Shade Gardening: Perennials for Shady and Part Shade Gardens, 1 by tabasco

tabasco wrote:

Shady-- LOL Yes, now I find myself only planning trips that involve an interesting garden or botanical center destination and a few along the way, too. My DD in California is begging me to come out to visit, but first of all I can't bear to leave my bulb garden now and I'm not sure I can get tickets to Filioli when she want me! (Just kidding.) Thanks for the good list of shade plants. I know you have loads in your garden and you're not telling all there, though!

Truthfully, I am so sad about my new last year shade garden. I planted about 25 new ferns, 20 new and rare hostas, lots of tiarellas, arum, aquilegia and little bulbs and very little survived the winter. I am especially crushed about the ferns. I think the area is just to affected by wet, cold, clay soil, too much shade, too many animals, all the bad things...even though we amended like crazy. So, I will have to try again with a new layout and use some of the ideas from this thread.

And, roxroe, I agree, it is amusing to look through the White Flower Farm Catalog and all the pretty pictures and storytelling, and then click on the next link and find a contradiction. It's a beautiful little booklet, but sometimes it is easy to forget that they are the consummate plant salesmen. LOL A great resource, anyway. And I feel like 'Amos' is a relative of mine. (Even though he's probably not a even a real person anymore!)

For some reason I never think of Astilbe as shade plant, but I would guess the short white one would be very attractive with white edged hosta...Shady, your Mukdenia 'Crimson Fans' sounds interesting. Why don't you buy it and let us know what it's like!?

Any more pictures?

This is a little 'stumperie' shade garden at the Cincinnati Flower Show this week.