Please help me fill my shady garden...

Discussion in 'Garden Design and Plant Suggestions' started by Paulina, Mar 22, 2006.

  1. Paulina

    Paulina Active Member

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    Upper Fraser Valley, Beautiful British Columbia!
    Well, we got our pond in on the weekend. It looks great! We'll be putting a small concrete & rock wall around it, approximately 1' high. I'll post a photo when I get a chance. I made a little pathway down past the pond with two giant raised flower beds on either side of the pathway. This side of our house is very shady and gets maybe an hour of early morning sun. This is why we re-designed our front yard. The grass was a mossy marsh year round. What a pile of work that was on the weekend! I have blisters on my hands to prove how hard I worked. I'm not much of a physical labor type, but it had to be done, so voila! Now comes the fun part... I'm looking for perennial, flowering, colorful, shade-loving plants... any tips from the pros? I've already planted one of my two Monkey Trees.

    Here's a photo... I'll post a better one when I can
    ps. don't mind the little cedar trees in the front, they're going to a friend... They just don't look right.
    pss. My sister's kiddies were determined to be in the photo... They're not part of the landscape...
    psss. What's up with my Rhodo? The buds on it are more leaves, not flowers... My Mom-in-law's are already budding flowers... Same type of Rhodo, I got this one from her yard
     

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  2. bcgift52

    bcgift52 Active Member

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    Your efforts are paying off Paulina, looks good. There are a lot of shade loving plants that actually have beautiful foliage. You could try sarcococca, a lot of geraniums do well in shade, ferns, hosta, some species lilies, columbines, cimicifuga, etc. etc.
     
  3. KarinL

    KarinL Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    Do you want any height and year-round presence? If so I'd suggest you look into some rhodos or yews. For deciduous interest hydrangeas are nice; I especialy love Hydrangea aspera (the species, not villosa group which I think has smaller leaves).
     
  4. KarinL

    KarinL Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    Addendum: I think the buds of rhodo flowers are formed the previous year already so if you moved it at that time it might not have formed flower buds due to stress. And of course in light of your rhodo I should have said you might want to consider "more" rhodos in my earlier posting. Also, I wanted to specify that a really nice yew to consider might be Taxus baccata 'Repandens' which is a spreading type with weeping tips. Another shrub worth considering for such an area is the leatherleaf viburnum, V. rhytidophyllum, although it can get pretty big.

    From the perennial point of view I would also recommend that you consider hellebores; although they can take more sun they might like it here. They also have a year-round presence, and now is a good time to buy them as you can select them in bloom.

    Read some books on gardening in shade if you haven't already to get more comprehensive perennial plant lists, but in addition to BCGift's list I would also suggest you consider Aruncus, Kirengeshoma, Uvularia, Tricyrtis, Hakonechloa, Brunnera... my brain runneth dry, but there are dozens more.
     
  5. Paulina

    Paulina Active Member

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    Thanx Karin, will the Rhodo form flower buds again at some point? I moved it in spring of 2004, it bloomed wonderfully that year, no blooms last year, and no signs of blooming this year. Any tips on what I can do with it?
     
  6. oscar

    oscar Active Member

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    I'm sure i can see buds on your Rhodo, pull one off and cut it open to see for sure.........i see you have a nice hedge, maybe consider making a path to run along side the hedge, it will be so much easier to cut the hedge ;)

    you have almost unlimited options for your planting scheme
    Long flowering perennials would include Dicentra formosa and exima types, Heucherellas and Tierella, Liriope and Ophiopogon....something grassy, Dwarf Miscanthus, Stipa arundinacea and Deschampsia......There are some wonderful new Hellebores on the market (here anyway) Moonshine (big upward facing flowers) Silver Lace (fantastic silver leaves) another variety to look out for is Purpurescens, small flowers, but the foliage, beautiful exotic big leaves...more perennials, Pulmonaria, Iris feotidissima......and ferns dont forget this group of plants..........better stop there :D
     
  7. Paulina

    Paulina Active Member

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    I pulled off a bud, and it looks like a developing leaf. No color at all, just green.
     
  8. sue1

    sue1 Active Member 10 Years

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    Hi Paulina. A wonderful, small shrub to use in your shade garden is Euonymus Fortunei (Gold Prince). You'll find it in almost any nursery. Although instructions indciate some sun, I've put mine in complete shade with excellent results. It has beautiful variaged lime-coloured leaves, grows up to 2ft tall and about same width. Really brightens up a shady corner, and is also potable. I've had one in a pot for 2 years, and it loves it. It's also drought tolerant, although needs some water the first year of planting. I also have one in my woodland garden, and I certainly plan to get more. They are not expensive to buy and will grow 1/3rd their size in just one year. It really is one of my favourites.

    Another good shade bush is Acuba Japonica (Mr. Goldstrike). It has lovely light and dark mottled leaves, and will grow even in dense shade. This is a large bush, will grow to about 5ft tall and wide. It does not like the sun; however, I have found that it will tolerate one to two hours of morning sun each day, but certainly no more than that. There is a female Acuba that I plan to get, as then with male/female species you will get lovely red berries. Both male and female species flower.

