Good shade plant combinations

I really like the way the fall blooming Heuchera Villosa "Autumn Bride" looks with the variegated Solomon Seal.

What are your favorite combinations?

Very pretty semp. I love the ferns in there too.

This is one of my favorite places in the shade garden. To the right it's lavender, kurume azalea and hosta golden tiara. On the left it's sasanqua camellia and hosta plantaginea.

Wonderful! A new thread and more photos :) I like that combination sempervirens - I've got a few Autumn Bride I need to find a spot for - I might just have to copy it! doss, I'm drooling - absolutely gorgeous - everything looks so lush and healthy!

I took this one in the gardens last weekend. We had winds and rains last week and these poor Hardy Begonias were starting to look a little weary. I really like the blue of the Juniper next to them but the Begonias are spreading so much they're swallowing the Juniper. The Juniper is also suffering because the area now has too much shade but I'm hoping by pruning some of the surrounding trees I can supply the brighter light it needs to survive.

Thanks for the compliments doss and rcn.

doss, your garden is very elegant. I would not have thought to use the lavender in combination with the hostas and azaleas but the softer, finer, leaves are a beautiful accent at that sunny corner . Just the right touch.

rcn,I had often thought of trying the hardy begonias but was always short of room. They look wonderful with the ferns along the woodland path. They give the scene a feeling of lush wild abandon. I do like the blue color and texture of the Juniper as a background.

I love the combination of green and white in the shade garden so I use the fall blooming Autumn Bride everywhere. Here it is with the red berrying false solomon seal Smilacina racemosa

This message was edited Oct 2, 2008 7:32 AM

Love the hardy begonias. I didn't realize that they would spread like that. What a nice stand.
And Semp - the heuchera autumn bride is lovely. I can see why you use it so much. How dense it the shade that you grow it in?

sempervirens, you can't see it in the photo, but Autumn Bride is blooming right behind the Juniper! I also have a white blooming Hardy Begonia in this area but I probably need to move it because it's never done that well and I think it receives too much sun and not enough water for it to grow as nicely as the pink :(

I really like the combination of green and white in the garden as well. In some of my recent plantings I tried to concentrate on green and white Hostas only. I tended to stray from my "theme" however in the front of the border LOL There is a path to the left in this area which you can't see leading into the deep shade where more Hostas and Ferns are planted and there ARE more green and white Hostas planted along the edges of the path :)

These are all beautiful combinations folks. Doss your gardens are always picture perfect. What is that plant growing along the wall behind the Hosta? That red Azalea is gorgeous.

Semipervens, today I took your Idea and planted V. Soloman's Seal among my Autumn Brides. They are bordered on each side by Hydrangea Limelight. There are also 2 purple Heuchera among them which are quite large, but the name escapes me, maybe Bronze Wave???

I also have another group of Autum Brides intermixed with Heuchera Mocha. I'm planting Geranium Espresso in front of the Autumn Brides and a white Geranium in front of the Mocha. There are white Liatris mixed between them.

RCN, I'd love to see that White Hardy Begonia. Do you know what it's called?

My newest just planted grouping are Green and Green & White Hostas with Lady Ferns, White Bleeding Hearts, Casa Blanca white lilies and yellow Corydalis.

Right now I'm also on the prowl for some white Corydalis.

Behind the hosta on the right are sasanqua camellias. The are only hardy down to zone 7 though. They'll grow in full sun to full shade. Amazingly easy plants and they bloom in the winter.

stormyla, I'd love to show you the white Hardy Begonia but it blooms a little earlier than the pink and they're pretty much done now :( I checked my records - the white one is Begonia grandis 'Wildwood Purity' and the pink in the photo is 'Wildwood Premiere'. These were both Thurman Maness introductions from about 10 years ago and even though a search for Wildwood Purity led me to Heronswood's site, I can't find it listed there. I like your 'newest grouping'! Hmmm....white Bleeding Heart, I don't have any of that in the gardens - I might just have to find some for the "green and white" border and dig up a few of those V. Solomon's Seal. Great idea, thanks :)

Although I haven't tried any yet, there has been a huge push in recent years to introduce hybrids of the sasanqua Camellias which are hardy to Zone 6. Camellia Forest in NC has quite a few offered, both from their own breeding and those from Dr. Ackerman of the National Arboretum http://www.camforest.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1_3. I have a friend who planted one of the newer hybrids last year - made it through the winter but the new puppy she got this summer has already dug the poor thing up 3 times :(

Keep the combos coming, I've got a huge border to work on this fall and I need ideas!

