Deep Shade

Weerobin, Thanks for your help. I just ordered Heuchera Midnight Rose and Pinot Noir. I got them from Wayside Gardens as their buy one get two free sale is still on. I will go to Plant Delights as I'm sure I'll be needing more.

Thank you, I looked at the epimediums, there are a lot to choose from. I'll have to decide which one to try.,

That Filipendula hexapetal flora pena looks great. There isn't a PF page on this exact type. I ordered it from Bluestone Perennials.

Also, in another forum on shade, I found Spigelia Marilandica, which also looks good. There is a PF page on this and I found them for sale at Lazy S'S Farm.

I've also been reading about various trillium and will probably try one. If anyone has any experience growing any of these, it would be great to share them. Going to try the hyperlink on my next post!!! Thanks, Mary

There are some wonderful trilliums also, some w/ great variegated foliage.
I've got one who's foliage is stunning (I don't remember the cultivar name, but I may be able to come up with it.)
I'll try to get a pix of it this weekend (alas, I have a real job which limits my freedom during weekdays).
You'll love it.
It's not in bloom now, but the foliage is fantastic.

And I'm sure you'll love the spigelias. Easy and rewarding.

Thanks weerobin, I would love to see your Trillium. I went back & read that other shade forum and realized that it was in one of your posts that I read about Spigelia!! So you'll have to send us a picture of that too!!!!! Unfortunately work does get in the way of gardening. It must really be hard if you live in zones 9 & 10! Mary

Wayside has the dreaded BOGO huh? Im going to have to check that out... Ive always been happy with there plants.

Stormy, I took this photo after work tonight - not the greatest photography,
but it gives you an idea of some nice variegated trillium foliage.

Is acuba good for very shady gardens?

Smokey, I have an aucuba which has nice rich foliage in shade.
But it has marginal hardiness in our zone, so I've never seen any berries here.

Stormy, I also took a pix of a variegated disporum in deep shade.
It may not look like it, but it's beginning to fill in. I think it will look nice.
I just planted it last year, but it's already twice the size.
I'll have to wait a year or two to see how it develops.

Gardenlady, What is the dreaded BOGO? Should we be forewarned?

Stands for "Buy One Get One"...yep, very dangerous for plant addicts, lol.

Weerobin, Thank you so much for the lovely photos. I looked for one similar to yours and found them with lovely yellow or dark red blooms. I went for the yellow. Ebay seller Clampam has them for significantly less than the nurseries. I've bought many plants from them & have always been pleased. Their shipping fees are reasonable and they specialize in woodland, wild & native plants. He also had some good buys on Turk's Cap Lillies.

Your disporum looks lovely. How tall will it get?

The epimedium search continues. There are some very beautiful ones at Heronswood, but they are pricey. I came across two interesting Heucheras, Autumn bride which is evergreen and has many large white blooms from August til frost and Snow Angel, which has silvery white leaves with tiny green specks. Thank you for all of your time!!

KY, That's too funny! And true!!! I have to stop buying this week or I'll still be planting into July. I'm focusing on my shade bed now, because it's what my deck faces. I have a lot of seedlings growing to go into my sun bed as they get large enough. There's just not enough time in a day!

Try Munchkin Nursery for Trilliums and a bunch of other shade plants. Great service and prices. http://www.munchkinnursery.com/index.html

Does any one have the "dragon tails"? I just bought it today.. Love the foliage and the flowers are so cute. Are they pretty easy to grow. How much shade can they take? It said part sun, is that right? Really cut plant. Does it get tall?? I know questions! Thanks for any remarks. Ronna

Ronna, I have a couple Dragon Tails planted last year.
They seem to be doing fine.
I saw an older specimen somewhere and recall being surprised it was as big as it was.
I know it's listed as a 'mini' hosta, but the one I saw was at least 10 inches tall, if not taller.
I took a picture of mine below.

And Stormy, the variegated disporum (disporum sessile variegata) should get around 10 inches tall.
There are several clones on the market, some with wider leaves than others.

Ronna, I forgot to mention, the Dragon Tails will grow OK in more shade, but won't be as golden.
Needs at least some sun to bring out the gold.

Thanks weerobin. I really appreciate the remarks. I really like the plant. I think it should be good where I have it planted. I'll keep an eye on it. Move it if nessacery. Ronna

Ronna, let us see how it does!
I have no idea whether I planted mine in the right amount of sun or not.
I'd love to compare which exposure works best.
Unless the bunnies or deer get to mine first...

Sorry to read about your poodle.I have 2 males myself,my whole family has poodles.It's real noisey when they all get together.
But about the shade problem, i have the same problem and my area is very dry, clay ground.Grass don't even grow there.I have hostas, ostrich ferns and elephant ears there.But they don't get very big just survive.Got some ideals from reading the replys to this thread.
dahicks
Hickory, Ky

Welcome to Dave's Garden, dahicks! Thanks for your sympathy for my little Miss Poo. Poodles are sweet, fun dogs. I miss her.

This has turned out to be a very valuable thread for me, too. I have made a long list of plants to try, and have planted some that are doing well. Thanks, everyone!

Thanks,I have been scouting around and find this site very valuable with my gardening.Most of the people seem very helpful and polite.
d

KY, This thread has been great for all of us! Thank You!! Wayside Gardens sent their unpublished fall catalogue out on the web. There is a georgeous new shade plant in their called Thalictrum Hononse. It is purple, green and white.

Weerobin thanks for your help.

Postmandug, Great link, Thanks.

Nice to meet you Dahicks!

