I do love a shade garden! Every year on the Hosta Forum we do an alphabet of them plus other categories. Here is a link to Hosta Companion Plants 2021. I hope this gives you plenty of ideas.

Yeah, I guess epis are going on my plant buying list. It's true, they are (mostly) cast iron...I have some in the woods which suffer extreme field testing. And cyclamen need to feature quite a lot. I have, shamefully, not been terribly good at dealing with the shadier parts of my plot (and working under massive briar roses is not fun but this year, I have come to my senses a bit more).

O Gods, vine weevil. No heucheras for me. I hang onto the auriculas by an act of will - constant vigilance is knackering. The bergenias, if I try them, will be in the open garden at the allotment... I am definitely not keen to consider another WV challenged plant .

I love bergenias! Outstanding foliage effect, particularly when combined with fine-textured foliage. My favorite is "Sunfur" with it's fuzzy foliage, but the plain ol' B. cordifolia is excellent, too. Tough as nails plant. I've never had any problems with them crisping, nor any problem with them tolerating moister soil -- they seem to tolerate pretty much any condition, sun to shade, dry to moist, and everywhere in between. They don't get as lush if it's too dry, but they hang in there just fine. The flowers are ugly -- I cut them off, and they aren't attractive in the spring, they generally look worse for wear after our winters over here. Easy to deal with -- I just give them a haircut in the spring and after a few weeks of nice spring weather fresh foliage sprouts; they then stay quite neat and attractive the rest of the season. B. cordifolia burns a brilliant deep red in the fall = added bonus.

A few other good part- or bright shade growers are Solomon's seal, bergamot, Japanese ferns, autumn ferm (Dryopteris), Japanese anemone, fragaria (wild strawberry -- another one that will grow pretty much anywhere; I have the runner-less kind), Chelone, Chasmanthium, Spigelia (Indian Pinks), and Stylophorum diphyllum (wood poppy). Many sun-lovers will tolerate partial shade quite well -- how much shade are you talking about, here?

One of my favorite combos for a shady area is the aforementioned epis with the equally tough and adaptable evergreen groundcover fern, Adiantum venustum. Looks great with bergenia too. The foliage contrast is really quite stunning! This combo works best with moister shade or with regular watering during dry periods.

I guess I read a whole load of plants for dry shade lists and was deeply uninspired by a lot of them...I bloody loathe geranium macrorrhizum and phaeum and I mostly just allowed lunaria and hesperis to go mental in spring, then ignored quite a lot of problematic spaces...such as where an immense moyesii, red hazel, Victoria plum and various other huge roses (nutkana, setigera) have made a continuous canopy of dense shade over what uased to be a nice spot to sit. Obviously, I will be using the pruners a lot more but the essential problem remains and editing is necessary. The arisings pile is terrifying. I am embarrassed that I have spent so much time growing ridiculous stuff like pelargoniums while lots of my allotment areas are weedy shockers.

The regular watering is a bit problematic for me but I could probably manage one concentrated area. I do have to water some things...such as the annoying strawberry bed. And potatoes..

All of the above on my list with the exception of the wood poppy do just fine in dry shade once established. In fact, they are all growing right smack under a mature maple tree and are doing well (except the wood poppy). Takes a couple years of diligent watering to get they fully established, but after that they're fine with occasional supplemental watering. Another one that has done very well in dry shade for me is Pycnanthemum virginianum (mountain mint). It doesn't get quite the silvery foliage as when grown in the sun, but silvery enough, and the pollinators go ga-ga over it.

Oooh yes, I had been looking at pycnanthemum. So good to get feedback. I was looking at wood poppies too but recall trying both diphyllum and lasiocarpum in the wood and they just hated it. Died almost at once. Same with various anemones. Honorine jobart does do well but I was wondering about trying a couple of other for earlier in the year. but think probably not. Most of the ranunculaceae don't do very well at the allotment or I would have trollius everywhere in a heartbeat.. Will probably have to do special watering for my ranunculus aconitifolia.

Francoa has been straggling along for a few years = might be better once I have cut back the giant tree paeony. Am getting rid of a nandina too - I never really liked it and it is graceless and ugly, And also St.John's wort - not perfoliatum but another tallish stringy one which flowered for 3 days or something like (I never saw it, blinked and missed).

