A Picture from Everyone: Shade Garden Edition

14 years ago

Hi all! I was sitting on the patio the other day, which is by my shade garden, and thinking how much I liked it. Shade gardens have to be my favorite. If I were to do the yard over again I would be tempted to make it all shade gardens. They don't seem to require as much effort as the sun gardens, and they look nice for a long time even when there isn't anything blooming, maybe because the focus is often on foliage.

Do you have a shade garden? I think most everyone has at least one shaded area. I would LOVE to see everyones shade gardens! So let us see your favorite pic of your shade garden. Doesn't matter what time of year it was taken, or even if it was taken this year. Doesn't matter if you are a newbie, post em'! Doesn't matter if you think you have posted it too much before. Do it again! Lets see them!

But remember, please post ONLY ONE PICTURE! If you have more to share you can certainly post as many as you like on the gallery side. Let's be kind to those on dial-up (namely myself, lol!)

And tell us what you like about your shade garden. What kind of plants do you like to use? Woodland plants? Do you have many flowering plants in your shade garden, or do you like big bold foliage, such as with hostas?

-

I have two main shade gardens (with a couple tiny nook gardens). One is under the overhang in the front yard. It is pretty nice, but my favorite is the back one. It is more mature and looks complete and filled in. I LOVE woodland-y plants and natives. If I had lots of shade I think I might even make a bed for just those. As it is, I use a mix of things, natives, flowering plants (many of which bloom in spring), and a lot of bold foliage.

My favorite time is spring. This pic of my shade garden is in June I think. I love this pic because it shows my beloved Tellima and Trollius in bloom.

{{gwi:628651}}

Let's see yours now!!

CMK

Comments (28)

aftermidnight Zone7b B.C. Canada
14 years ago
Christin, which picture to choose :o), I have lots of shady nooks rather than what I'd call shade gardens although the courtyard would class as a shade garden, the secret garden(pool room) too. So here's a pic of a little section of my courtyard.

What I like about gardening in the shade is I think I'm actually accomplishing what I've set out to do, still struggling with other parts of my garden though LOL.

For shade I try to use different textures and plants with variegated foliage rather than flowering plants, some flower but they only last for a short period.

Some of the plants in my picture are:
Hosta 'Great Expectations' (just starting to unfurl)
Hosta 'Golden Tiara'
Aquilegia 'Lime Frost'
Pulmonaria longiflora (lungwort)
Adiantum (our local Maidenhair Fern)
Smilacina racemosa (false Solomeon's Seal)
and...a sneaky piece of Lily of the Valley that must have snuck in when I wasn't looking.

Christin I'm familiar with most of the plants in your shade garden but not all, could you list a few of the one's we might not be familiar with? By the way your shade garden is lovely and a seating area next to it how nice is that.

Annette
christinmk z5b eastern WA
Original Author
14 years ago
What a lovely composition Annette. I love your Smilacina racemosa! I just bought one last spring. They do fairly well in a dry situation don't they? Someone posted pics of theirs with the berries over on the Perennial Forum. I can't wait for mine to do that! I might have to move mine to a better location, so I can really see it. I like your Aquilegia too. I have a similar one called 'Leprechaun Gold'. Love the new leaf colors they have.

Thank you! I love sitting surrounded by plants. It makes me feel safe. ;-)
Certainly! Let's see now, that tall greenish flowering plant is Tellima grandiflora, Fringe Cups. It is a near relative of Heuchera, but I find it much easier to grow. They have green-white fringed flowers that turn a raspberry color. They are native. They just cover the ditches along Western WA. I love them.

Other things:
Hostas 'Halcyon', 'August Moon', and 'Patriot'.
I have two Brunnera, 'Jack Frost' and B. macrophylla- nither are blooming.
Several Ferns, and an Astrantia that is not blooming.
Golden Millet (Milium effusum 'Aureum') in front of the Tellima.

Hakonechola 'Aureola' in the corner, to the right of that is a dwarf Lady's Mantle. To the right of the Hakone grass (can barely see it since it has such dark foliage) is Japanese Purple-Leaf Ornamental Parsley (Cryptotaenia japonica 'Atropurpurea').
Trollius 'Cheddar', that light yellow colored flower next to the blue hosta.
In the very back is Geranium magnificum, a Polygonatum (likely biflorum), and Kirengeshoma palmata (Wax Bells). The Wax Bells are now in bloom. I love the plant, but I think it needs to be moved. The foliage is a pale green, I think it needs a moister spot too.

There is a patch of Primroses, another hosta, and 'Robustissima' Anemones a little to the left of all of this. It was chopped out in the photo. LOL, I think that is about it!

