I'm looking for "the perfect" yellow (or white) shade perennial that would get about 2 feet tall and 1-1&1/2 ft wide. Oh yeah and nice amount of bloom time please. I'm in zone 6.
I think that one of you folks probably already have one of these in your garden and can help me out with a suggestion.
Any ideas would be much appreciated.
Thanks !
I'm looking for...
My shasta daisys did well in a mostly shady location, would have probably bloomed longer if I had cut off the old blooms. (note to Self: deadhead more next year).
Thanks MaryE, I new someone would have a good suggestion. I have never had ANY daisies before. Checked them out in the PDB and it looks like that might be a great choice for me.
This sounds dumb, but I have white David phlox blooming in the shade!(Right under the tree-see photo) They're not as tall as the same ones in the sun, but they were nice & full & re-blooming this year...
Wandasflowers - This is great ! When I posted this topic..I was looking for a particular spot by my back porch and I still think I want to go with the daisies suggested by MaryE & Dastowers. BUT while viewing your pic I noticed your hosta mixed in there. I just planted a hosta bed under a big ole tree in my yard this year. They look really nice together. Even though I had planted a good mixture of blues, greens, and yellows it is still an awful lot of green. I think you've given me an idea that I didn't even know I wanted yet. Thanks for showing your pic.
I plant small ferns, Coral Belles, Columbines and Beardtongue with my Hostas. maybe a few Lilies of the Valley around the edges. I like the color & foliage variation.
my rudebeckia is blooming big in the shade!
notmartha--FULL SHADE??? WOW! Mine gets stubborn in the shade--won't grow much, won't bloom.
notmartha...
I have some rudebeckia in the sun. This year looks great. Last year not so good. We've had much more rain this year. I'm not sure if that is what made the difference or not. I'll have to move a piece of it in with my hostas to find out how it does for me.
Wandasflowers...
I did put a couple different redleaf coral bells in my hosta garden. I am pleased with them. They really contrast. I had just put a couple of columbines on the other side of the tree. Never thought about mixing them in. I've had no luck at all with ferns. Lost everyone I've ever planted. I don't know anything about beardstongue.
Thanks to both of you.
Hi yardgirl,
How about a white astilbe? I have one that gets quite a bit of sun, but I also have one that is growing really well in pretty much all shade. Mine are pink, but there are white ones, too. I love them because they're easy to grow and have great foilage along with a beautiful bloom. It's almost like having two plants in one!
Hi Sierrawoman, Thanks for the suggestion. I have a neice who had mentioned astilbe to me also. I will have to check into them. If I'm correct this foliage is kinda fern-like too? I do think that I really NEED whites in my gardens. My yellows,purples,& reds are great but the whites in a flower garden are almost like highlights in a picture. You don't realize what your missing untill you stop and look at the WHOLE picture.
White bleeding hearts are a good choice for the shade. However, over time they will get taller than 2 ft. Mine have attractive foliage and they bloom pretty much non-stop from spring until fall. Nat
Hi Nathalyn,
Thanks for your suggestion. I never knew that Bleeding Hearts bloom in white. Guess this ole' hick from the sticks better get into the PDB and see what they look like. (if they are in there).
You folks are really great !
How about yellow loosestrife? Clumps well & blooms in sun or part shade. Nice upright accent. 24-30 inches tall
Wandasflowers, I've been thinking of this one since I saw your post in the PDB. I can't wait to try it in my yard. I think I may have to replace some stellas along my split rail fence with it. That way I can start getting some variety and still keep the beautiful yellow color sceme there. I only hope mine grow as beautiful as yours do.
Thanks !
Nothing to growing it. Mine is from the ones that grew at Mom's house for 40 years despite bicycles, moles, lawnmowers & other disturbances. Tough!!!
Loosestrife also comes in a variegated variety that would offer some white to your beds even when it wasn't blooming.
Hi Weezingreens, You're right, very pretty. I had actually bought this one called "Alexander" (if I looked at the tag correctly). The leaves are pretty. And I did plant it in the spot that I referred to at start of this thread. Unfortunately, it never bloomed for me this year. That's when I yanked it out and posted the thread. I really do like it. Of coarse both yours and Wandaflowers pics are beautiful. I'm not giving up yet ! I am moving my "Alexander" to a sunnier location to see how he does next year. Do you remember if yours bloomed first year? Thanks so much for the response. I appreciate it.
Yardgirl, I bought this as a nursery plant, so I don't know how old it was at the time.. probably 2nd year. It was in a 6" pot. Mine is planted on the south side of my house where it gets as much sun as this little Alaskan coastal town has to offer. It's bloomed every year since I've had it (about 3)and the foliage is an eyecatcher even before that. However, it hasn't lived up to the invasive rep of the loosestrifes. I'd really like to get some starts from it, but it doesn't seem to spread very fast. Here's a photo of it in 2000.
Thanks Weezingreens, mine also was a 6 inch pot when purchased. I actually had bought two. Neither one bloomed. They were both in kinda same yard conditions. I'm gonna move the one and leave the other. Wandasflowers said hers bloom in shade (even though not same variety) so maybe it's a moisture factor. It's dryer where they were.
Oh well, guess I'll have to see what happens next year. I'll try to remember to post about it again then.
Weezin--LOVE the varigated Loosestrife! I'll have to watch for it. I think it would add some light in some of my deeper beds even when not in bloom...
Yardgirl: Alot of time perennials don't bloom the first year planted. I have Alexander in shade on the east and he does well there.
I don't know much about loosestrife, but someone was posting in another forum that purple loosestrife shouldn't be planted because it is not native to North America and takes over. Are the loosestrifes you folks are talking about different?
LimeyLisa Kay
Limeylisa: They are entirely different plants. The yellow loosestrife is Lysimachia Punctata and the purple loosestrife is Lythrum Salicaria. Two different families and the yellow is not invasive.
Debby - Hi, thanks for your input. I thought maybe that would be the case about not blooming the first year. The plant looked good and healthy otherwise. And I'm very glad you told us the difference between the invasive ones. I knew that what Weezingreens was hearing about and then how Wandasflowers was describing seemed to be totally opposite. I'm glad you could clarify.
LimeyLisa - Hi, boy you had me worried there for a minute. I had breifly popped into a thread that was discussing that stuff the other day but it was kinda "over my head" so I didn't pick up on it referring to loosestrife. I do love purple though.
Wandasflowers - You mean I actually have a flower that you don't !!!!! (joking) I sure wish that I had the quanity of these as I do stellas. They would be on their way to you tommorrow. Of course if I haven't gotten them to bloom yet ????? Well maybe someday I will surprise you. If you are not able to find them in your area come spring please let me know and I'll get ya one here and send it.
Hey Dastowers ! how ya doing? Now tell me were you surprised too ? Well I'm happy to know she's getting one.
yardgirl, I think variegated plants require more light because they lack some the chlorophyll that the green plants have. Keep in mind, that's an 'I think'!
Weezingreens - I thought the white on the leaves of your pic looked to be whiter than mine are. That does make sense to me because in the case of my hostas I'm told the yellow ones need more sun light to keep them yellow. I haven't gotten into the science part of this stuff yet. Up till now it's pretty much just been as the one gardening quote of the day said "plant it with the green side up" and see how it grows. Thanks
Thanks for the clarification, Debby. That is definately something I will have to get for the shade garden next year. Can it handle deep shade or does it need some sun?
LimeyLisa Kay
Dastowers--Are you making me dig AGAIN??? I had hard frost last night, so I can't retaliate--but I'll get you back next spring....
Limeylisa: It would need some sun. I have mine on the east side of the house and it gets the morning sun until about noon.