long-blooming shade perennials

There is a thread in the perennial forum about long-bloom perennials. The 2 that tolerate shade and are most mentioned arethe Fernleaf Bleeding Heart, "Luxuriant" and Corydalis Lutea. Are there others that you folks can recommend? How about astilbe?
Also, is there such a thing as a miniature hydrangea?
Let me explain the circumstances. I have a very steep, but small lot in the mountains. Zone 6-7. I have a rock garden and some terraces. The rock garden has less sun than the terraces, perhaps as little as 2 hours a day. The terraces get about 4 hours of sun a day.

Sounds like a neat spot. The first thing that comes to mind-our Tiarrella's seem to hold their flowers for a time, even the heucheras do. I believe there are 1 or 2 blue blooming Corydalis that can hold their flowers for a while too. But they can go summer dormant if it is too hot. My hardy cala lily also bloomed twice this year, so for 3-4 weeks we had a nice flower to look at.

woodspirit1, the Hardy Geraniums would work in your situation - 'Confetti' comes to mind because it blooms forever for me - bright variegated foliage in spring, and although it loses its variegation in our summer heat, the sweet little pink flowers bloom all summer into fall. Also, any of the Lamiums or Brunnera. Although they don't necessarily bloom all summer, they have colorful foliage that would add their own accent to the area. I agree with Shadyfolks, any of the Heucheras, Heucherellas or Tiarellas would make a nice addition. They're low growing, their blooms last forever and there are tons of different foliage colors. Also Ceratostigma which grows equally well in sun or shade, blooming from mid-July right through until frost with the added plus of the foliage turning crimson after frost -perhaps one of our favorite groundcovers. I also love some of the Carex for a shady spot. Carex 'Kaga-nishiki' has bright gold and green foliage, has a nice tidy mounding habit and looks superb all summer long. Carex 'Island Brocade' is another of my favorites - very low growing and lovely gold and green foliage. Another great groundcover for us has been Hypericum 'Brigadoon' - bright yellow foliage with a splash of pink on the new growth. We grow it both in the shade and in a hot, dry situation and it tolerates either. I even used some of it in a container I planted this summer to cascade down over the sides - wonderful plant!

I have the tiarella and huechera, but some of the others I do not. I tried hardy geraniums once with no luck, but I think it was my error, so I will try them again. I will look up the others in the PlantFiles and see what I like and will grow here. Thanks for all the tips.....

Hi woodspirit1, I can give a nod for everything that has been mentioned so far. Tiarella 'Ninja' was especially long blooming, as well as Geranium lancastriense 'Striatum'. Astilbes don't seem to be especially long blooming, but Astilbe chinensis 'Pumila' bloomed for about 6 weeks for me. It is a cutie at about 10" high. Also Lollypop bloomed for about 4 weeks.

Foliage colour makes for year-round interest, e.g. hostas, heucheras, tiarellas, carex, japanese forest grass, japanese painted ferns, variegated solomon's seal, gingers...lots of colour! It might be a tad tall for your situation but the foliage of Ligularia 'Britt Marie Crawford' is nice with Japanese Painted Fern 'Burgundy Lace'. Add a blue hosta and even Ajuga 'Burgundy Glow' and you have a colourful grouping...no flowers required. Chartreuse or gold hostas contrasted with any of the purple leaved Heucheras or Heucherellas, then adding a bluish-red annual can be very exciting. It's funny how I think of hostas and heucheras as foliage plants, even though they bloom too! e.g. Hosta 'So Sweet' bloomed for 8 weeks.

I am learning more & more. Thanks again so much.

There is a dwarf hydrangea called 'Pia' or 'Pink Elf'.
Also, some of the digitalis species get along well in the shade and produce blooms over a long season. Try the yellow foxgloves like Sahara. Even the wild type does well in the shade and will reseed for you. Babies can be moved whenever you want. And they can be fairly drough tolerant. Digitalis purpurea 'Alba' is the white type, which really brightens up a shady spot.
I also have Iris japonica that does well in only partial sun so might do well on your terraces.
Goatsbeard, Aruncus, is also a lovely shade plant that looks a bit like Astilbe with tall feathery fronds. However, it does love water, and I don't know what your situation is with that.
There are several different varieties of Aconitum, Monkshood, that you might try. They are a shade loving perennial and bloom very late in the season, when many things are past their prime.
If your lot is in the mountains, I'll be there are some lovely native plants that would be excellent for your area. Then you wouldn't have to be concerned about invasive plants, and it would be very easy to care for them.

Thanks so much Pixie. I would love the pink one. I hope it has a fairly long bloom season, but hydrangeas look good when they are not producing blossoms.

Have you thought about Hellibores? They hold onto their bloom a long time. Granted they are not vivid in color, but I find it interesting to watch the flower change color as it ages.
I also had a lupine that also put on a nice displace for a while this year.

Shadyfolks, what lupine do you grow? I've tried a few of the popular cultivars, but our summers were too hot. I've heard giving them partial shade helps with that, but it did'nt work for me. I'd still really like to grow them. Neal.

I have one Hellibore and it finally blooming nicely after waiting 3 years. I had thought of buying more of those, but I am no spring chicken and a bit impatient to wait on them.

The Pink Elf I have appears to bloom on new wood, so it has one big flush of blooms in the early summer, then it blooms here and there the rest of the season. Of course the blooms stay pretty for a very long time, and even as they dry they are lovely to look at. The color pink will depend upon your soil.

There are also some beautiful species lilies that are woodland plants so grow in the shade. They are truly lovely.

gemini_sage,
finally got a chance to run out back when it wasn't dark. Sorry but I do not have them labeled. This plant was the first lupine that I ever purchased. We had a lot of tree damage this spring and an area opened up, so I thought I would try something that takes a little more sun. They were very nice whatever they were (yellows and pinks) When I have some more time I will look in my pile of plant labels and see if I can find the original.

Thanks for the tip Pixy. Shady, just e-mail me if you find out. I really like those plants..