers) and camellia. For perennials try trilliums, epimedium, anemone, hellebore, tricyrtis, primula, ranunuculus ficaria, rubeckia, campanula, polygonatum, pulmonaria, some peonies especially the species, nicotiana, meconopsis, iris foetidissima, kirengeshoma, ferns (any!), lily of the valley and corydalis. You should also consider some bulbs if you want to achieve the woodland effect - these include chionodoxa, camassia, cyclamen, snowdrops, eranthis, erythronium, leucojum, some lily species and scilla. Good luck and let us know what you decide on! I'm not sure if all of these suit your zone so you must ensure they'd be ok in your part of the world.
Ann
I have pretty much shade and this time of year you can have alot of color..later on when the trees are fully leafed out you can rely on textures and different colors of green..and yellow etc. Hydrangeas are great for summer color.
What a gorgeous shade garden!
All day indirect light would not be considered dappled shade. The situation explained would qualify closer to deep shade.
I would recommend planting plants which are shade loving and not try any flowering types, maybe except for the absolute classics such as impatiens but even that is difficult.
You can actually have cimicifuga...alot of campanulas...geraniums...chelone...tricyrtis...oriental lillies...wood poppy..primulas...hostas...jap. painted fern..and others ...foxglove...OMG there are sooooo many things you can have! I have woodland peonies...the list goes on and on..you do not have to resort to those horrible impatiens.
that is incredible. I will take a picture of my backyard which I mow. Maybe you can suggest something like you did. I want to quit mowing the deep shade and let it naturalize like you did but I don't want a lot of tall weeds - which is what I had when I didn't mow it. (Didn't mow it during the cicadas because we must of had 2 million on the property) Right now it is too dark to take a picture - would not do it justice.
By the way..if you could ever make a trip up to Baltimore..there are many things I could share.
thinking of being in Towson in July - that is near - Right?
Here is my yard the whole thing
and here is a close up of the back
it gets really dark back there in the deep of summer. any ideas for naturalizing it?
I would try and limb up some trees so it is not so terribly dark...then plan out some beds and till in some compost..maybe some boulders..and shade plants which I can share some with you in July....yes we are near Towson. That looks like a very large area...Do you like Pachysandra? I have tons of that for a ground cover..also wood popies...woodland phlox...ferns etc. The things I don't have enough of to share at least you could get an idea of what to get that would work..let me know when you are planning on coming. Looking forward. Nancy nbcole@comcast.net
the trees are extremly tall and so are my neighbors. I will look up Pachysandra. I planted hydrangea (doing well), Astilbe (which something eats it) and toad lillies (never came up) and
herchera (doing really well so far in spite of the dryness) Also planted an experimental fern and it is doing really well. Maybe some more ferns.
sounds like you are on the right track...can't believe the toad lillies never came up..they like moist and so does astilbe..and if the Hydrangea is doing well get MORE..they are wonderful and many different kinds. 'Endless Summer' and some others bloom on new wood..'Sargentiana' is a very large and fabulous one..look at some pictures at www.hydrangeasplus.com...Unfortunately I had something happen to several of my big ones last summer..wilted and died and I'm not sure why I know they need well drained soil and that may have been it but I had them for years and then they just croaked! Infuriating.
Depending on your soil acidity you might try some Rhodies or Azaelias for color and winter interest and height.. also there are some annuals that do ok in shade that have color.. lol. I like color can you tell? And then there are the ever wonderful Hostas that can provide lots of interest since they come is so many different sizes and leaf variations
I had bought this one at a Norfolk Botanical Garden's mothers days sale. Almost lost it to a cold severe winter the first year - but on year too it is doing very well.
About azalaes - when I moved in here there were many many dead small azaleas (planted in dry areas)
Made me skittish about planting them. I have been noticing that the people who have them here
- they are rarely large - but remain beautiful. Not sure if they do well here. Are they delicate?
Hmmm... I always heard that Azaleas were tougher than Rhodies but I don't know for sure since I have never grown any. I just put some Rhododendrons in my shady spot and am hoping for success there. They are dwarf so won't get very large. I really wanted larger ones but this was all that was available here. Perhaps the azaleas around there are also dwarfs? I would think that they would do well in your area.
I also planted several large hostas and some astilbe, heuchera and moneywort. The astilbes are grouped together and three look puny with the fourth looking happy as a clam. weird.
I planted 4 astilbe and the cicadas crushed one. Something ate two and the fourth is happy as a clam
Are clams happy? how would you tell?
Levilyla, that is one gorgeous shade garden! Are those all hosta flowers that are purple?
Terrie
Thank you..and no they are Phlox divaricata.(woodland phlox). After the azaleas and phlox and all the ephemerals go it is mostly all green. I like yellowed leaved plants because they brighten up the shade. Last summer I bought three Hydrangea Sun Goddess and I have alot of yellow leaved hostas..Sum and Substance, Kabitan (a dwarf), Sun Power, and others I can't remember the name of right now. It actually just becomes a messy woodland garden LOL.
Wow, I'm going to go check those out. I didn't know there was a phlox that would bloom in shade!
Levilyla, when I looked it up found pictures that look just like my creeping phlox (which is in the sun). Does this look the same to you?
Yes it looks like the top of them..they are taller than the phlox you have (phlox subulata) which needs sun and also the phlox divaricata comes in different shades..mostly shades of blueish lavender, but also white or near white. They reseed alot. They grow naturally around here so don't know how they would do in your area..they get ragged looking in the heat after they bloom and then when the weather gets cool again they green up and stay pretty much that way all winter.
Thank you. I'll have to look into it. :-)
Thank you everyone! I bought 12 different ferns, trillium, cimicifuga, asarum, corydalis and Irish or Scoth moss (the dark green), don't remember which. I have lots of prims I can transplant, as well as meconopsis. And then I can start on the other side of the walway!
Meconopsis??? Which one? The "blue poppy?" Wow...the most beautiful flower in the world!