'Desireable' invasives for part/ to full shade?

20 years ago

Hi I was just wondering if anyone had any rec.s for some "invasive" plants for shade/ and part shade. Desirable "invasives" like natives or decorative plants or plants that are good for wildlife etc. shrubs and sub shrubs and perennials and groundcovers would do. I have a border in my woodland that always get taken over by the mugwort and I garden organically and so far the best "attack" as been to plant other invasives to choke it out. Monarda seems to be doing a decent job so far. What others? Throw out any rec.s I'm open to suggestions. Thanks. :)

Featured Answer

joepyeweed

20 years ago

How about asking for desirable aggressives instead?

I think when we interchange the terminology of invasive and aggressive, it trivializes the damage that truly invasive plants do...

Northern Sea Oats is an aggressive shade loving grass that you might enjoy - it has an attractive seed head and reseeds readily. And virginia water leaf spreads nicely in part-shade too.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (12)

milo_z7
20 years ago
Vancouveria hexandra comes to mind, it's native and very invasive.
har0ld
20 years ago
Campsis radicans (trumpet creeper) and Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Virginia creeper) are native, invasive, and can be grown in shade or part shade.
Related Discussions
Are shade seeds invasive - which should I use?
Q
Comments (6)
Finding TF cultivars can be tough, and you probably won't find them at a big box store. Usually you need to go to a local seed seller, or the internet. Oliger seeds carries 3rd Millenium SRP. The Hogan Company carries Falcon IV. There are other sellers on the internet, but I would probably just use the 3rd Millenium if you want to go the TF route. The best time to seed is late summer/early fall. Now is a good time for MD. Seeds will germinate in the dark, but it will need sun to grow and mature enough to get through winter. You should keep an eye on those shady areas to see how much sun they are getting now. You can also buy a Suncalc, which is a meter you stick in the ground and it measures the amount of sun you receive in a 24 hour period. Fine fescues (creeping red, hard, sheep, chewings) will tolerate even more shade, although they do well in sunnier areas too. They have very fine needle like blades, and usually a lighter green color. They are noninvasive for the most part. Creeping red fescue spreads a bit, but it is very slow, and I wouldn't worry too much about taking over an established stand. Poa triv as you know will, as will poa supina.
...See More
Bee Balm in Shade--too invasive? Or...
Q
Comments (7)
I cannot believe how the Monarda didyma (the plain red bee balm) and Monarda 'Raspberry Wine' are growing in my hummingbird garden. Granted they are growing in ideal conditions (partial shade, med-moist, rich organic soil), which is simply encouraging them to take over 1/2 the bed and an adjacent walkway. I have to dig up a lot this year to thin them out and rescue their neighbors from being swallowed. :) I wouldn't be without it though, I think it's gorgeous, and the hummingbirds LOVE it. If you've never seen a Hummer before, you will get one with this type of Monarda. It may be better behaved for in your situation if you plant it in full shade. Also, under drier conditions it will spread less.
...See More
any kalmia pros? part-shade shrubs, shrub advice needed.
Q
Comments (11)
The common name "mountain laurel" is confusing in that kalmia is native to the mountains, the Piedmont, and the Coastal Plain of the Southeast. In South Carolina, for example, there is Kalmia Gardens, named for the indigenous kalmia, in the City of Hartsville, which is on the coastal plain. We have several mountain laurels in our yard, collected in the South Carolina mountains, growing under a pine canopy. I think mountain laurel will also perform well in full sun. If you are able to find a source of the unnamed native species, I think you will find it much prettier than the named cultivars available at nurseries. To me, there is something a little garish about the named mountain laurel cultivars. The generic native mountain laurel possesses a subtle beauty that has been bred out of the named cultivars. A word of caution: It's a good idea to keep your livestock, i.e., cows, goats, sheep, etc., and children, away from mountain laurel because it has the reputation of being deadly if ingested. Mountain laurel may be a little less lethal than oleander, but I'm not sure about that. (Remember the road crew down at Brunswick, GA, who burned a pile of oleander, inhaled fumes from the bonfire, and keeled over dead a few years ago?)
...See More
Suggestions for Full/Part Shade
Q
Comments (9)
jlhart76 May I aske which direction does this strip run? I ask because I have a 2-ft wide bed on the east side of the house under the eaves. Even though there are neighbors to the east, this spot gets much more sun than identical beds on the north side of the house. With the trees in your yard, the conditions may be more like the north side of my yard. The east side of the house has tarragon, arum lilies, iris, daylilies, dianthus (like Sweet Williams), celery (a challenge to grow), Naked Ladies, Spider Lilies, and chives. Plants which truly need full sun do NOT do well here. Plants which like cooler conditions often do best in this spot compared to the rest of the yard. There are no trees to compete for water. The north side of the house has iris, day lilies, columbine, forget-me-nots, galanthus nivalis, hostas, arum lilies, sedums, comfrey, and lovage. There used to be Naked Ladies and Spider lilies- which I think need a little more sun, but did very well here. Ivy covered both beds at one time. It had to be regularly cut back, but stayed green in OKC all year long. My next door neighbor has a rose bush that is doing very well on the north side of the house. Other plants to consider: creeping phlox, lily of the valley, hydrangeas, thyme, and if you are not worried about it's incredible invasiveness, maybe mint. If there is light under the trees before they leaf out in the spring, consider early bulbs like daffadils and hyacinth. I am considering alpine strawberries and hardy kiwi for the east side of the house. The kiwi needs lots of water especially the first years while getting established. The male plants have pink/red foliage and maybe it could be grown on the ground instead of trained on a wall. Consider growing 2-3 plants for a year or two. Chose plants which run the spectrum from full shade to 3/4 shade to 1/2 shade requirements. See which ones do the best in this spot and then pick plants which having matching shade requirements. But don't forget that shade can the a relative term. Directly under a tree may get great sun early in the morning and late in the evening, but be full shade only in the middle of the day. Get to know how the light really falls in the area and it will be easier to choose plants. Hope this dissertation helps. There really are a lot more plants that will grow in shade than we think.
...See More
adiantium
20 years ago
Anemone canadensis or Meadow Anemone becomes rampant and can be considered a ground cover. In my yard it loves deep shade to part shade. Very easy to grow.
birdgardner
20 years ago
I would not call Vancouveria a native - it's native to the West Coast.

