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Shade Gardening

2009 List at the bottom of the page.

When thinking of gardening in the shade you probably think of large trees with hard, poor soil and a thin lawn struggling to grow underneath. Perhaps it is the north side of the building with moss for a lawn.

Most plants do prefer sunny conditions; they tend to have larger and showier flowers.

Different articles and gardeners will classify shade into various categories; usually dapple, light and deep shade. Throw in soil moisture conditions and soil types and the combinations can be endless. No wonder people cry help. I don’t want to confuse you or discourage anyone from the joys of shade gardening. There is nothing nicer on a hot, hot day than sitting under the shade of a large tree admiring the glorious colours of your garden.

Let’s break down some shady situations.

High branches of large open trees create filtered shade or dapple shade. This type of shade is ideal for spring bloomers which appreciate the spring sun and summer shade. Plants blooming before the leaves of the trees come out such as Dutchman’s Breeches, Shooting Stars, Trout lily, and Trilliums just to name a few. They may leave a nice cover of leaves throughout the summer under the trees or they may disappear altogether.

Shade may be created by buildings and other permanent objects such as other small trees and shrubs and other structures such as trellises or fences. This type of shade is non-permanent. It shifts depending on the time of the day. It may be sunny in the morning but shaded in the afternoon, it may be shade in the morning and sun in the afternoon. It may have a combination of sun in the morning, shade at noon and sun late in the day. The combinations can be endless. Many plants may do very well with morning sun but require the afternoon shade to take the edge off the heat of the day. Plants such as Lungwort, Ligularia (The Rocket) and some Hosta will wilt in the hot afternoon sun. Like wise some sun loving plants such as Rudbeckia and Echinacea can tolerate morning shade but need that afternoon sun to thrive.

Deep or dense shade may be the most problematic. It is usually characterized by very little sun. If it is caused by a building, there is probably not much you can do about it. Might as well mulch it with stone or bark and rotate shade containers in and out. Go for the hard landscaping. It is probably not a large area because on the edges, there would be some light.

Trees that cause the deep shade again can be mulched underneath. They may also be pruned up higher to allow a bit more light in.

2009 List

Other shade loving perennials may be found in the Native, Ferns and Grasses Lists. I do not have them cross referenced yet.

Aconitum	cammarum	Bicolour Monkshood
Aconitum	carmichaelii ‘arendsii’	Autumn Monkshood
Aconitum	ivorine	Ivory Monkshood
Aconitum	lycoctonum ssp. neapolitanum	Alpine Monkshood (yellow)
Aconitum	Cammarum spicatum ‘Stainless Steel’	Stainless Steel Monkshood
Anemonella	thalictroides "Oscar Schoaf"	Wild Wood Anemone
Anemone	multifida rubra	Red Pacific Anemone
Anemone	sylvestris	Snowdrop Anemone
Aquilegia	vulgaris ‘Nora Barlow’	Columbine
Aquilegia	vulgaris	White Columbine
Aquilegia	vulgaris	Various Columbine
Aquilegia	vulgaris ‘William Guinness’	Columbine
Ajuga	reptans ‘Burgundy Glow’	Burgundy Glow Ajuga
Aralia	nudicaulis	Wild Sasparilla
Aralia	Racemosa	Spikenard
Astilbe	japonica "Deutschland" (white)
Astilbe	arendsii "Rhineland"
Astilbe	arendsii "Bridal Veil"
Astilbe	arendsii "Gloria Purpurea"
Astilbe	chinensis "Pumila"
Astilbe	Arendsii "Mainz"
Astilbe	Japonica "Peach Blossom"
Astilbe	Red
Astilbe	Simplex "rosacea"
Astilbe	straussenfeder "Ostrich Plume"
Astilbe	Arendsii "Bressingham Beauty"
Astilbe	chinensis "Visions in Red"
Astilbe	japonica "Montgomery"
Astilbe	simplicifolia "Sprite"
Convallaria	majalis "Albostriata"	Variegated Lily of the Valley
Convallaria	majalis "Dorien"	Lily of the Valley ‘ Dorien
Convallaria	majalis Flore Pleno	Dbl flowered Lily of the Valley
Cortusa	caucasica
Cortusa	matthioli
Cortusa	turkestanica
Dicentra	formosa
Dicentra	formosa "Aurora"	Dwarf Bleeding Heart (white)
Dicentra	formosa ‘King or Hearts’	Dwarf BH (drk pink)
Dicentra	spectabilis	Old Fashion BH (pink)
Dicentra	spectabilis	Old Fashion BH (White)
Dicentra	eximia ‘Stuart Boothman’	Dwarf Bleeding Heart (pink)
Epimedium	grandiflorum "Lilafee"	Barrenwort (Lilac)
Epimedium	pubigerum 'Orangekonigin"	Barrenwort (Orange)
Epimedium	rubrum	Barrenwort (Red)
Epimedium	versicolor "Sulphureum"	Barrenwort (Yellow)
Helleborus	niger "Christmas Rose"	White Hellebore
Helleborus	orientalis "Red Mountain"	Red Mountain
Helleborus	purpurascens	Purple Hellebore
Helleborus	orientalis	White spotted Lady
Kirenseshoma	palmata	Yellow Wax Bells
Ligularia	dentata Britt Marie Crawford	Black Leafed Ligularia
Ligularia	dentata ‘Desdmona’	Golden Grounsel
Ligularia	fisheri (?)
Ligularia	stenocephala "The Rocket"	Leopard Plant
Meconopsis	betonicifolia	Himalayan Blue Poppy
Primula	auricula "Francesca"	Primula
Primula	denticulata	Majenta
Primula	denticulata	Mauve and White forms
Primula	elatior	Oxslip Primula
Primula	frondosa	Bird’s Eye Primrose
Primula	japonica	Japanese Primrose
Primula	pruhonicensis mix
Primula	sielboldii "Sayogorama"	Apple Blossom Snowflake
Primula	sielboldii "Yubisugata"	Violet Snowflake
Primula	veris	Cow Slip Primula
Primula	vulagaris "Red Velvet"	Double Red
Primula	vulagris	Double Pink
Primula	vulgaris	Pink with Yellow Throat
Pulmonaria	angustifolia "Blue Ensign"	Soldiers and Sailors
Pulmonaria	angustifolia	Blue Lungwort
Pulmonaria	‘Majeste’	Spotted Dog
Pulmonaria	officinalis "Sissinghurst White"	Joseph and Mary
Pulmonaria	rubra "Redstart"	Jerusalem Sage
Pulmonaria	saccharata Dora Bielefeld	Bethleham Sage
Telekia	speciosa	Heartleaf Oxeye
Thalictrum	delavayi 'Splendide’	Chinese Meadow Rue
Thalictrum	aquilegifolium	Columbine Meadow Rue
Trollius	chinensis ledebourii	Chinese Globe Flower
Trollius	cultorum	Orange Princess Globe Flower
Valarian	officinalis	Garden Heliotrope