Bergenias melt here by June (permanently) however some Heuchera do live (miracle) when precisely sited.

Ah, I am pretty certain that quite a lot of heucheras, heucherellas, tiarellas and such have passed through my hands, yet not a single one remains in any of my gardens, It is quite upsetting, the number of plants I know I have grown but have no clue where, how or when they gave up the ghost and simply vanished.

Your mention of lunaria made me giggle because I've got a few of those myself. Lunaria and columbines pop up with great abandon while foxgloves are scattered a few here and there to fill gaps in my shade bed. A large patch of lamium maculatum has done well in dry shade.

Saruma henryii grows happily under a birch in my tiny garden in the same conditions as Hellebores, Hartstongue ferns and Cyclamen.

Saruma is a great plant, though for me it didn't tick the boxes for a ground cover/foliage interest plant. For me, it seemed to require a somewhat more moist environment than strictly required for cyclamen or hellebores. That may be because of the heat here or intensity of sun, my ecozone was prairie and not woodland. I tried to start some from seed last year, but didn't get any germination (I think it rotted due to too much winter/spring rainfall). It is amazing how much flowering you can get out of it..with those lovely yellow flowers.

Um, yes, I remember when you first got it, floral. I think I was still in shade denial so scrolled by at speed but now I am being grown-up and deliberating how to deal with all the weedy and uninspiring spaces. I have a feeling that I would have to put in some effort as saruma is likely to go the same way as waldsteinia ternata, gillenia, various saxifrages, even hardy geraniums...lingering drawn out death throes.

The lunaria is actually densely floriferous, huge and, for a few weeks at least, really quite outstanding. I have managed to keep a stock of 'Corfu Blue' intact for several years...although white blooms have been creeping into the mix.so I expect cross pollination will dilute the really good clear blue of my original stock.

I would like a carpet of white cyclamen so will order seeds as this is the cheapest way to get multiples - pink hederifolium and coum are 2 a penny, but the whites are spendy. Have never actually grown cyclamen from seed so there's some fun to be had.

If all else fails, the mountain of eventual wood-chippings may have to be used as carpeting mulch. Better than aggressive wood avens, a nasty brassica-related weed and false ,wild oats.

Re: the cyclamen. Last year I noticed a couple of random clumps appearing on the edge of the wooded greenbelt that surrounds my property. Where they came from and why I never noticed them previously in the 7 or 8 years I have lived here is a bit of a mystery. To my knowledge, there are no cultivated plantings anywhere nearby. While both C. coum and hederifolium are reputed to have naturalized in my area, it seems logical that a source planting would be present somewhere close by. Don't know where that could be :-)

Never got around to relocating either clump last season but they are on my to-do list for this fall. The largest clump is of most interest. It is maybe 10 inches across but with a clear demarcation of coloring - half is pink and half is white. It remains to be seen when I dig if this is two separate corms, each with its own flower color or a single corm with multiple colorings, which apparently is not uncommon with self-seeded colonies.

Since these guys self seed so freely I shouldn't think you would have difficulty in growing them from seed.

I started cyclamen x hillebrandii (hederifolium x africanum) in 2020. I only got 7 seeds from plant world seeds. All germinated and all grew to adulthood and were in flower this fall, when I planted them into the ground. Strangely, all flowered WHITE (not pink). I grew them indoors being unsure of their hardiness and I wanted to be sure to see flowers before I lost any to weather/drainage. Relatively speaking, they were easy to grow and hardy.

I have a solo bathroom cup of coum 'Rubrum' and hederifolium rubriflorum, yes I like RED started this past week from Jellito. I can't yet speak of germination (another two weeks probably), but I must say Jellito was more generous with seeds (perhaps 50). If I get good germination, I'll have to transplant sometime next year, I can't mature them all to flowering in there, but can probably do the first year growth.

I do have some hederifolium (pink) and coum (white with pink nose) in the garden, the coum has a number of naturally sown babies that could possibly flower this year (2nd year, but quite small).

Live the gardening adventure!

Not sure if these were mentioned but Heuchera, bleeding hearts and goatsbeard all do well in my dry beds.

