How about a plant with flowers in your backyard? The
Columbine will thrive in the shade and show off it's flowers.
The Columbine works well in shade or sunshine with blooms occurring from May to
July. Columbines come in a variety of colors such as red, white, yellow, blue,
violet and multicolors. Reaching a height of from 12 inches to 3 feet,
Columbines can spread from 12 to 18 inches. The flowers are considered spurred
which gives them an unusual shape. The leaves will be blue-green with a
scalloped shape. The Columbine will seed itself if you allow it to scatter
naturally.
Many people enjoy having the dark red (burgundy) color of
Coral Bells or Heuchera. Coral Bells are grown for their
beautiful leaves. The leaves may be purplish, metallic silver or purple bronze.
The underside of the leaf can also be purplish-pink in some cultivars.
You can get potted Coral Bells at your local landscape store or you can grow
from seed planted in midsummer. The Heuchera can be planted in full sun or
ranges all the way to partial shade. The plants bloom in late spring and early
summer with tiny greenish-pink or red flowers. You won't be able to see the
flowers from a distance.
Number 10 Full Shade Perennial
Number ten on our list of ten full shade perennials is the
Lamium. Are you looking for a shade loving plant? Try out the
Lamium in your shady or partial shade portion of your yard. The lamium will
provide great ground cover throughout the spring, summer and fall. The lamium
comes in a couple of different varieties, the White Nancy and the Beacon
Silver. The lamium maculatum is a creeping perennial and has heart shaped
leaves. The flowers bloom in little clusters and come in white for the White
Nancy and pink (purple?) for the Silver Beacon.
It is so much fun watching perennials come up each spring as they provide
beauty to your front yard or back yard. Winter time can be so bleak and hostile
outside. Then a few warm days and these perennials pop their tiny leaves
through the soil. A little water and tender loving care and they show little
flowers. A few more days and back garden beauty is bursting colors of red,
blue, yellow, white, pink, purple, lavendar and rose.
How do you know if your garden area requires
full sun perennials or full shade perennials? If during
the middle of the summer that section has sun for 4 to 5 hours or less you will
probably be okay putting in a perennial that is marked as requiring full shade
or partial shade.
How Do I Know if the Plant is Considered a Full Shade Perennial?
When you go to your local landscape or garden shop and begin to look at the
plants and flowers there are two things to look for on the tags. One, see if
the plant is a perennial. Does it state on the tag that the plant will last
more than one year or even uses the word, perennial, on the tag? Second, the
grower will put a sun picture on the tag that is covered in black. The sun will
be partially covered if it should only get partial shade and the sun will
appear in full eclipse mode if it should be a shade plant. Each grower has a
little different image, but they all represent the same idea as the tag nearly
yells at you, "I am a Full Shade Perennial."
Look at the Height of Your Full Shade Perennials
Another thing to be aware of when looking at perennials is the height of the
full grown plant. Plant the taller perennials in back and the smaller
perennials in front. The Lamium will work best in front while the Rhododendron,
Holly, and Fallopia should be in back. You can fill in space in between with
the smaller Hostas, the Euonymus and Ferns.
Remember these plants all enjoy full shade and partial shade. They are looking
for well drained soils and require minimal care all summer long. A little
pruning and weeding between the perennials will go a long way to providing a
wonderful summer garden. I hope you enjoy the plants from this list all summer
long.
Other plants that will also work well in the shade can be the Princess Spirea,
Yew, Astilbe (partial Shade), Japanese Spurge, Jacobs ladder (a form of fern)
and the Astilbe.
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