Top perennials for shade [2]

TOP 10 PERENNIAL PLANTS FOR SHADE - THE TOP 5!
Nearly all gardens have a shady area yet too often it is regarded as a ‘problem’ area or one that is difficult to plant interstingly. An area beneath trees or at the foot of a tall hedge, maybe an area by a North wall or overshadowed by a building or shed – we all have these pieces of ground. Yes the reality is there are a great number of plants that will actually thank you for being planted there! Many of those I am about to recommend would either shrivel up and die if planted in full sun, or at least fail to display their lustrous potential. These are all plants that will revel in a dim or shady spot and I don’t know why it is, but they seem imbued with a natural lush and understated elegance that can’t be found in true sun-lovers…. So here’s my top recommendations for plans that prefer life in the shade.
1] EPIMEDIUMS
Utterly charming and surprisingly little known outside of keen plant lover circles, these demure yet compulsively lovely little perennials top my list with a number of virtues. I love the natural grace and elegance of the slender twiggy stems, the way the shapely heart shaped leaves droop ever so slightly…. The arching sprays of lily like flowers are tiny but well worth closer inspection. Best of all the leaves are usually evergreen and tinted.
Epimediums grow no more than 12” in hgith andf form nice neat clumps. The flowers can be white, lilac, orange or yellow and they bloom in late Spring. Absolutely invaluable year round interest and – sheer class!
2] HOSTA’S In variety. Ask anyone to name a plant that likes shade and likely as not it will be a Hosta that is mentioned first. This is a large family big on variety, that has something for everyone, and a variety for every aspect. Whether you want somethiong taller or architectural such as ‘Krossa Regal’ a small miniature for edging – Blue Mouse Ears, Gold Edger, Minuteman – or wide, satisfying big leafed rounded clumps – Patriot, Zounds, udulata variegata, Blue Wedgewood etc – Hosta’s are simply always effective in perfection.
3] HARDY FERNS Quintesentially shade loving of course. The texture and intricate shape of the leaves means they can create endlessly satisfying plant associations with other shade loving perennials. As long as the soil isn’t dry then the hardy fern family will embellish your shady spot with a sense of understated lush elegance almost indefinitely and will last for many years. There are taller upright species such as the Ostrich Plume fern [Matteuccia struthiopteris] as well as smaller more dainty growers such as the Aspleniums. If you have a shady Patio then these Hardy ferns can also be cultivated in pots.
4] PULMONARIA ‘SISSINGHURST WHITE’ Pulomonaria’s [Liverwort, Lungwort] will simply shrivel up or at last go into early summer dormancy if they get too much sun. But plant them in light shade and they attain new heights of demure splendour. There are many varieties, in blue, white or deep pink, but I feel Sissinghurst White shows the best in their natuiral environment. It’s the biggest grower [although still no more than 15” high] with the biggest leaves and the pure white flowers show really well. Whats more the leaves are densely dappled with silver.
5] VIOLA ODORATA Sweet Violet, a small native perennial although seldom found in the wild now, makes a beautiful demure carpeter for beneath trees or a North facing aspect. The lavender purple flowers create a carpet of colour from March onward, and the scent is absolutely divine! A posy brought indoors is a delight. Available also in white and pink flowered forms. You can also try the purple leaved Viola labradorica purpurea.

TOP PERENNIAL PLANTS FOR SHADE [1]

Nearly all gardens have a shady area yet too often it is regarded as a ‘problem’ area or one that is difficult to plant interestingly. An area beneath trees or at the foot of a tall hedge, maybe an area by a North wall or overshadowed by a building or shed – we all have these pieces of ground. Yes the reality is there are a great number of perennial plants that will actually thank you for being planted there! Many of those I am about to recommend would either shrivel up and die if planted in full sun, or at least fail to display their lustrous potential. These are all plants that will revel in a dim or shady spot and I don’t know why it is, but they seem imbued with a natural lush and understated elegance that can’t be found in true sun-lovers…. So here’s my top recommendations for plans that prefer life in the shade.
Here's the first countdown, from 10-5.