Not for shade but have you grown hedysarum boreale? bigelowia nuttallii? Have both of these coming from SpecialPlants (along with a shedload of umbellifers (which will do very well under the ramblers). I have a fair sized order coming from Jellito too...including some Gold Nugget callirhoe (have already sowed the Chiltern callirhoes after a 24 soaking in warm water. Currently going through a 3 week warm period under lights in my growroom.

I also love reds. And oranges. Looking to grow epilobium/zauchsneria too( sp?) and a lovely little short delph nudicaule 'Fox'.

It's the time of year for seeds, heya.

And here's where the climate difference comes in. I couldn't even look at that hedysarum, it's a montane climate plant, not got that here ;) Sweltering and hot. Same for the epilobiums.

It grows in at least some parts of the UK cos I ordered seeds from Derry Watkins in the (wetter) western part of the UK. Thought anything which survived Utah might do pretty OK in the eastern part of the UK. I manage to keep a lot of alpines outside over winter ( from Cyprus. Malta, Greece and such), despite being in the flattest part of the country at basically sea-level. I have gotten used to our mild and temperate climate allowing us to grow an enormous range of plants from all over the world. It is still a big fingers crossed sorta thing though...which is probably why I am a prolific plant killer. Have had epilobium before, too: we don't get sweltering anything here (apart from a mad week this summer).

I had a longish 'prairie' phase but a lot of the taller perennials such as silphiums, coreopsis, eupatoriums (or whatever they are now) just fail because I don't have deep moist soil...just a lean sandy mix over chalk. Of course, I realise that 'prairie', like 'meadow' is a vague descriptor (and I am more enthusiastic than knowledgeable)...but for me, I like to grow different plants and then tend to worry where to put them at some later point. As for planned designs...I excused myself from doing this for years but think I really need to get a grip on what is basically a jumbled mess.

I never seem able to keep any heucheras going for more than a season or 2 but lamprocampnos is probably a possibility. I would pay some £££ for the gold-leaved, white flowered one, but am less enamoured of the pink and white ones.

Have looked through my last 2 seed orders and still being resistant to getting on with shade growing. I swear I can do better than shoving a few vincas about though (but I can get hold of some nice comfreys).

Hadn't seen trilliums mentioned yet, that's one that I've been trying to establish.... it gains a tiny bit each year under poplar trees...

Ah, I have a sad tale about trilliums. I grew them from seed - only managed to germinate 2 plants (although I only had 5 seeds or so), which took years of anxious fretting to get them to a decent size. I only grew them because I had seen photos and thought the name 'wake robin' sounded cool(wins award for being shallow and dimwitted). Within a year of planting them in the ground, they had dwindled, sulked, yellowed, frizzled and generally given up the ghost. Of course, I now know they HATE dry, sandy, alkaline soil and were effectively tortured to death (like so many innocent seedlings).

What is it with Heucheras? I have killed several. They seem to melt away. In addition I think they are not deer- resistant enough for me to keep trying, but I had one in a large container with a boxwood and it seemed to do well. Perhaps the ones in the ground had drainage issues I was not aware of?

I'll tell you a tale of where our native Heucheras grow in Arkansas. It might give you some ideas.

Areas of high humidity (which is basically the entire state) and either on shallow rocky outcrops or under them, where drainage is really good (and/or water almost can't reach them if under the overhang). I think that would mean they don't enjoy wet feet (in any way).

dbarron, that is interesting and helpful and may be what I am seeing.
Along with various different growing conditions in my yard, I have an interest in year- round container plantings, some of which I hide from the deer, so perhaps I was onto something with the container medium.
Or may try to find areas in yard that seem like what you describe, & may hit them with some deer repellent.

Plants I love in our shady areas are Brunnera Jack Frost. can seed around, but I'm always happy to have another and just move it to a better location. Kieringshoma Palmata is also a fav. And we have an unknown variety of Actea. This one puts up 6 foot tall, fragrant flower stalks and has very cool greyish purple leaves.

I am going to hazard a guess that heucheras do not enjoy being bullied, overlooked and generally forced to share a space with less mannerly plants (which, I fear, is a lot of mine).