That's great that there are sasanquas that will grow in zone 6! It's such a great plant and much easier to grow than the japonicas. Of course the flowers aren't generaly as showy but are covered with blooms. You can keep them sized down pretty easily too with annual pruning after they flower. If you do it right they will still look natural too.

Doss, it's great to know that sasanquas will grow in full shade. I had a couple planted in full shade, and was advised to dig them up by an old neighbour. Kinda hesitant to do it, cause I truly need some blooms in that spot.
Thanks Doss.

I grow japonicas in very deep shade where almost nothing else will grow - even under a walnut tree!

Just came back from checking on the camellias!! They have buds!!!

The Camellias that I grow are all up against the totally shaded east side of my house that gets no sun or wind. They are all Ackerman Hybrid Japonicas in shades of red or red & white or white & red. I've been waiting for a Sasanqua to come out in red, but so far haven't heard of one. Mine are all in bud now. The last ones that I got were Ackerman's April Tryst, a red from Greer Gardens. At that time, Camforest had no cold hardy reds, back in June.

Doss, I thought that was an Azalea. That's a pretty dark pink, almost a red. Do you know the name of it?

RCN, You always mix interesting shrubs in your beds. Do you grow Stachyurus Praecox? I pruned mine today (I know it should have been last spring), and it was full of long racimes of buds. The flowers are like little hanging bells. When it's young, you have to keep pruning wild stray brances until you get the desired shape. They come with pink, yellow or off white blooms and flower in zone 6 in February. The off white one would look great in a green and white garden.

On the right side you are correct that it is an azalea. It's a kurume but I don't know the name for it. Kurumes have small flowers but they all bloom at the same time so the plant is covered in flowers. The do go through a kind of ugly stage after they flower so it's best to plant the same cultivars in an area so you don't get attention drawn to one that is not at it's best. They do come in red. I have Hino Crimson and it's really beautiful. Some of them get big so it's good to check that out. Of course you can prune them after blooming to keep them smaller but you have to remember to do it! Hino Crimson is only supposed to get to be 3 feet tall.

Here it is with dichondra, hellebores and some variegated pteris. There's some button fern in there too.

Stormy, don't have it - YET! I remember having it on my 'wish list' but never see it available at the too few nurseries we have an opportunity to visit. Now that you've reminded me I'm going to have to keep my 'list' handy and might just have to order one if I can't find it in the spring :) Right now I'm having trouble just holding on to the trees and shrubs I've "got my name on" for planting in MY gardens. Rick has been putting together a collection for HIS arboretum planting this fall and I keep chasing him around saying, MINE, MINE, MINE! LOL If I don't get them planted quick they'll disappear!

doss, lovely Hino Crimson and envious that you're able to plant the variegated Pteris outside! I have always loved this plant but have difficulty even growing it in a pot!

Thanks, Doss, maybe I will try one. Right now I'm making a wire vole proof pot for the varigated Azalea I bought this weekend, to replace a Rhodo they chewed to death. Buggers even had the nerve to eat my oldest Daphne Cneorum. So far they had been leaving my Daphnes alone. I love that little Button fern. Your posts in the Shade forum prompted me to look for a Carex. I settled on a short varigated one.

RCN, I bought my Stachyurus from Forest Farm. I have a great survival rate with their plants.

Be careful if it's a red carex. Mine got smut on it when it bloomed and it made a mess of most of the plants around it. As you can see, I got rid of it. The Pteris is still recovering.

Thanks, Doss. No, it's green and white, right now kind of looks like several mini Hosta grouped together. I've never heard of such a thing. That's a comment that deserves to be in PF!!