Milo, can it tolerate drought?
waplummer
20 years ago
Sanguinaria canadensis, Jeffersonia diphylla, Actea pachypoda, A. rubrum, Caulophyllum thalictroides, Dicentra eximina, Cimicifuga racemosa, Trillium grandiflorum, Podophyllum pedatum, Stylophorum diphyllum, Uvularia grandiflora to name a few.
ahughes798
20 years ago
I would call Vancouveria a native..it's native to North America.

I can't grow Northern Sea Oats to save my life. I was told to grow it it full sun, so that's what I did. It never came back.
PrairieClover
20 years ago
I was going to recomend Anemone canadensis as well. It's very pretty and it is fairly invasive. I love it though because it is so pretty and it seems to be able to take a beating. I'm growing some out in the back alley and I do litterally nothing to it and each year it takes over a little more area where the quack grass would like to be. I would say it is of simmillar invasiveness as lilly of the valley.
jgwoodard
20 years ago
Vancouveria is a cool plant but not nearly as nice as many of its close relatives, epimediums. And although Joshua trees are native to North America, I wouldn't think they would be appropriate for many local conditions and are far less "native" to eastern woodlands for example than epimediums and other species that are closely related to one another, but only separated because of geological and geographical events. :-)

One of the best for shade not mentioned here is Asarum canadense. It spreads really well. Also some Hydrophyllum species spread like crazy, as well as the under-utilized Pachysandra procumbens.
ahughes798
20 years ago
Columbine(aquilegia canadensis)seeds itself around like mad. Virginia waterleaf does, too. Soloman's Seal(polygonatum biflorum?) and Bloodroot are also spreaders, once established. Zig-Zag goldenrod(Solidago Flexicaulis) is also aggressive.
nywoodsman
20 years ago
Jewelweed is a great fast growing annual that can outgrow most troblesome annual weeds.I make sure that any open soil on my property is covered with its seedling in the spring.It will grow praticlly anywhere except where its too sunny and dry.Great deer fodder too.You got to pull up all the mugwort though.
User
20 years ago
Hardy ageratum (eupatorium coelestinum). It has a fluffy blue flower late summer to early fall. It can take over a bed if you're not careful. But I have a fondness for blue so I just pull out the unwanted ones.

'Desireable' invasives for part/ to full shade?

joepyeweed

Comments (12)

milo_z7

har0ld

Related Discussions

adiantium

birdgardner

waplummer

ahughes798

PrairieClover

jgwoodard

ahughes798

nywoodsman

User

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US