Nothing gets too wet here...apart from my seedling pots where I am always at risk of over-watering (or under-watering). Keeping little 9cm pots viable over summer is the point of greatest attrition for me.

I am never very certain what actually happens to mine (heucheras). They are doing OK, so I take my eye off the ball and poof!, they vanish into miserable little shrunken crowns. Even the common old coral bells with green leaves and red flowers have disappeared under a clump of enthusiastic alstroemerias. I have bought at least a dozen or so and all succumb to my (neglectful) regime (and yet, I manage to keep other mimsy plants alive for years). Your advice, Danny, is really helpful since I had been under the impression that they liked a nice humusy, peaty woodland soil with comfrey, pulmonarias and hellebore companions. My watering regime is...sketchy, so it is entirely feasible that my poor plants swing between feast and famine. I generally make at least a cursory attempt to consider provenance, when choosing plants but far too often, I simply stash them in any available space (sigh).

There is a species of heuchera native to just about everywhere in the US and include a very wide range of growing conditions. About the only thing the species share in common is a need for good drainage. Because of this, it is difficult to make generalities about the "best" growing conditions.

To be honest, many of these species are not in popular cultivation. Most of the heucheras being marketed these days are hybrids involving just a handful of species. If you can research the parentage of the heuch you are interested in - relatively easily done - then you can determine what growing conditions those species prefer.

In the PNW, any heuchera does well if the good drainage principle is followed. Other than the very pale colored or white splashed forms, they can take of lot of sun and color up best if they receive it. And I haven't grown any that are very drought tolerant. All need a good drink now and then in our very dry summers. I also find they benefit from division once they start developing that unsightly crown extension.

Wow, GG are you sick today...you basically confirmed what I said with your experience. :) And I'll go further than drainage and confirm yours *lol*.
Lighting wise, they enjoy quite a bit of light and little competition. Not much sun in nature, but some...or very bright dappled light more often than not. They (like almost everything else) don't truly enjoy being shade plants, they may tolerate it. I will agree that they do require some water if there is none in the environment, though they're pretty good at going crispy and recovering in their natural habitat. However, I transplanted (in June or July...hot months) a small broken arm of an older heuchera to a south facing non-shaded wall. It is doing fine and really never broke in a sweat when transplanted from it's shady moist (it's undoing kinda) north facing habitat. We even had a drought this year...but of course I did water considerably.

Ah, sorry to hear of your sad tale about trilliums, rosaprimula, was a good try!

Mine might be sad also, time will tell... good reminder they're pet name is wakerobin, and they bloom in red as well as white.

Your knowledge of your growing conditions is impressive, I have clay here, sand there, dry shade becomes overly wet in our rainy spells... too many variables for me to define my overall conditions.

I'll second GardenHo on goatsbeards, as that is one I haven't given up trying. I'm just looking for the right area where they're willing and able, it's been hit or miss here. Having lost 18 seed-growns over a period of years (why, oh why :)) I have a store-bought one that seems happy. I had envisioned a large gorgeous creamy swath similar to what I see along the highway in July growing on the edge of my 3/4 acre 'woods'.

Goatsbeard (Aruncus dioicus) is native here and I have seen it in the wild (and was thus surprised, because I thought it was rare to non-present), and that decided me to try it. My first flowering (after three or four years of growth) was this year earlier. I'm impressed and I really liked it. I'm on the southern edge of it's range, so I planted it in NW facing exposure in front of a oakleaf hydrangea in a rather moist situation (where I found it natively occuring was a spring/summer moist area with purple milkweed). It seems to work, the foliage has remained (even right now) in pretty good shape through the season.

bergenias sounds like a great plant for shade. Thanks all for the suggestion

O, I am definitely putting aruncus on my must have list. What I know as 'goatsbeard' is absolutely not what you guys are talking about...although I generally host a few volunteer tragopoguns (porrifolius and pratensis) too. I love a bit of pale frothing and I hope one might be a good companion to rosa helenae and philadelphus. I am going to buy one as I need to fill a particular space...I don't want to wait 4 years and I doubt I would be growing more than one - any advice on specific species/cultivars? I am doing a lot of changing, planting and rearranging at the allotment, so I am committed to supplemental watering for at least a year. I always promise myself that I will water needy plants (I certainly do the potatoes) ...but I dunno - if a plant is generally unhappy, with its soil/climate/whatsoever, my untender care results in carking it, quicksmart.