-Annette, I have always meant to ask you, Vancouveria hexandra, the Inside-Out-Flower, is native to your area isn't it? I have that wedged in there somewhere too.
CMK
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aftermidnight Zone7b B.C. Canada
14 years ago
I'm not familiar with the Inside-Out-Flower if it's native to our area I've never seen it. We do have lots of Vanilla Leaf both Smilacinas stellata and racemosa and False Lily of the Valley here.
I have the late flowering Kirengeshoma too it sure doesn't multiply though I must have had mine 10 years and it doesn't look any bigger than when I planted it.

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Thyme2dig NH Zone 5
14 years ago
CMK, what a great place you have to sit! I love the color of your table set.
Annette, I love that nook. It's so lush.

This is almost painful to have to choose 1 picture!

Hmmm....Double bloodroot? Trillium? Ligularia? Epimedium? Ginger? Lenten rose? Japanese maples? Astilbe? Shade shrubs?
In the end I chose a picture from my tree peony area. They were so great this year, loved all the rain we got this spring.
treelover
14 years ago
Here's one of my shade beds, which is also a problem area . . . dry shade under a huge oak & pecan.

I know it's hard to see what's there. Remnants of things that haven't quite expired yet, various ferns, a gardenia, black & blue salvia, Texas mountain laurel, fatsia japonica & Mexican firespike (behind the trunk of the oak), and confederate jasmine on the fence. Between the tree trunks is where I put lavenders that have died--just cause I like the way they look.

I don't have a clue what to do with this area. Any suggestions?
token28001
14 years ago
The closest thing I have to a working shade garden. It gets about 2 hours of sun in the mid-morning.

{{gwi:434553}}

There's another one on the north side of the house, but it still looks terrible. I'm working on it again this fall.
sushi_deluxe
14 years ago
thyme2dig and others: what shrubs do you plant in the shade?
Thanks.
bossjim1
14 years ago
Here's my main shade garden. The white Bleeding Heart vine, on the trellis, blooms profusely in the spring, before the pecan tree leafs out. There are other blooming plants in the bed, but none were in bloom when the picture was taken.
The dominate plants in the picture are:
Alocasia'Calidora'
Farfugium japonicum'gigantea'
Farfugium j.'Jitsako's star'
Australian tree fern
Australian sword fern
and climbing the tree are;
Pothos'Marble Queen'
and Monstera deliciosa
Jim
cyn427 (z. 7, N. VA)
14 years ago
Sushi, My entire yard is pretty much shade or part shade. For shade or part shade shrubs, I have Kalmia latifolia (mountain laurel), Highbush blueberries (two different, so I get berries), azaleas, rhododendron (I don't do very well with these, though), abelia, some of the viburnums, currants, several different types of hydrangea, and a couple others I can't remember the names of right now. Hope this helps.

Cynthia
gottagarden
14 years ago
You've probably never seen my front garden, which is the only shade I have - on the north side of the house. It's a nice, low maintenance area of hostas, ligularia, cimicifuga, ginger and a few others.

From 2009 Misc
christinmk z5b eastern WA
Original Author
14 years ago
Wow! So beautiful.

-thyme2dig, wonderful looking tree peony! I still need to get one someday...

-bossjim, awesome! It is so tropical! I bet most of those plants would burn in full sun, wouldn't they? I love that plant with the serrated leaf!

-gottagarden, so glad you showed it! That Ginger looks nice, I have never tried it before. What is that blue flowring plant? A Corydalis? And that plant in the upper left-hand corner? The one beyond the gold-edged hosta that looks like Bergenia only with pleated sort of foliage?

-sushi, one of my favorite shade-shrubs is Symphoricarpos, Coral/Snow berry. The cultivar 'Amethyst' (aka 'Kordes') has bubble-gum pink berries. So cute!
CMK
Thyme2dig NH Zone 5
14 years ago
Sushi, adding on to the shrub list from everyone above I also like Leucothoe, Pieris, dwarf Mahonia and Sinocalycalycanthus (light shade). I also have a Rose of Sharon in quite a bit of shade and it blooms beautifully. Same for double-flowering Kerria japonica. I also love the bubble-gum berries of Symphoricarpos! They are so much fun in the garden!

