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Shade Gardening

May 12, 2022

YOUR GUIDE TO

Beautiful & Colorful Gardens

Beautiful, colorful gardens can be grown in shady areas when proper plant varieties are chosen. Preparation and care of a shade garden is similar to a sunny garden except for watering habits.

2 Varieties

There are two basic variations of light for shady areas:

Light Shade:
• Areas shaded by a building or a wall with additional shading from trees

• Landscape areas more heavily shaded by trees, but not a deep dark shade

Dark Shade: Asterisk (*) denotes plant will tolerate deeper shade
Landscape areas under a low canopy of trees with very little light or only some reflected light. This area is often most difficult to plant. However, there are a few plants that will adapt.

Generally, plants do not bloom well in the dense shade unless they are native to these conditions. Use plants with different textures, leaf color, and form for a very lush appearance.

Japanese Maple
Caladium & Double Impatiens

Annuals

Begonia spp
Bridal Veil
Caladium
Coleus
Elephant Ears
Fuchsia
Impatiens
Lobelia
New Guinea Impatiens
Plectranthus
Polka-Dot Plant
Streptocarpella
Tender Ferns
Torenia
Wandering Jew

Annuals

Perennials

Ajuga – Bugleweed Galium – Sweet Woodruff Polemonium – Jacob’s Ladder
Alchemilla – Lady’s Mantle Hakonechloa Polygonatum – Solomon Seal*
Anemone Hedra Helix – English Ivy* Primula – Primrose
Aquilegia – Columbine Helleborus – Lenten Rose* Pulmonaria – Lungwort
Aruncus – Goat’s Beard Heuchera – Coral Bells Sagina – Irish Moss
Astilbe Heucherella – Foamy Bells Tiarella – Foamflower
Bergenia Hosta* Tradescantia – Spiderwort
Brunnera Lamium Tricyrtis – Toad Lily
Carex Ligularia Vinca – Periwinkle*
Convallaria – Lily of the Valley* Liriope – Lilyturf* Viola
Dicentra – Bleeding Heart Lysimachia – Creeping Jenny Woodland Wildflowers*
Epimedium – Bishop’s Hat* Myosotis – Forget Me Not  
Ferns* Pachysandra *  
Helleborus
Catawba Rhododendron Catawbiens e Boursault

Trees & Shrubs

Acer palmatum – Japanese Maple Hydrangea petiolaris – Climbing* 
Aesculus glabra – Ohio Buckeye Hydrangea quercifolia – Oak Leaf 
Amelanchier – Serviceberry Ilex – Holly* 
Azalea – Deciduous and Evergreen* Itea – Sweetspire 
Berberis Laburnum 
Betula nigra Ligustrum x.Vicaryi 
Buxus – Boxwood Lindera 
Callicarpa Liriodendron 
Cercis Canadensis – Redbud Lonicera ‘Lemon Beauty’* 
Chaenomeles Magnolia virginiana – Sweetbay Magnolia 
Chamaecyparis Microbiota – Russian Cypress* 
Clethra – Summersweet* Nyssa sylvatica – Black Tupelo 
Cornus controversa – Giant Dogwood Quercus 
Cornus florida – Flowering Dogwood Rhododendron 
Cornus kousa – Chinese Dogwood Sambucus – Elderberry 
Cornus mas – Cornelian Cherry Dogwood Schizophragma – Japanese Hydrangea 
Corylus Spirea japonica 
Cotinus Stephanandra* 
Deutzia Taxus – Yew* 
Euonymus Thuja plicata 
Fagus Sylvatica Tsuga – Hemlock* 
Fothergilla Gardenii Ulmus parvifolia 
Hammamelis – Witchhazel Viburnum 
Hydrangea macrophylla – Big Leaf   

Mixed Container Perennials

Ajuga – Bugleweed Heucherella – Foamy Bells
Anemone ‘Harmony’ Hosta – Small and Miniature
Aruncus – Goat’s Beard Lamium
Astilbe ‘Sprite’ Liriope – Lilyturf
Carex ‘Evergold’ – Japanese Sedge Lysimachia ‘Aurea’ – Creeping Jenny
Dicentra – Bleeding Heart Polemonium – Jacob’s Ladder
Ferns Primula – Hardy Primrose
Hakonechloa Sagina – Irish and Scotch Moss
Heuchera – Coral Bells Tiarella – Foam Flower
Heuchera ‘Little Cuties’ Viola




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