Bergenia emeiensis got knocked off my first Jellito seed order, but if it is on the HPS seed list, I will try it.

This has been a right helpful thread for me.

edited to add: well, I fear aruncus are really pushing the optimist envelope. 'bog garden', 'constantly moist', 'streamside' - all such terms mentioned in descriptions and cutural advice for aruncus. As will filipendulas, astilbes, rodgersias - doomed to certain death, even with concentrated hosepipe effort.

O gods, I have tried so hard with eutrochiums, persicarias , phlox and filipendula...tenderly raised from seed then sent to their lonely allotment deaths. Aruncus is NOT going on the list.

I don't know if you clicked on the green highlighted link in my earlier post but Astrantia do quite well in dry shade here.

Yep, that's why I always advise people that I live in a swamp and I stressed found on a moist slope.

Aruncus can't read. I bought it years ago with the idea that if it couldn't handle the never-watered garden beds, it could go in the swamp. I could handle the garden beds. It crisps a bit if we get a drought like this past summer, but is a long ways from death.

Now bergenia is not a shade plant here, at least not for serious shade. There are a fair number of plants that can handle shade in warmer, sunnier places that can't handle it here.

Astrania dried to a crisp in dry soil here -- tried multiple times in multiple locations, IME they just do not tolerate the least bit of dryness. But, experiences can definitely differ across not just growing zones but between individual gardens in the same zone -- microconditions and all.

" Astrantia do quite well in dry shade here."

I read that same statement and thought to myself that it was pretty much the exact opposite of my experience! Astrantia in my gardens have always wanted the same growing conditions as astilbe - partial or dappled shade, especially in the afternoons, and consistently moist (not wet) soils. Any hint of excessive dryness or high heat and they are toast for the season.

Interesting. I have them in three spots. The dry shade spot has root competition from maples, pines, viburnum plus (actually backed right up to forest) as well as being on a slope on a north face. We have had two extremely hot dry summers and I do not water at all since I am on a well.

Yes indeed mxk. One other spot I have them in sun in moisture retentive soil and they are very good. The third spot in sun has dryish soil and is now getting full sun since a nearly one hundred year old arborvitae hedge was removed. They flower well but the foliage gets crispy by August. They would likely hold up much better if I would provide water!

There are so many fabulous plants for MOIST shade...or even just deep soil which can be watered - fabulous foliage, great flowers. In my lean, dry shade, I am mostly limited to hellebores, some epimediums and dull stuff like lamium. In my little (equally dry) garden in the wood, I grow bulbs and just go all out with a spring garden. Leucojums, erythronium, cyclamen, narcissus and martagons do well, (so does soloman's seal and aconitum, campanula trachelium, silenes, lunaria, forget-me-not, digitalis and amazingly, a fabulous enormous buttercup - ranunculus cortusifolius -so it's not like I have no options whatsoever. If I can get plants over the first season, ones with huge taproots or fat storage roots also do well - hogweeds, mallows, verbascum, mertensia.

I did lose a few trees this year, including a 13 year old Dawn Redwood. and a rather nice Turkish hazel. The scale of destruction isn't completely apparent just yet but will soon be obvious.

I think I am going to carry on with just a few solid shade lovers and grow these well, rather than wasting time and effort with geranium maculatum, begonia evansii, astrantia, filipendula, ligularia...to mention a few which have done badly over the years. I know the 'right plants for the right place' rule, but get carried away and forget myself, especially seeing gorgeous rheums, gunnera, rodgersia, ligularia and above all, primulas.

Many, many thanks for the kind and thoughtful responses. (I did look at your link, perenn.al).

I have tried hosta (many times) and hakenochloa but I swear, Violet, I never in my life managed a lush display like yours. Snails and slugs eat every hosta to lace, the sheepdog absolutely grazes the hakone grass to a nub and I am now convinced a goatsbeard would shrivel in dismay. Shade gardening is going to be a sustained work in progress for me.

