Shade

Shade gardening can be challenging because it can seem as though there are fewer options for successful plants in that environment than one with full sun. The great thing about shade, however, is that the filtered light enhances the contrasting greens and the textures and shapes of leaves.  In this corner of my garden there are about two hours of sun in the early morning this time of year. In the upper left are the big leaves of Sanguinaria canadensis (blood root), which blooms in earliest spring with a beautiful white flower. Below it is Arthyrium niponicum (Japanese painted fern), white Astilbe, a fern, Hosta sieboldiana, and a small pinkish Astilbe. The ground covers are Galium odoratum (sweet woodruff), Phlox divaricata which blooms with blue/purple flowers in spring, and just getting started Lysimachia nummularia (Creeping Jenny or Moneywort) which will have tiny yellow flowers. All of these plants will spread in time and can be divided for planting in other parts of the garden.  The purple flower is an annual, Scaveola, which I found in the shade section of a garden center and then read the label when I got home - 'full sun!' I planted it here anyway just to see what would happen. I like the way the blue-green of the Hosta mirrors the color of the bronze cat's head.

Astilbe, ferns and Galium odoratum (sweet woodruff) around a bird bath in front of a wooden sculpture. Later in the summer the plumes of the Astilbe loose their color, but the dried flowers can still have a feathery look.























Another bird bath, the favorite of the blue jays and catbirds, with painted fern, Vinca, and Heuchera ,just to the left of the fern, and some white impatiens.

A catbird enjoys a bath

I'm just now figuring out what to do with this space, making a small path, experimenting with small hostas,  Alchemilla mollis (Ladies mantle), ferns and the ground cover Lamium maculatum 'Ghost' which will spread prolifically. I'll probably move things around here during the summer.  Despite what gardening experts say, I move plants whenever I decide they should be in a different place, even if they are in full bloom. With regular watering they usually recover from the initial shock.