Shade Lovers.

[theOEGBman]

Hey Folks!


My sister and her DH just bought a house, and she asked me to landscape it for them! I dont know how well I'll do, but Im going to try anyways. I have one question though. The right side of their house gets pretty much NO sunlight. They had these big shrubs that smelled like christmas trees, Im not even sure what they were. We tore those all up yesterday and now she's wondering what to plant there. I'd prefer not to use Annuals, but if that is the only possibility, that is fine. She said she wants lots of color, if possible. Also, if it could be something easy to find, that would be great. They are Home Depot junkies. So, what are some good shade loving plants, if there are any?


Thanks,
Jordan

 

[ShellieESterling]

I don't know anything 'colorful' per say, but hostas and bishop's weed both grow like crazy in the shade. At least here at my place, they do. They're very nice shades of green and the hostas get flower shoots. Maybe those would work...

And I have you personally to thank for making me stop into EasyGarden Forum, straight from your BYC 'What did you plant this year' post.

Good luck, it sounds like a fun project!

 

[theOEGBman]

I personally think Hostas are beautiful, I would love to plant those over there. I wonder if they will go for that, since most people wont see that side of the house unless they make them walk over there. I'll have to ask her and let her check them out. Thanks.

Im glad I was able to bring you on over! I was hoping posting that link would draw more people over here, its a great site. Thanks again, I hope this is a fun project!

 

[OaklandCityFarmer]

Letting you landscape they're property, sounds fun!

Caladium bicolor is a great shade plant to add some color. They come in a variety of color and have great, nice, big leaves.

Also, forget-me-nots, Columbine and foxgloves like shade and are very pretty.

 

[Tutter]

How about sneaking in some Nicotiana? If you plant it now, you might only get greenery, (Though maybe flowers.), but then early next spring, when they come back, they will begin flowering, and keep flowering all through the season.

They have a night blooming scent, which many people enjoy, and (at least mine.) multi-colored fowers, and they'll trap white flies as a bonus.

They may be the smallest seeds I've ever seen, so be careful when you open them.

Here are photos of some. Note they can be white, or colored? Mine are a mix of some white, but also lavender, yellow etc.

Nicotiana

I also have various types of hostas in my shade garden.

One of my favorite plants, and my favorite smelling flower, I think, is sweet woodruff. The leaves are unusual, adding visual interest, and when dried they have a scent used in pot pourri and such. Then in spring the have white flowers which smell even better than the dried leaves.

It's considered by some to be invasive if it gets too much water, but with all the water mine gets, it's taken almost 20 years to get a good sized patch. Maybe because of California's no-rain summers? But it's actually very easy to keep back with just pulling, and fyi, it's a decent cash crop, too. People will buy the dried leaves.

It's a good lower plant (No taller than 8") as it chokes out weeds.

I found this for photos...I should dig out a photo of mine. Scroll down the page.

Sweet Woodruff

How about camellias? My mother's has grown for over 50 years where no sun hits directly at all, but ask about varieties.

How much is, 'pretty much no sunlight?' With a little sun, and some air circulating, you can grow azaleas, and some varieties of rhododendrons. If you can grow those, you've got it made.

This is rhodie and azalea central. A lot of people have several types, and a garden between me and the ocean has 75-100 types, which you can go and see blooming from about March, through the middle of summer. Check varieties carefully for tenderness, color, and blooming dates.

Also, ferns are always nice.

Good luck!

 

[patandchickens]

Is this dry shade, or dry-but-regularly-watered, or humid-and-damp?


Pat

 

[theOEGBman]

OCF, We'll see! We were talking about it today and she wants color. I didnt realize that Foxgloves and Columbine would work over there, we might have to try a couple and see. Thanks!

Thanks for the info and links, Tutter! I didnt realize you were in CA as well. Im just not a huge fan of ferns, but it may be possiblity since this isnt my house,lol. When I say no sunlight I mean NO sunlight. The house completely blocks this bed from the sun. It might get some that I didnt notice, but from what I saw, it doesnt get any.

Pat, Im in CA, so I dont think its humid and damp, but they've only had this house for two weeks, and they arent even living in it yet, so I dont know too much about it yet. The plants that were in it were growing good, and no one had lived there for two years so they must have been hardy, but we dug them all up because my sister didnt like them.

 

[Tutter]

Yes, I was born and raised in the south part of the state, and having been living here, in N. California, for the past 20 years.

Well, there's one sure way to find out. Get a book, handheld game, or some such, set up a hammock or lawn chair, and spend the day chilling there. lol!

Kind of a shame to have removed what was growing so well. Well, too late to worry about it now.

Good luck! :coolsun

 

[patandchickens]

Can I suggest that if they've only had the house for 2 weeks that they only put container-grown stuff there until next year. It is AMAZING what surprises you can get about how conditions change as the year goes by. Shady now can be sunny come Winter; dry turns out to be where a giant puddle forms from January thru April; the wonderful spot for a strawberry bed is where all the kids cut thru the corner of the property in summertime...

Seriously. Containers this year. Save you a LOT of money and grief

Pat

 

[DrakeMaiden]

I'll go with what Pat said. The rule of thumb is to live somewhere a full year before you start making planting decisions (and even major house renovations). It is amazing how what looked like a good idea at first can either turn out to be a bad idea or be replaced with a much more refined idea.

I'm one of those impatient types who wants to do it all right away, but I've learned that it IS better to wait.