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Gardening in Shade

Flowering Shrubs Full Shade Zone 5

19 years ago

Any inspiration for some shrubs that will flower in full shade? I already have a Hydrangea serrata 'Bluebird', an Hydrangea paniculata grandiflora and an Itea virginica 'Henry's Garnet'. But I want something with a bit of height, looking at Syringa x prestoniae 'Miss Canada,' but not so sure how it will do in the shade.

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Comments (3)

Woody_Canada
19 years ago
I don't think a lilac will do too well in shade. Is it really full shade or does it get some sun? One shrub I have that I like that blooms in a lot of shade is Black Jetbead (Rhodotypos scandens). The leaves look a lot like a Kerria but it has white flowers in late May/early June, followed by shiny black berries. It is a suckering shrub so can form a large clump if you let it. It is sometimes described as 'messy' in habit but I think that's just bad press! It is informal looking though so is best in an informal area - mine grows under white pines in my 'woodland' garden area and looks great there.
fitzpayne
Original Author
19 years ago
Yes, it is full shade and VERY dry! Conditions colder than you here in Montreal, but atleast we get the heavy snowcovering that helps. The Rhodotypos scandens does looks interesting, I will see if I can find it in the Garden centre. I saw from your website that you have a lot of Viburnum, does this do okay in the shade? I have one lilac in the same area that does okay (other than the fact that I almost pruned it to death before I knew any better, when we first bought our house. It is now making a comeback for years after the tragic incident.) I wonder if one lilac does okay if that means MOST would do alright...
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its tricky.. but her name says toronto ... what has grown there previously ... a good indication of light .. defining SHADE is near impossible in words .. as noted.. it can be grotto dark.. or very bright ... when it all boils down.. no one can tell you what will work in a given spot.. in your yard ... you just have to experiment ... until you find what works ... an also as noted.. you might need to be persistent .... if you insist on a specific plant ... which might lead one to not putting all your eggs in one basket.. and trying a number of different type plants ... rather than a monoculture. ... lack of light.. will rarely kill a plant .. other than grotto dark ... but it can affect vigor ... which would translate into either it being leggy or not full .... or in the case of flowering plants.. reduced flowering .. in other words ... it might not end up being like the pix you see.. of well sited plants ... good luck ken ps: btw.. a lot of plants that favor shade .. or are tolerant of shade... it can be more of a water issue ... in other words.. they prefer a respite from direct sun .. in the heat of the day.. if they can not pump enough water regarding such ...
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There are different types of shade. If your shady corner is open to the sky it gets more light, even with the roof overhang, than if a tree also shades the area. Between the spring and fall equinoxes, an open, northeast-facing area will get some morning sun. This is important because even shade plants do better with some light. If this area is densely shaded, your best choice would be ferns. Summersweet (Clethra alternifolia) prefers sun to part shade but will grow in full shade, or morning sun with afternoon shade. Summersweet can also be a large shrub so plant it about 3 ft away from walkways, walls and such. This shrub prefers moist to wet soil. It is useful for stabilizing stream banks and widens by suckers. Its late awakening can be exacerbated by location. A shady spot can remain cool longer tricking the plant into thinking it's still early. It's at the northern edge of its range, but the yew (Taxus x media, var. Densiformis) is an evergreen that does well in shade. Its mature height is around 3 ft, but its width is 5 ft. The plant is poisonous, so don't put it where small children or pets can get to it. I'm suggesting this plant for the following reasons: it takes shade; it is long-lived and slow growing but can be cut back if needed; it's not particular about soil type or pH, though it won't take wet soil: it has bright red berries in the fall. Here is a site that may help with plant selection as the state includes hardiness zones 3 to 5. University of Minnesota
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Woody_Canada
19 years ago
It's quite dry under my pines. I do water with soaker hoses under there when it gets really dry but the jetbead survives quite nicely most of the time without supplemental water. I strongly recommend the use of soaker hoses in dry areas. I use lots of them in the garden. Jetbead can be hard to find in an average nursery. You may have to get a local nursery to order it for you. I got mine in a specialized woodland nursery. I don't think I've ever seen it in a run-of-the-mill type nursery around here.

The viburnums that you see in the pictures are on the north side of the garage. The ones that flower the most are the ones that are on the ends and get more light. If I was planting them again I'd plant the American Highbush Cranberries (Viburnum trilobum) instead of the European ones I have. Mine have little to no fall color - the American ones have better fall color. Arrowwood (Viburnum dentatum) is the viburnum that is listed as most shade tolerant but it has blue-black fruit and I like the vivid red berries and lacecap flowers of the highbush cranberries better. I do worry about the spread of the viburnum beetle that is heading this way and decimating viburnums...

Flowering currant (Ribes aureum) might be a good option for you. I don't grow it because Ribes species are an intermediate host for White Pine Blister Rust and I don't want to risk getting my white pines infected with it! If you don't have white pines, it might be something to try. Also, what about a flowering dogwood? American Elder (Sambucus canadensis) also grows in fairly heavy shade - I use it to hide an ugly garden shed!

Things will flower much better with more light but you never know until you try something. I have a variegated weigelia nearby the Jetbead and it blooms amazingly well although it only gets an hour or two of morning sun slanting in under the pine branches. Is your shade from trees or from a building?

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