    There are many, many plants that will love to live in the shade, and even some annuals, such as impatiens and begonias will add some colour to a summer shade garden. Good luck!
     
  9. Dee M.

    Dee M. Active Member 10 Years

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    It's possible that the Rhododendron isn't getting enough sun to flower. I would fertilize it well this year and if it doesn't flower next year maybe you could move it to a place with more light. Some Rhododendrons can take more shade then others, maybe that is one that likes more sun.
     
  10. Jacky

    Jacky Member

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    Another delightful plant is "bleeding heart" - dicentra. Comes with white flower, or white and pink - not sure what other colours. Very pretty, and survives at my house with NO direct light - just indirect. Quite amazing.
     
  11. ColbyTrio

    ColbyTrio Active Member 10 Years

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    A nice red lace leaf Japanese Maple would provide great color for your garden. The Red Dragon will keep it's dark red color in the shade. They can be a bit expensive though...
     
  12. Newt

    Newt Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    Hi Paulina,

    You've already gotten some wonderful suggestions for shade plants, so I'll try not to repeat any of those. There is one group of plants that come to mind, especially around the pond. Those would be sedge. There are some that grow in the shade and will give you a bit of a grassy look. There are even evergreen ones, with some being variegated. I would like to share some observations and ideas as well.

    Your rhodo looks a bit stressed. I noticed the leaves tend to curl down. That can be caused by severe cold weather or even lack of water. I think Dee is on the right path here with the possibility of your rhodo not getting enough sun. I'm also thinking it may be planted too deep. Rhodos have shallow roots and don't like alot of weight on them. Here's some interesting links that should be helpful.
    http://www.flounder.ca/FraserSouth/basics.asp
    http://www.rhododendrons.co.uk/cultural_notes.htm

    When you say that new tree is a monkey tree, do you mean a monkey puzzle tree? If so, you might want to consider moving it unless you plan to cut it down early in it's life. Monkey puzzle trees will grow to 60' tall or more and about 35' wide. It's also best not to place it where people will be walking nearby as the leaves are sharply pointed and can hurt.
    Araucaria araucana Plant Profile
    Monkey Puzzle Tree Seeds for sale

    I'm also thinking that your other small tree may have the rootflare buried. You should be able to see a slight flare at the base of the tree. If it's planted too deeply or covered with too thick a layer of mulch, it can smother the tree over time. Take a look here to see what I mean. Those cedars are definately planted too deeply.
    Planting hole - Planting - Landscape plants - Edward F. Gilman - UF/IFAS
    http://www.tlcfortrees.info/planting depth.htm
    http://www.treesaregood.com/treecare/mulching.aspx

    I think the suggestion of a Japanese maple is a wonderful idea. They look lovely weeping over a pond. If you purchase one with a low graft, it will stay shorter then if it's a high graft. Do keep in mind that they can get quite wide if you choose a weeping one, so choose carefully. This site has some wonderful info on Japanese maples under FAQ's and Articles.
    Loading...

    Some other shrubs for shade that come to mind. Evergreen Pieris which grows more upright. The Pieris japonica has more colorful leaves then the Pieris floribunda. These can get windburn in exposed locations.
    Plant Database
    Plant Database

    Mahonia aquifolium - Oregon grape is also evergreen and grows upright with some that can get broad over time.
    Plant Database

    Abelia grandiflora is another to consider but it gets quite large. Abelia comes in some dwarf varieties.
    abelia - Google Search
    Plant Database

    Inkberry:
    Ilex glabra Plant Profile

    Mountain laurel - Kalmia come in several dwarf varieties. The dwarf varieties grow tighter and not as open as the larger ones. There's a wonderful nursery I have ordered from in NY. Their site doesn't have many pics, but they have a rather large selection and you could google the specific ones that interest you to see pics. My daughter and I ordered some dwarf selections from there and were very pleased. They have grown beautifully over the last couple of years. They would be listed under Kalmia at this first site. Best to keep them out of the wind.
    Plant Database
    http://hort.uconn.edu/detail.php?pid=237
    http://www.roslynnursery.com/
    http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&hl=en&lr=&q=Kalmia&btnG=Search

    If you decide to mailorder any plants, check their references here. You can also search by country.
    http://davesgarden.com/gwd/

    Newt
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 24, 2018
  13. Paulina

    Paulina Active Member

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    WOW! Thanx, that'll keep me busy for a while. I appreciate it!
     
  14. Newt

    Newt Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    Paulina, you are very welcome!

    Newt
     
  15. josephine

    josephine Active Member

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    Although Hosta is one of the plants I really really like, I will not recommend it in your garden esp you're planning to put a pond. Hostas attract lots of snails.
     
  16. Gayle Baker

    Gayle Baker Member

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    Hi Paulina,

    At the risk of overwhelming you with one more, we have had great luck with Goat's Beard. It gives a little height (about 4 feet) and has lovely flowers in mid to late summer.

    Good luck,

    Gayle
     

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