Easy Perennials For Your Shade Garden

SHADE GARDEN PART II

There are more options when planting a shade garden than just ferns and Hostas. We have a lot of shade in our yard and I hate lawns, for many reasons, but that's another article.

Here are a few more ideas for your shade garden:

Primrose - primula These are one of my favorite plants. They do like sunlight in the early spring, but that's not usually a problem as the leaves haven't created any shade yet. They come in many beautiful colors and really brighten up a shady area. They are best placed in the front as they are only about 8" tall. They work very well as a border.

Lily-of-the-Valley - Convallaria majalis These lovely and fragrant shade lovers are perfect for a shade garden - but only if you want a lot of them! They can be quite invasive, but a lot of shade plants are. I treat mine with a sort of benign neglect and they duke it out with the Vinca and Bishop's Weed and they sort things out.

Bishop's Weed/Gout Weed - Apiaceae - This variegated leafy plant turns the lights on in a dark shady area. It too is very invasive, but that's what I'm usually after. For years I had a very shady, very dry area where nothing would grow. So, when I heard about a plant that takes over anyplace I had to try it and it was Bishop's Weed. It did the job as you can see in the photo below. During extremely dry spells it does a very dramatic wilting act, but never fear, one rainstorm and they're back like Arnold in the "Terminator". Keep a close eye on them as they will spread!

Violets - Another bane of the green-grass lovers, but a natural beauty and they are also edible. I have some that bloom purple, speckled. They are pretty, tough and love shade. They too are very invasive - it seems that much to the contrary of many ‘sun' gardeners, shady turf is very popular among violets.

If you have a shady area and want to create a garden that requires very little tending and a lot of interest, any or all of these plants will do an excellent job!