What Lies in the Deep Dark Recesses of Your Garden? Somewhat serious gardeners and even real pros often find it a challenge to make a shady area a show-stopper. Lack of sunlight aside, the problem exists in what makes a shady area...well...shady. Yes, there are plenty of plants that can thrive in areas devoid of full or even partial sunlight but like the rest of your garden these plants have different water and nutrient requirements. For instance, the northeast or northwest side of your home may get a great amount of water and your most challenging beds under that great red maple become bone dry because of the inability of your plants to compete with the vigorous root system of your favorite fall specimen tree. Other stressors can be involved, whether it is under a walnut tree, where the tree's oils make it a very challenging spot indeed. Perhaps the biggest challenge is simply finding the plants that can survive in your botanical black hole. As always something either native or a near native cultivar is best. If you are planting under a tree's canopy, which means within the drip line, simply take a walk in a nearby forest and observe what kind of plants do well in our native soils. You will see ferns, lady's slippers, several bushes and of course lots of saplings. One almost sure thing (sure things are never sure in gardening) is that old standbys do well in many areas. These include all hosta, all ferns, some hydrangeas, and pulmonaria. Hostas come in so many varieties and are not "just green". Variegations, sizes, and even chartreuse greens and even blues are available. Try mixing them in for a sea of undulating shades of our favorite color. Ferns are just as diverse. Rusts, greens, yellows and even purples and reds from the various painted ferns can fill up your dark corner in no time at all. Throw in the hydrangeas and pulmonarias and you are adding in blue, red, white, pale greens, and purples into the mix. And, if it is color and flower forms you are looking for you are in luck. Astilbe is now more plentiful than ever with their showy plumes of color from stark white to deep-deep reds to dazzling hot pinks. Further along the list of shade lovers comes a group of show stoppers. While the name Toad Lily may not be an endearing title, wait until you see these flowers. Wow! A more recent rave comes from another beautiful plant that sounds like more of a creature than a beautiful plant; Helleborus. Even more options and color abound with bulbs such as Siberian Squill, Snowdrops, and Lily of the Valley. Throw in some shade loving ornamental grasses to the mix and you have a year round season of color and interest where before nothing but dirt and mulch lurked before.
