shady terrace

I need a flowering plant that is fairly large for a terrace that gets quite a bit of shade. It needs to be large because it is a good distance from my upper deck and lower patio and pond. I thought about dahlias, but I'm afraid it's too shady for them although they can take a little shade. Any suggestions?

how about hydrangea?

I had one in the area where the terrace is now and it didn't do well, but it was in deep woods and not well-maintained. So if it finally starts doing well, I will consider more of them. But whatever I get needs to fill up the whole terrace.

This message was edited Mar 14, 2004 8:43 AM

WS,

Are you looking for a container plant or something to plant in the ground?

Something in the ground that is somewhat large, 2-3 feet tall at the most because I don't want it to hide what's going on in the next terrace up...

This message was edited Mar 14, 2004 8:44 AM

How about Astilbe? A good range of colors and heights are available.

Padre, that sounds great! What kind of cultivation do they prefer, other than shade?

The CO-OP forum had a string on astilbe with some links to growers and growing suggestions. These will be of help to you: http://davesgarden.com/t/382785/ Good luck.