I'd put it in there but I don't know the name of the carex. In looking it up I'm not sure that it is really smut but it is definitely a fungal infection on the flower. It's so pretty too. Quite a shame.

Doss, C'est la vie! It just was not meant to live in your lovely garden.....

RCN, Wow, am I excited. This fall I have purchased 3 different batches Of Dicentra Spectabilis Alba from 3 different sources. The first 2 groups were from well know catalogue companies and were in the $7 to $9 each price range.

Today I received a shipment of a dozen of them from willowcreekgardens.com. All 3 purchases were shipped bare root. These new ones are without exageration at least 5 times the size of the others. These cost $5.95 each. They are positively prehistoric looking and have 5 to 8 eyes each. Now, if they will only wake up in the spring!!!!

Continuing on the green and white garden theme, I've found that Peachleaf Bell Flower grow very well in partial sun. Mine are all white.
I like to have some vertical flowers in amongst my hosta. They have large rosette mounding bases and shoot up flowering stalks up to 30". Each stalk is covered in 1" white bells. The blooms last for a number of weeks from June into July and if cut back will send up a second shorter rebloom in late August into September. They multiply rapidly and can be divided in the second year. They also look great planted between Heuchera.

stormy, which "short variegated" Carex did you get? I've always loved 'Island Brocade' http://www.santarosagardens.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=CAR-ISL (my photo!) in the garden and was so excited when 'Treasure Island' http://www.gardencrossings.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/plants.plantDetail/plant_id/457 with white/green foliage became available. For some reason I can't get 'Treasure Island' to live! The other white/green Carex I love the in the gardens is 'Silver Sceptre' http://www.soonerplantfarm.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/plants.plantDetail/plant_id/227/index.htm. It's doing so well (almost too happy!) in a mostly shaded spot that I'm planning to take a few divisions this fall to pop into the green and white border :)

Sounds like you got a great deal on your Dicentra - 5-8 eyes is huge! The Dicentra I want for the gardens is 'Ivory Hearts', the short one with blue-green foliage. http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/103982/. If I can collect enough rocks I think it would look really nice tucked into the rock border.

We've had several of the Peach-leaf Bellflowers in the gardens over the years. 'Chettle Charm' was always one of my favorites but this year it disappeared :( 'Kelly's Gold' http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/78847/ has done well here and the foliage is still bright gold in the middle of winter!

So we don't lose the theme of this thread, here's a combination I like. Hosta 'Summer Breeze' and the glossy foliage of Darmera peltata in the spring. Unfortunately if I don't keep this area well watered through the summer, the Darmera melts and looks pretty disgusting by August :( We've got a pond that's developed a leak and one of our future projects will be to turn it into a bog garden. IF we ever do, I'm going to include some of the Darmera along the edge, it should be much happier there!

doss your pathway is gorgeous!
Great combos everyone.

If my shade garden ever fills in, I'll post some pics.

It took me awhile to get back to this thread but I 've been reading everyones suggestions with delight.

doss, You did ask ,way back in the thread, how much shade the heuchera "Autumn Bride" can take in my garden. I have it placed in areas from partial sun to shade. I haven't tried deep shade yet but your question has encouraged me to try a plant in the darkest shade in the garden next spring where I grow the native wild ginger as a ground cover.

I have given myself the extra challenge of trying to use as many native plants as I can( first choice plants native to my immediate area, then including some from a little further out). I am not rigid about this choice and am using cultivars and incorporating existing plants, especially if they provide winter interest. Hellebores are invaluable for winter interest (and of course not native for me) and I do have a few cultivars with white veining on the leaf and white flowers to continue the green and white theme. But the plant I have come to appreciate immenseley, at least it's my favorite this year, is the cultivar of Jacob's Ladder ( polemonium reptens) "Stairway to Heaven". I just bought another one to replace a really large Hellebore I moved to my neighbor garden. The color on this plant is variable depending on the season. Right now it is a modestly variegated green and lighter yellow green. In the spring the leaves are very rose and later green and white.