Gottagarden-That is some photo. Absolutely beautiful! You have such an amazing knack with your borders.
stage_rat
14 years ago
Your shady spots are all lovely! I have taken some notes on things I might add to my many, many shady spots. Unfortunately, many are dry shade. This spot is at my garage downspout, where the plants get plenty of water (click on thumbnail):

I have purple ajuga, persicaria painter's palette, geranium lily lowell, chocolate joe pye, ribbon grass (in a pot!) ostrich fern. Behind all that is orange daylily, which is crowding everything out and is getting ripped out, and a striped miscanthus in the sun, which mirrors the ribbon grass. In the foreground is a tangle of hardy kiwi vine (it keeps trying to get out from under the eaves) and a less-than-happy astilbe. In the background is a slightly sunnier and much drier area, with my "rock garden" in a pot, and the one sprout I got of a bottle tree. (Wintersowing is great! I just put a few of those round glass "seeds" in a container, and look what sprouted :) )
bhnash
14 years ago
OT - Christen I adore your green table and chair!!!!!
gottagarden
14 years ago
CMK - the blue flower is indeed corydalis elata.
The bergenia type plant is darmera peltata. Both great plants!
scully931
14 years ago
Here is a portion of my shade garden. I had a lot of luck with the lobelia this year. I also added oh... can't remember the name... the bright little blue spring flowers... anyway, the garden is all blue and white and I have a cobolt blue birdbath and a pretty angel statue in it. I do need to get more late bloomers into it next year.
Love looking at everyone's pictures! :-)
memo3
14 years ago
You all never fail to inspire me! My shade garden is still a dream inside my head.

MeMo
jaynine
14 years ago

My current favorite in one of the shade gardens--Dicentra scandens 'Golden Tears'.
cottagegirl_tn
14 years ago

My shadiest area is in front of our spring house. I do well with hosta, bleeding heart, lenten rose, daylillies, clematis and impatiens there.
Jen F
midnightsmum (Z4, ON)
14 years ago
I have no shade garden worthy of a photo yet!! Scully, I'm not a blue girl, but I like your pic!!

Treelover - who is that black puss?? Very handsome/pretty - oh, yeah, the garden, too. I just lost my Ozzy, so I'm seeking pics of black kittens!!!! And, I owe you big time - I am now able to post pics!!!! Yea!!

Nancy.
gldno1
14 years ago
Nancy, wish you were closer.....two of our kittens that were born in the middle of my bed were black; one with no spots and the male just has a few white hairs on his chest. They are about 5 months old now. I would 'share' either!

Jen, does the spring house actually have a spring inside? I haven't seen one of those in years, and never one quite as fancy as yours.

Scully, that is the most beautiful blue and the pot matches it perfectly.
s
treelover
14 years ago
Nancy: I'm sorry about your losing your kitty.

I think it's Blacky in the photo, since he's the one who tends to follow me around . . . DH calls him my supervisor. Or, it may be Junior; hard to tell them apart in photos.

So many pretty pictures in this thread.
msmisk
14 years ago

This is the only shady spot I have - it's under a huge bald cypress. I finally have this how I like it - the wood ferns and impatiens and you can almost see the poor little hostas that were chewed down to a nub by the bunnies.

Carol
christinmk z5b eastern WA
Original Author
14 years ago
-stagerat, I like your little nook garden!! That persicaria really pops in the greenery. Do you find it at all invasive? I know those sorts arn't suppose to be.

-bhnash, thank you! I got it a few years ago at Lowes. At first I was afraid the set would clash. But now that it is weathered a little and isn't so bright and shiny it really fits. Do you have any pictures of your own to share?

-Janine, like the vine! Is it hardy? I think I saw it awhile back in a PDN catalog. Uh-oh, yet another corydalis-like plant to look up...lol!

-Carol, I love everything about that area! The ferns and ferny tree foliage, the ivy against the brick. Is this a little courtyard we are seeing??
CMK
cottagegirl_tn
14 years ago
gldno1,
Yes our springhouse does house an actual natural spring. My garden is below there and I use the water to irrigate. Thanks for the compliment...you should have seen it before I jazzed it up.
Jen
stage_rat
14 years ago
Thank you for the compliment! :) The persicaria seeds around, but it's not like mint/agastache/perilla. Maybe 10 sprouts per year? Not bad, I think!

I really envy all the nice hosta plants everyone has. I have a few in a fenced garden, but the deer get in sometimes anyway. And, of the 2 hosta purchases I've ever made, one had hosta virus, so I don't want to buy any more!

I think the springhouse is so cute, and at first I thought it was the strongest-built garden shed I'd ever seen!
fluffyflowers
14 years ago
Just a wee bit of shade in my garden. I have a very pretty Daphne growing there that I bought at a Master Garderns sale a few years ago. I moved it from my other house and its doing fantastic in this spot and has developed into a lovely small, rounded shrub. The flowers are super fragrant and beautiful in the bleak winter. And all of this with two dogs that bump into it every day and pee right next to it!!! :) This photo is from February last year.

{{gwi:750882}}
cyn427 (z. 7, N. VA)
14 years ago
Hey fluffy, thanks for the idea of a daphne! I have wanted something evergreen to stabilize a hill that is eroding after I removed ivy and vinca and didn't replant quickly enough. I have put in three mountain laurels, but I need more and a few daphne might work beautifully-especially if they hold up to dogs. Thanks!

Cynthia