Gardening In The Shade: Finding Beauty Where The Sun Doesn't Shine

Date: Fri 29-Mar-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: AMYD

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shade-gardening-Lexington

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Gardening In The Shade: Finding Beauty Where The Sun Doesn't Shine

BY AMY D'ORIO

Forget growing a butterfly bush and pretty blue delphiniums, and don't even

think about sunflowers.

Roses?

No.

An herb garden?

You'll only get mint.

It is easy to see why people with shady properties tend to lament that the

grass is greener on the sunny side. The grass is greener, but only if you

insist on growing grass.

Many gardeners first go through a sort of denial about their shady nooks. They

try to find ways to get around it, making attempts at growing colorful, tall

perennials, lush lawns, and beautiful evergreen borders.

The usual result, however, is a lawn with fewer strands than an old man's head

and scraggly plants that look like they want to croak, not bloom.

The answer is not to become disheartened and give up the spade; there are

plenty of plants that will thrive in shade.

Just in the hosta family, there is a wide variety. Some plants are blue, some

yellow, some variegated. There are small ones, large ones, puffy ones and ones

with sharp, pointed leaves.

Any garden book will say hostas can make an interesting border all by

themselves, and some carry a fragrance as sweet and strong as lilac.

Ferns are another versatile plant. Christmas fern will stay with you all year

round; it is an evergreen.

Hay-scented ferns turn a golden yellow in the fall, and the maiden hair fern

has dainty, round leaves with branches that form round whorls. Ferns can make

a soft border all by themselves, and they are one of the few plants that deer

tend not to bother.

The Japanese painted fern has an interesting dark blue/green color with a

touch of white. Unlike some of the other ferns, however, this one needs

consistent moisture, and can die from drought.

There are tall ferns, reaching higher than three feet, and cinnamon fern,

which produce a long stalk that is, of course, the color of cinnamon.

Bulbs are also useful. Many bulbs bloom so early, they can get plenty of sun

even in shady areas because there are no leaves on the trees.

Wood hyacinths, daffodils, snowdrops and windflowers easily add spring color.

There are also a wide variety of perennials that tolerate or even prefer light

and medium shade: foxglove, astilbe (of which there are a large variety),

black snakeroot, as well as varieties of dicentra (bleeding heart), Jacob's

ladder, lady's mantle, allium, brunnera, corydalis, bloodroot ( sanguinaria) ,

columbine, lobelia, epimedium, hepatica, lenten rose, spotted dead nettle,

Canada lily, cardinal flower, Virginia bluebells, forget-me-nots, bee balm,

primula, liriope, trout lily, blue phlox (wild sweet William), rodgersia,

false Solomon's seal, as well as Solomon's seal, violet and chrysogonum ,

browallia, white baneberry and a conitum (monkshood, wolfsbane).

These perennials could comprise not just one distinctive shade perennial

garden, but a few.

All the listed perennials are hardy to this area, so all gardeners need to do

is research their needs.

Tom Johnson, owner of Lexington Gardens, said gardens with light and part

shade will have a greater spectrum of plants to work with than in medium and

dense shade, so it can be worthwhile to prune the branches of large trees or

cut a few down.

"A few hours of sun can make all the difference," he said.

Shade gardening does not require as much work as sunny ones because both plant

and weed growth is slower, he said.

On the other hand, shade gardens create new problems.

"Spend 90 percent of your time on soil preparation," Mr Johnson said.

Many shade plants need moisture, but where there is shade, there are often

tree roots, which sap the surrounding area of water and nutrients. It is

especially hard to plant around shallow-rooted trees like maples, he said.

If you make a perennial bed in shade, be vigilant and annually chop up any

invading roots around the bed's borders.

If the ground is particularly compact, some books suggest building raised

beds, but tree roots will find their way inside those, too.

Trees are quick to sense moisture and will grow roots in that direction, he

said.

Some plants are known for being pretty drought resistant; one of Mr Johnson's

favorite is epimedium, commonly known as bishop's hat. Its flowers come in

white, red, purple and yellow, and it blooms in the spring.

He also recommended lily of the valley, ajuga, and some books have mentioned

spotted dead nettle (lamium) as another tough shade plant.

Now, stop trying to grow lawn where it will not grow.

If you have shade, you might have some wild violet in the grass already and

have noticed how they create a carpet of light blue, purple and white in the

spring. This can be cultivated and expanded upon with blue phlox and money

flower.

Instead of a lawn underneath of grove a trees, mulch it and plant a ground

cover.

Shade ground covers include: lily of the valley, sweet woodruff, wintergreen,

pachysandra, periwinkle (vinca), gingerroot, and ajuga.

Then add some bulbs, like snowdrops and wood hyacinth, as well as some

perennials, such as alumroot, foamflower, trout lily, bunchberry, and

chrysogonum. If the ground is particularly wet, you can grow lysimachia ,

commonly know as moneywort or creeping Jennie.

In the spring and early summer, the area will be filled with soft, pastel

blooms.

Many of the shade plants bloom in the spring, Mr Johnson noted, leaving a

problem behind for following months. Instead of color, the shade gardener must

pay particular attention to size, shape and texture to make a garden

interesting for the rest of the growing season.

One trick, he said, is to plant in large groupings. It will help add

definition to the garden, he said.

He also suggested adding plants, possibly behind the bed, with interesting

branch structures. A blueberry plant works well, he said, and it is

comfortable in part shade.

A long, elegant line of white azaleas make an attractive display, however,

deer love azaleas, perhaps more than yew.

Witch hazel blooms during the off months with interesting spidery yellow

flowers, and there is always the rhododendron to rely upon. Mr Johnson said

the native rhododendrons survive drought, and deer are not nearly as

interested in them as the other plantings around the house.

Boxwood, which takes part shade, is another plant the deer tend to pass by.

In part shade, Japanese maples and even magnolias can survive as well as

dogwoods and hydrangeas and serviceberry. In light to medium shade, choices

include beautyberry (Callicrapa) , Japanese andromeda, sweet pepperbush,

fothergilla, holly, Leucothoe, and Russian arborvitae ( Microbiota) ,

viburnums, celandine poppy (Stylophorum), and snowberry ( Symphoricarpos) as

well as euonymus. Even yew can survive, but yew happens to be a favorite food

for the deer.

Quince can survive even in dense shade, as can mountain laurel and

rhododendron.

To add a little mystery to the garden, grow ivy on the trees or create an

arbor of climbing hydrangea, which can take deep shade.

Use statues and other structures to create focal points.

Like all other gardens, Mr Johnson said a shade garden must be well planned.

Traditional garden design principles apply to shade as well as sun. One hint:

he said use paths in shade gardens and have soft, rounded borders.

Now, that you understand shade is not another word for ugly or garden failure,

you might pick up the spade and get excited again about the possibilities.

While the grass may be greener on the sunny side, there are plenty of plants

that are happier with you on the shady side.