6] KIRENGESHOMA PALMATUM So many of the woodland and shade plants are pre-programmed to flower early, in the Spring. This is to gain most advantage of the light before the tree canopy above expands it’s leaves and cuts out the light. Thus it makes a change top have something that blooms much later. This glorious species from China flowers late Summer and September. The purple tinted stems and buds, shining green vine shaped leaves, and waxy golden yellow dangling shuttlecock flowers mark this much sought after perennial as entirely unique. There is another similar species, Kirengeshoma koreana. Both are slow growing but hardy.
7] DORONICUM ORIENTALE I don’t know why I am so in love with admittedly quite common plant. But the cheerful wide yellow daisies seem to do so much to enlighten early spring, and the plant itself is blessed with such hardy shrug-off-the-weather cheerfulness it’s impossible not to like! Although often seen growing in the open border, it is actually more at home with some shade.
8] DIGITALIS PURPUREA Our native Foxglove is of course one of THE classic woodlanders and will thrive and naturalise in any damp, shady border. I particularly like the clean white flowered form for shady sites. Digitalis viridiflora is a rarer variation, and much smaller with dark green leaves and short spires of bewitching green flowers – well worth seeking out.
9] SYMPHTUM WISLEY BLUE On the face of it this is a too-good-to-be-true perennial. Those astonishing brilliant blue bells appear for a good 2 month period from late Spring. The plant is hardy and impossible to kill and loves the shade. But all these virtues do come at a price – it will spread and colonise faster than Mr Bolt can run a 100m dash. So it’s definitely not for smaller areas, but if you want shade loving ground cover for larger spaces beneath trees etc, it’s undeniably wonderful – and also one of the best bee flowers of all.Pictured.
10] GERANIUM MACCHORIZZUM Another carperter that can be used as ground cover, but not as boisterous as the above, this mound forming hardy Geranium has the most divinely scented foliage. The flowers appear in May and June and are available in white, magenta, and soft pink varieties.

Featured Plant - Symphyandra

FEATURED PERENNIAL Symphyandra subcaerulea This Campanula relative you probably haven’t metwith before. I can’t say that I have seen it growinmg anywhere else – it’s a quietly hard-working plant that engages with me and more each year. I have it growing in a rather shady, damp spot beneath a Musk Rose called ‘Prosperity’. Its china blue cups combine very well with the arching boughs of the Rose and the best part is, it doesn’t begin blooming until August and then continues right up to the frosts. A great value plant for that time of year when it can be difficult finding new plants to fill the floral void. It also has heart shaped deeply veined leaves. It’s stems are quite lax, but not in an untidy way – it also billows over the neighbouring path. Ultimate height only about 40cm’s and seems entirely hardy. Definitely a plant to look up.

MAINTAINING HEMEROCALLIS [DAYLILY]

Possibly the most durable and cast-iron perennial of all that seems to thrive on neglect, yet even these hardy border troopers benefit from a little attention now and then. Now is a good time to look at your Daylily clumps and give them the once-over. Daylilies fall into two foliage categories – dormant and evergreen/partly evergreen. Now it should be easy to determine which you have growing in your garden. Mostly the older and more common varieties will be dormant and by now all the foliage will be virtually dead. If they still have a good amount of foliage than they should be evergreens. Cut away this foliage now; it has the dual benefit of tidying and cleaning up but also removing any lingering pests and diseases. With the dormant types it’s an easy matter of simply pulling it away – it should come away quite easily. Those that are evergreen will need cutting back virtually to the base of the clump. It might seem strange, cutting away this leaf that is meant to last the winter – but you will find that during any slightly milder spells new foliage will quickl;y appear, and it will be fresher and nicer to look at than the old! There will probably be lingering dead flower stems, so take these off too. Now is also a good time to lift and divide your Daylilies, if you want to. If they didn’t bloom so well last summer, or appear congested it’s probably a good idea to do so and you don’t need much skill. Simply dig up the clump, loosen and shake off as much soil as possible, and roughly chop the clumps into 3 with a sharp spade or knife. You can be quite brutal – Daylilies are very forgiving and even crude methology will usually work! Re-plant with the crown just level with the soil surface and firm well. Make suyre, overwinter, these new plantings do not get loosened in their new soil by the heave-ho effects of frost. Top dress with some bonemeal. I have gathered quite a large collection of these fantastic perennials and brought quite a few over from America [where all the best new varieties are grown] Here’s a few of the more unusual varieties from my collection. 1] Laura Abdallah 2] Handsome Dylan 3] Paiges Pinnata

Welcome

Here is my new site devoted to the beauty of herbaceous perennials, hardy garden plants and perennial plants. Largely responsible for the sheer blaze of colour that all our gardens crave through Spring, Summer, and on into Autumn, with this forum I hope to inspire and inform so that you can get the best out of this amazingly versatile group of plants. As well as many lesser known and under-valued plants, there will be features on all our favourite genera. Hosta,s Penstemons, Lupins, hardy Geraniums, Peony, Daylilies, Iris, Japanese Anemones and hardy ferns- to name but a few. Amongst this sheer diversity you will find plants suitable for almost any purpose. You will get advise on growing your own cut flowers, covering problem areas with permanent ground cover, renovating and updating mixed borders with long lasting colour. Plants for fraranace, flowers to attract butterflies to your garden - and so much more. Herbaceous perennials is the one group of plant no gardener can really do without. I hope you enjoy this blog as much as I enjoy creating it! To get started here's a nice summery photo from the nursery. Is there anything that epitomises summer more than thes classic white Dausys of Chrysanthemum maxima?