What plants will flower or have colorful foliage in deep shade? The bed in spring is dappled. In summer it's deep.
I need some ideas...
TIA,
SYR
Deep Shade
Astilbes will flower - and there is a new coleus available that thrives in the shade. Be sure to ask, however, because the usual flats of coleus are sun-lovers. Although I haven't done this here, at my old house I took my large foliage tropicals from indoors and put them in the shade garden where they thrived! They added height and I planted caladiums, coleus, etc. around them. I now have foxglove blooming in the spring dappled shade. I know they won't grow as tall as they would with more sun but are still lovely.
Try some lamiums or dead nettle's. Both have interesting foliage and flower. So does lungwort. and there are some interesting variegated grasses that are great for shade. Corydalis lutea is a long blooming shade lover too. Other options include goastbeard, some campanulas, eupatoriums, bleeding heart, variegated fallopia, or better yet, just go check out my journal and see what I have listed as shade tolerant. And quite a few spring bulbs will do quite nicely in dappled shade, like wood hyacinth. And columbine is usually a good one too. Foamflower is another good one(I myself can't seem to get one to grow).
The heucheras do good in shade, even the dark colored leaf ones. Chelone, epimedium, begonias--both hardy and tender, and for colorful foliage that will add color try moneywort-lysmachia, hostas, ferns-they come in all shapes and shades.
Lady's mantle does great in deep shade, so does ligularia, rodgersia, for a flowering shrub, try buckeye bottlebrush and clethra. Both are summer-flowering, and even though they have more blossoms in more light, they still grow and flower in deep shade.
Try some of the painted ferns in dark shade: Japanese painted fern, autumn fern both do well. Variegated vinca shine in dark shade, especially 'Illumination'. Also variegated pachysandra. The aureomargineta varieties of liriope give vertical accents.
Ribbon grass thrives in my darkest shade; when the blades get tattered, I just chop them off and new ones come up within a week.
Check out "A little shady corner". This gets almost no sun anytime in the day. CG
Where is A Little shady Corner? I would like to look at it as I have a new shade garden and would like some ideas. FP
This message was edited Monday, Sep 2nd 11:28 AM
Never mind CountryGardens I found it, I remebered how to find things after I posted. It's very nice and full. FP