I ticked saruma on my HPS seed list (which arrived today) and am scouring it for more choices.

It's interesting to me that saruma and asarum are both types of ginger and are anagrams. Must be something about latin, hmmm.

@rosaprimula I am unfamiliar with the English "Allotments" system for gardening. Can you tell this yank a bit more about them? How they work? Who actually owns it? Based on what I've read, you've gardening this space for a very long time.

Thanks.

SB

SB, are you at all familiar with Seattle's p-patches? That is about as close as we get to a UK type allotment - a community garden developed in an unused open area and that is divided into individual plots. Here they are rented or leased, not privately owned, and some p-patch gardeners have worked the same plot for decades. You pay your rent, you keep your plot :-) There is a loooong waiting list!

When I moved away from the city I was surprised to find similar community p-patches in more suburban, outlying areas. Typically they are a city thing as many city dwellers either have no garden or a very small gardening space and most US suburban gardens are large enough to be able to grow fruits and veg.

Although most tend to be focused on edibles here, I don't think there are many restrictions as to what can be grown but I do know that following organic gardening principles is a requirement!

Yes, the principle of sharing a space on publicly owned land is pretty much the same...although the P-patches seemed very small. 100square feet seemed to be about average - is that the case, GG? I would really struggle to manage such a tiny area, tbh - no compost heaps, no toolshed, I have been on this site for 22 years but I have had 2 other sites, (One in Brighton and another in in Cambridge, my hometown now)...altogether for about 40 years...even before I considered myself a gardener, I grew fruit and vegetables. I have around 500 m2 of space for which I pay just under £100 a year (or $122 pa).

You are correct, RP. Most p-patch plots are not large. There some doubles and the community or food bank plots are typically larger. They also have community compost heaps but no sheds or storage facilities.....or not many. I had a longtime apartment dwelling nursery friend who had one and he just toted everything he needed around in his car!

That makes sense, the P-Patch reference. Though much larger, 75ftx75ft approx, if I did the math correct. Big assumption. :0) @rosaprimula Did your allotment come with sheds and a greenhouse? Or did you build them? Are there other allotments side by side, like P-Patch, or are they spread around? And there must be some trees nearby as you're looking for shade plants.

My allotment was just a long, weedy patch. I put in a shed and built a compost bay. I made coldframes but they are now used as nursery beds. There are 19 fullsize plots on my site, arranged in long strips, side by side... but quite a few have been broken down into half or quarter plots. There were trees around the edge of the allotment site but not on many of the plots because there used to be a rule forbidding any long-lived plants. This fell by the wayside years ago and at least half of the plots have an apple or plum. I planted quite a lot of trees - at a rough count, around 15 mostly fairly small fruit and nut trees, but also a lsweet bay, several sorbus and a large number of enormous shrub and rambler roses...all of which are now at a mature size...so yes, there is shade.

I have been quite ruthless in managing definite barriers between myself and a couple of neighbours along one side of my plot. The land owners, the local council, are not proactive in dealing with skivers and absentees. On my site, there is almost a competition to spend the least amount of money on each plot, I don't know if it is because it is rented land but this isn't anything I subscribe to. I spend pretty much any spare £££ on my plot and a lot of time and work (and totally believe I have the best plot on the site).,

I must be a skiver then, since I spend as little as possible on my allotment. I like the traditional ramshackle reuse and recycle ethos of allotments. I get quite snooty about neighbours who buy in bagged soils, huge plants, ready made raised beds and fancy picnic tables. Where’s the fun and ingenuity in that?

This years rent is £85 including water. Absentees and poor gardeners quickly get ‘the letter’ from the council.

Skivers are people who don't want to do anything themselves but continue to pay the annual rent (cos it's cheap) therefore ensuring no-one else gets a look in. The 2 half plots next door to me have been held for 12 years and 10 years 1 plot gets a cursory few feet dug after each annual dirty plot letter. The other one is raised beds, carpet and landscape fabric...and weeds, That's it. There is never any follow-up from the council, so this happens every single year. This is what I mostly get snooty about.

On the plus side, no rules have been enforced for decades so it does cut both ways. It's just the selfishness in the face of huge waiting lists of many years.