Well weerobin. Mine is in a kinda out of the way spot. Some morning sun and mostly dappled shade until around 4 or so. Then shade. Im really looking forward to see how tall it will get. I forgot to read the tag. Will ahve to pull it up and read about it. Really looks great though. For just being planted. I have a question. I was moving some hostas this weekend. I thought i had a large enough hole for the roots and I accidently snapped off a large piece of the one hosta roots. There were still some long roots left but? Does everyone think it will die? I planted the snapped off root perhaps a new one will grow??? I know wishful thinking?? But it was quit large and Im mad at myself! Ronna

Ronna, despite our fussing over them, I think hostas are pretty darn resiliant.
Haven't we all done the same thing a thousand times?
I just planted the remnant of a jack-in-the-pulpit that I accidentally broke all the new growth from the root.
Oops! I planted it anyway and I'll be anxiously checking it to see if it survives or not...

You've done all you can, so you'll just have to wait to see how it goes.
It's part of the thrill of gardening, in my mind.
Let us know! I suspect it will be fine.

Stormy, I'm very intrigued by Wayside's new thalictrum introduction.
I've never heard of it before.
I LOVE thalictrums for my climate. They do really well.
I particularly like the low-growing varieties, but I've never heard of 'honense'.
Did you purchase it? How is it doing?
I'm trying to recreate woodland groundcover and thalictrums have done really well for me.
Below is thalictrum kiusianum.
But I have many other species of thalictrum that do really well in my woodland.

Weerobin: I may have asked you before, in which case I apologize, but which thalictrums do well for you? I thought some had the reputation of being fussy.

No, Weerobin, I haven't ordered it. I'm still considering it. Your thalictrum is lovely. I'm also still drooling over Heronswood's two Epimediums,Wushanense, which is evergreen and Franchetii. These 3 are still at the top of my wish list, because they are all around $20 per plant. I try to keep my purchases under $12 per plant.
Interestingly, another major supplier is selling the two Heronswood varieties for between $40 & $50 each!!!! I've recently learned that Heronswood has relocated their operations to about 25 miles from here. If I can force myself out of the Garden one Saturday, I'd love to go see these in person.

I agree on watching the prices. I wonder about the expensive plants: does that mean they are slow to increase? In which case I am less interested in them anyway, since I want plants that will made a bit of a statement in my lifetime.

Happy, I believe that these 3 are all recent introductions. You know how that affects prices. Heronswood's reputation is for quality, not mass production. Many of their items have been developed and grown by them. I suppose that Wayside's price is reflective of their acquisition cost and they may have an exclusive on this.
I find the price of plants to be like the cost of a trip to a beauty parlor. You can get a great "Do" for $40 and a lousy one for $100 and visa versa!!!! Unlike plants, hair always grows back!!

Stormyla: I agree. I do think sometimes that plants are expensive because they are hard to propagate or finicky, though, and what I really strive for is a sturdy unfussy perennial garden.

Happy, You are right on both accounts. This is probably what's happened to my beloved Daphne Cneorum. Suppliers don't want to have to be replacing plants. They can't make any money doing that. Maybe that's why new introductions are often expensive. They don't have any experience with the average home gardeners success rate.

I hate to be cynical, but I agree with you.

Do any of you Shady gardeners (no pun intended) recognize this? It's growing in almost total darkness. I don't remember what it is and am not even sure that I like it.

I used to savor Heronswood catalogs throughout many a long winter.
Then when they were bought out, the remarkable variety of offerings has declined significantly.
But they still have some interesting things.

Stormy, I'm an epimedium fanatic.
And I'm a sucker for the unusual varieties.
I have a wushanense I planted last year. Looks great so far.
Huge spiny leaves. Flowers are nice, but nothing spectacular.
I'm mainly hoping for it to start to fill in as a foliage plant.
If you're interested in epimediums, check out Garden VIsion.
They don't have much of an on-line site,
but they'll mail you a catalog which is the bible for epimedium enthusiasts.
The newer introductions are expensive, but many beautiful cultivars are under $10.
There's one they are offering for $500!!

I'll try to read some thalictrum tags and give you an run-down on the ones that do well for me.
I find them to be very reliable with no special care.

Stormyla: The photo didn't attach.

Sorry about that!

Stormy: I don't recognize it.

Stormy, I don't recognize your plant either.
But I'm pretty sure someone else can help you w/ ID.

Here's my young epimedium wushanense (planted last year).
I didn't get a shot w/ flowers, just took it this afternoon.

And I'm embarassed to admit I'm not sure which thalictrum species are which.
I have several different woodland species (all range from 1-2 ft height).
But I'm not the greatest at keeping track of what I planted where...
Here is an example of what I like about them, but I'm not sure which species.
It forms a nice robust groundcover in shade.
This one is just starting to bloom (lower right edge of clump).
It is very charming when the whole clump is in bloom.
Not super showy, but I like it.
If I ever figure out exactly which species it is, I'll let you know.

Thank you Weerobin. They are lovely. I like the blue tint leaves of the Wushanense. Did it stay green all winter?
The other one is charming. I like the coin shaped leaves and the tiny flowers.

Right now, I'm putting a combination Hosta,Heuchera planting in the front of my shade bed. Maybe next season, I'll mix some of these in. I'll look through the catalogue when it comes, and may ask your advice on some. That Honense is calling to me!!!

The new plants are starting to arrive and I'm starting to ponder their placement.

Gardenlady, There is a Dragon Tails in the new group. We'll have to compare notes.

I'll wait a few days & if no one recognizes my plant, I'll post it to the ID forum. I know that I planted them last year, but can't find any notes on them. There are too many of them in one spot, maybe I'll like them better if I move some around.
At least we know they will bloom in deep shade. That photo looks like it was taken at night!!!!!

KY, This is your thread and we're not hearing much from you. Are you too busy PLANTING??????????????