Oops, the photo is from another one of my favorite combinations, bleeding heart and variegated wood phlox. The bleeding heart is having a second blooming now . The wood phlox (edited to add this is a cultivar called "Montrose Tricolor" ) has a tiny bit of pink in the leaves now that the weather has turned cooler.

This message was edited Oct 13, 2008 9:32 AM

Here's the newly purchased and planted Jacob's Ladder in it's Fall coloring .

This is the Stairway to Heaven in May.

I hope there is a shade garden swap sometime because I definitely have a desire now for some of these beautiful plants having just been introduced to then in this thread this thread.

Semipervens, I have planted a number of the varigated Jacobs Ladders. Only 2 have survived. I think that my beds get too dry for them.

I have recently added a number of white flowering plants to brighten up my GREEN shade and semi-shade beds. There are some Mountain Laurels and a few dwarf Boxwoods and several Globe Arborvitae and some Juniper Skyrocket mixed into my beds. I underplanted all of the green shrubs with either Geranium "Biokovo" or Geranium "Kashmir White".

Between any large pockets of green I planted groups of Siberian Iris "Snow Queen". Ar 6' intervels throughout the beds I planted groupings of 3 Giant White Allium "Mont Blanc"

Along the path in my garden which is lined on both sides with Hosta, Heuchera and Tiarellas, I planted groups of White Spanish Bluebells at 3' intervals. AT midpoint deep into the path I added 2 large groups of white Phlox "David" about 3' behind the Hostas on either side of the path.

Under my large Norway Spruce, I added three White Corydalis between the Hostas planted there. In this area, I also added 2 groups of White Astilbe and planted a number of groupings of the white Spanish Bluebells.

My goal is to have all of my hostas grouped with ferns and white Bleeding Hearts. To this end, I planted another dozen ferns of assorted varieties and another dozen white bleeding hearts.

Among the low growing plants in the front of my beds I planted several groupings each of white Trout Lilies, white Dutchman's Breeches and white Shooting Stars.

I can actually picture those combinations and they are terrific.

Thank you, Snapple!

Where are the pictures, Stormy??
I like using hakonechloa to contrast with hostas.
The 'All Gold' cultivar is much more vigorous than 'Aureola', in my experience.
Here's a pix from earlier this year when things were looking a little fresher!

Weerobin, Everything mentioned here was bare root or bulbs, corms and rhizomes. Nothing to take photos of. Now that I think about it, almost everything I've planted in the last several weeks has been bare root except ferns and the ferns that I planted this AM were bare root. I had to order more markers so I wouldn't over plant something.

Very nice photo, Weerobin. I've had no experience with any of the grass type of plants. They are very interesting.

Just found this thread.
My gardens are new this year so not as lush and established as everyone else.
I planted a lot of annuals,impatiens,coleas, climbing nastuers. to keep the weeds from germinating.
Next years pictures will be better
This is the westgarden .tookour junipers 35 feet of them and planted Aquilligea, ferns, jack frost.
Interplantes white impatiens,and coleus Mahogony Giant.
Love the whole group.

Most of my pictures are really so dull I chose only two
This is the Shade and sun garden on the neighbors border,
DL's ans Wave petunias, they really covered well, picture was taken in June.
As you can see there is a lot to do.
This garden is 75 feet long and 11 feet wide with 4 spruce trees going down the middle

This is a long view of the Shade garden

The last pic.
Long view of the westgarden 35 feet

beautiful gardens ge. How do you keep your lilies from tilting toward the sun when they are in the shade? Are they staked?

I have a suggesting about the plumbing. I have a faucet that is in a bad place by the front door so I got a flat rock and put it in front of the faucet. I put a hose extension on the faucet but it is easy enough to lean the rock out when you want to get to the plumbing.

The lilies in the westgarden are staked. they are probably planted too close to the house.That part of the garden gets mostly sun until late summer.
The DL garden will be in full sun as soon as a dead spruce tree is cut down in November.
If you were referring to the pipe that runs along the side of the house ,its a gas pipe, cant do anything about it. I am hopein in a few years when the Ligularia has matured it will cover the brute.