Shade garden suggestions?

[One Day]

Shade gardening is not all that difficult...there are numerous shrubs, perennials and annuals that do well in the shade.
Your best resource......Cooperative Extension.....as well as local nurseries.
Hostas...yeah I know...they may seem played out....There are more than 200 varieties of Hostas.....unfortunately some 3 or 4 are over utilized. I currently have 15 varieties in my back yard
Becarefull of invasive type plants...lilly of the valley...very difficult to control and get rid of as is the ostrich fern
A shade garden can be done that there is no spacing.....as well as negative space (meaning open space)....Rocks, boulders. Water features as well. Nice thing of water in the shade is that, the water stays clear. Algae needs sun light
Always mulch....it's a much nicer finished look, cuts down on weeds...though not completely....Besides, mulch where grass can't grow looks much better than the grass that can't grow.....mulch also is cleaner when working the planting bed....less mud on the shoes/boots

 

[wendydk]

Shade gardening is not all that difficult...there are numerous shrubs, perennials and annuals that do well in the shade.
Your best resource......Cooperative Extension.....as well as local nurseries.
Hostas...yeah I know...they may seem played out....There are more than 200 varieties of Hostas.....unfortunately some 3 or 4 are over utilized. I currently have 15 varieties in my back yard
Becarefull of invasive type plants...lilly of the valley...very difficult to control and get rid of as is the ostrich fern
A shade garden can be done that there is no spacing.....as well as negative space (meaning open space)....Rocks, boulders. Water features as well. Nice thing of water in the shade is that, the water stays clear. Algae needs sun light
Always mulch....it's a much nicer finished look, cuts down on weeds...though not completely....Besides, mulch where grass can't grow looks much better than the grass that can't grow.....mulch also is cleaner when working the planting bed....less mud on the shoes/boots.

My LOV are fine, as long as I keep a landscape border around them.

 

[One Day]

yes Blue......you are in the upper midwest correct?
Shorter growing season.......go down a couple latitudes. Have dealt with Lilly of the Valley that has gone under an obsruction that has been 4, some 6 inches deep
Lilly of the Valley is a nice perennial....from my experience it has been nothing of a problem.....I don't use them, won't plant them.....have removed more than I care to think about over the years.
Confession.....there is a post that I had mentioned I own a small business....well.....it's in this field.

 

[Morticia]

yes Blue......you are in the upper midwest correct?
Shorter growing season.......go down a couple latitudes. Have dealt with Lilly of the Valley that has gone under an obsruction that has been 4, some 6 inches deep
Lilly of the Valley is a nice perennial....from my experience it has been nothing of a problem.....I don't use them, won't plant them.....have removed more than I care to think about over the years.
Confession.....there is a post that I had mentioned I own a small business....well.....it's in this field..

I've found them clear around the other side of the house! I was pretty far north, tho, and they didn't survive the winters all that well so there weren't that many of them. Given how far they traveled, tho, I'm glad the cold kept them in abeyance.

 

[Country Girl]

My Old Fashioned Bleeding Heart is still in bloom and my Astilbe's are beautiful this year. Also, Rose Campion and Lily of the Valley are great for shade. If you're looking for ground cover you can't beat pachysandra.

 

[One Day]

Pachysandra as with Ivy....is a collector of debris.
One ground cover I realy do appreciate....."Ajuga" Lovely purple flowers in the spring.....look into those

 

[hawley]

Pachysandra as with Ivy....is a collector of debris.
One ground cover I realy do appreciate....."Ajuga" Lovely purple flowers in the spring.....look into those.

I have pachysandra and like it because it is a good ground cover and it is varigated so it gives different color.

 

[One Day]

Perriwinkle is nice for ground cover as well.....not deep shade.
I have it in the front....against a short retaining wall...gets almost full sun....Lots of flowers in the spring
I'm not knocking Pachysandra....I much prefer to Ivy
What we do with Pachysandra time to time with some customers is....Spring we cut them down....this makes it much easier to clean the area out well and it rejuvinates them....

 

[One Day]

Great roses.......insect and disease resistent....continuous blooming. Not the large flower. When they are in peak blooming.......outstanding
They need their space......we cut them all the way down in the fall and by end of summer they can occupy a 4 foot radius, more if you are feeding frequently.
This was the first year we haven't fed any....happy with the results...they did not get so leggy
they perform very well in a mulched bed....

 

[JBloggs]

One Day what do you think of the KNOCK OUT ROSES that are all the hype right now? (Full sun) I am totally impressed at their growth and flowering. We are thinking of planting them. They kind of remind me of wild roses where they just bloom and spread and go crazy after a while.