I have hostas growing well in an area that gets no sun whatsoever (and with our UK lower light levels, too). Lots of foliage plants will grow well in an area that gets no direct sunlight (e.g. an open area where surrounding buildings block the sun) , but dense overhead shade, such as trees or shrubs blocking out the light, will be more tricky. I too garden on alkaline clay and many areas of my plot see little or no sun. They are lush and well planted, though, with silver-leaved and variegated plants bouncing the available light around and giving interest. Mindy gives some good suggestions. Here is a list of plants that also do well for me (apologies if these are no good in your zone): - Euonymus fortunei - not the yellow-variegated ones as they will go green in too much shade, but cultivars such as 'Harlequin' or 'Silver Queen' (I know they are shrubs, not perennials, but they will give year-round interest). - Brunnera 'Jack Frost' - Pulmonaria - Cyclamen hederifolium - Lunaria annua variegata - Asplenium scolopendrium (likes lime and will grow in old walls) - Polypodium species can do well in dry ground) - Japanese anemones - Aconitum (has done surprisingly well in a densely shaded area that gets pretty dry in the summer)

Hi Melissa - I believe that limelight will love more sun than less to bloom beautifully, as all H paniculatas do. I understand that L'l will tolerate full/sun, however will fade in to creamy white sooner. I vote for #1 & #3 sites! I have a new one as well, that I repotted, into a 5gal pot right now, in f/s since 3rd of June, awaiting the relocation of an old Nikko hydrangea, that lost the dappled shade she used to enjoy, after a tree was cut down. I am observing if indeed, L'l fades prematurely ... she is just as pretty as can be ... perhaps just not as intensely lime ... however, I have no other to compare to! Hope this helps ~ Â;) Best of luck!!!

Thank you Babka; I have plenty of mulch - shreaded leaves, pine needles. I was thinking of piling that on top of pots after hard freeze. But what mulch wouldn't invite critters? I was thinking of surrounding them all (pots) with chicken wire - chipmunks probably can get thru that. There are squirrels around-digging everywhere, hiding acorns... There is some voles around here - not where hostas will be; I am not sure they will be getting into pots-they usually 'eat' from underneath? I have had some bunnies around but didn't see them for past couple of months. Surprisingly, they never munched on anything except dandelions, and some of garden phlox. Rina This post was edited by rina_ on Sun, Oct 19, 14 at 23:13

Hi, everyone! I think I posted to this forum last spring when I was trying to choose plants to put in, and I did follow the advice you gave me then to go for less-variegated, darker leaved varieties. I'd have to go back and look at my notes, though, to tell you the names of what's there. Obviously I'm not a "real" hosta person! So, as to what's shading that spot: a house, a deck, a fence, and a nearby apartment building. Oh, and a few bradford pear trees. And a couple of blue atlas cedars. Even if there were no trees at all, it would be pretty shady. But the trees do make it worse. We've reduced them once before and will probably do it again in a year or so. It made a huge difference. But those trees provide an important privacy screen from our neighbors, especially the lower branches (which are not very low). In certain seasons, at certain times of day, some direct sun sneaks in, but never much. I actually watered quite a lot, since I'd put in so many new plants. I was pretty diligent about it. We also didn't have all that dry a summer here in the end. However I did slack off on the watering later in the summer when things seemed better established, so maybe it was an issue constraining that second growth. More likely, though, there just wasn't that much new energy gotten from the sun--that's my concern. About the critters and the ferns, I just don't know what else can make all of the foliage on a plant just disappear overnight, or sever a frond from the roots, or drag a plant two feet from where it was planted. Drought for sure does not make that happen. Some of those brave, tough little ferns grew back new foliage two or three times, only to have it stolen away again. I took a lot of pictures as the garden developed over the summer, and as soon as I figure out how to post them, I would be happy to. Thanks so much for your attention.