Which geraniums will tolerate dry part shade conditions?
linnea56 (zone 5b Chicago)
15 years ago
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jeannie7
15 years agolinnea56 (zone 5b Chicago)
15 years agoRelated Discussions
Shade Tolerance of Geranium Patricia
Comments (4)This one also likes more sun than shade and is not reliably hardy in zones 5-6, despite what is advertised. Some people will disagree, but in my conditions (well-drained sandy soil in zone 6a), I have yet to have overwintering success with Geranium psilostemon or any of its hybrids except for 'Tiny Monster' (which takes after its G. sanguineum parent much more). That said, I am now on my second try with both 'Patricia' and golden-leaved 'Sandrine'. Both still look very weak compared to my other varieties. I had one plant of 'Anne Folkard' return this spring, but it was so weak it died of unknown causes. For excellent shade-tolerant geraniums, look for forms of native Geranium maculatum. They are all exquisite. I particularly like 'Elizabeth Anne' with its irridescent bronze foliage and light lavender flowers. But even the wild, unselected species is gorgeous and highly adaptable. Also good in shade are cultivars of Geranium sylvaticum and Geranium phaeum. When growing G. phaeum in shadier areas, try to find forms with pale colored flowers since the typical wild dark purple-maroon colored flowers just tend to disappear in the shade. Also check out Geranium macrorrhizum (I like 'Bevan's Variety' for its dark magenta blooms) and its hybrids like 'Biokovo' and 'Karmina'. All are easy-peasy and will do just fine in shade. All of these plants will survive and bloom in full shade but will be much happier in partial or dappled shade. That said, I have several plants of 'Rozanne' in almost full--maybe somewhat dappled--shade. While they never attain the size, robustness and floriferousness of those growing in more more sun, they do survive and put on a nice display of flowers throughout the season. Their growth habit is much lankier in shade but weaves unobtrusively among my fall anemones and feather reed grass. As a bonus, the shady conditions seem to accentuate the irridescent blue tones of the flowers, and they sparkle in shade much more than in the sunnier areas of my garden. I am discovering that all hardy geraniums need a good 2-3 years to settle in and start showing what they are capable of. After that, they are quite reliable. Provided below is a link to the UPDATED (2012) results from the Chicago Botanic Garden geranium trials that were published in the June 2012 issue of Fine Gardening magazine. While I am lucky to live in the same area, I believe many of the recommended plants would do well in most zone 5-6 areas of North America. Here is a link that might be useful: Fine Gardening article--Hardy Geraniums...See MoreGeranium macrorhizum - shade tolerant?
Comments (3)I'm in Iowa zone 5. It does best for me in partial shade. In sunnier areas, the plant turns red. It spreads very well for me & is excellent in choking out weeds. I've given away so many of these plants and everyone loves them. I don't see it very often commercially any more. In Denver, I gave my son this plant -- it's holding its own in the dry climate, but doesn't spread. Good luck Susan...See MoreOrnamentals for part shade/ dry soil?
Comments (8)One thing about ornamental grasses is their size - so many would take up a great deal of room in a 5'x4' area, and the smaller grasses often don't have the height. I'm growing Koeleria glauca in my rock garden - lean soil and no supplemental watering. So far I'm really impressed with this grass - with blooms it's between 2.5' to 3' tall (granted, we've had a lot of rain in May & June this year which could have caused it to be slightly taller than the normally stated 2'). It's blooming now and isn't taking up a great deal of width (maybe 8") - looks great with the dianthus, sedums, gypsophila's, etc. I started them last year from seed. I grow Overdam in the grass bed - they get the same treatment as everything else in that bed which is well drained soil, full sun and no supplemental watering. It's a nice grass, somewhat smaller in height than Karl Foerster. The variegation isn't pronounced enough (IMO) to make it special. Hope this helps....See MoreDry Shade and more Dry Shade...what to plant?
Comments (16)Hi Lori... Thanks for that info on Virginia Creeper. It sounds like it grows slower in the shade, but I really try hard not to choose plant material that is going to become a future problem for me or my neighbors, whether it is native or not. I think I am going to still find someone else who can use it. If I had a different property with more room and a wooded area that I could let it loose in, I would love to try it. It sounds very pretty. Thanks for the arrowwood tip. I know the NEWFS does usually have that one. maifleur....yes, you are lucky to have such a nice neighbor. I also have been given permission from two of my neighbors to trim their trees that overhang my yard. I am pretty sure I don't need their permission to trim what overhangs my yard though. It is nice to check and let them know what you are trying to do though. I hate to prune a tree in a way that distorts it's shape and I try not to do that. We do have a huge limb that was hanging over and it was so long and heavy, that it would dip to about 2-3 feet off the ground in a storm. We deicided to cut it back before it came down unplanned and took out half my shrubs with it. We tried trimming it back as little as possible but now we are unhappy with the stump that it left that has very little regrowth on it, so we are planning on cutting it back further to another joint where a good size branch is heading in another direction. Some of the other overhanging branches can also be trimmed, but the problem is, that the neighbors planted their trees, right up against the lot line. One is about 6 feet away from our fence and the other is less than a foot away, so half of the canopy of the tree is over our yard. I am sure trimming back the trees will help but some of my dry shade is going to stay dry shade no matter what I do. [g] I do have some good news though. In the beginning of the summer a neighbor two yards over cut down a tree. I thought it might open up more light for us. I just got around to checking it out. I was out in the yard all afternoon yesterday and I saw direct sun hitting the back of my border along a good 4 fence sections, from 2pm to 4:30pm! I was so encouraged by that. That is going to help my shrubs a lot!...See Morelaceyvail 6A, WV
15 years agoontnative
15 years agosheltieche
15 years ago
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gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)