With clematis it really depends on a breed and kind, some actually need full sun and some will grow about anywhere. Also usually clematis like shaded roots, but not that a lot of shade for the top of the vines, where it blooms.

Perhaps these are full sun plants. The Shade Garden isn't in full shade. It has plenty of roses, and most of them are doing fine.

Sounds lovely....would love to see a picture to go with the one in my mind...

Ronda

Melissa - sounds lovely. For the dank spot below the hedge, if you have more space, have you considered iris foetida? It is a very old iris that loves damp soil (it is also OK with dryer soil), and will grow happily (sometimes too happily) in sun or deep shade. It loves our Mediterranean climate here. If in dry soil, it grows with no additional water in the summer. It is also cold hardy. The iris flowers in the Spring are small and a subtle yellow/green. However, in the Fall it makes huge seed pods which open like flowers. The bright orange seeds stay connected to the pods when open, so for months they give winter color. Makes large clumps. Just a thought -

Jackie

That was both lovely and interesting, Melissa. I always enjoy reading about your garden.

Laura

hi Melissa.
Shade, ha. For years, my tiny garden was permanently cowering in the lee of a massive mature chestnut. 2m high brick walls ensured that no sun found its way into the garden apart from 2 hours at noon. But, the same walls did provide structure for the climbing roses I planted all round the edges. Unfortunately, having teenagers and numerous pets, I had little money and inclination to investigate the many woodland plants I might have considered. My knowledge really was limited to hostas, a plant I dislike intensely since one hailstorm or snail infestation results in scarred and holey leaves for the entire rest of the season - not a pretty sight. The cheap and cheerful annual daisies were hopeless, so sighing despairingly, I planted a few tough shrubs and had done with. I thought I would reclaim the pavement outside the house instead - a ruse which worked so well I now have 96 pots, taking up a 4mx6m swathe of hard-standing. Even so, as my gardening knowledge grew, so did my love of foliage and the shady area began to flourish with primroses, epimediums, kirengoshoma, hardy geraniums, anemones, erythroniums, many, many bulbs, heucheras and tiarella, ramondas, haberleas and ferns. However, a few years ago, phytopthera struck the chestnut and it was felled, causing a surprising amount of sorrow but letting an extra 4 hours of sun into the garden. Oh dear - my woodland treasures were in danger of frizzling. The roses, which had previously been pruned within an inch of their lives were now encouraged to arch overhead. A beautiful tetrapanax provided a parasol of green shade and fortunately, the lush and verdant (if chaotic and crowded) jungle remains but I guess we should be careful what we wish for since all things go in cycles and everything will pass. Oh yeah, I also leased an allotment - an enormous space in FULL relentless sun - how lucky am I now I can finally indulge myself with osteospermums, ursinias, daylilies, flax, helianthemums.....the list goes on....and on but weeds! I didn't know the meaning of the word till I took on the allotment. Hours and hours are spent on my knees with a daisy grubber. Somewhere, I read that a true gardener does not have green fingers but brown knees - how true.

Suzy,
It also came to me in a flash that I just MIGHT be able to have Japanese anemones at last. I like them a lot and have never been able to get them to grow. Would they do well in the kinds of conditions that foxgloves like, by any chance? My foxgloves (D. purpurea) seeded, much to my delight. However, we've also had two wet winters, the last one quite cold by local standards. Possibly if (when) warmer drier conditions return the foxgloves will disappear. This dank ground is very compact, by the way, and goes through dry seasons, as does all the garden.
Melissa
P.S. If I can ever get the weeds tamed I'm going to try some of the things you listed. We have native erythroniums, anemones, and hepaticas, and lovely they are, but I don't think I have (yet) any garden area quite ready for them...no woodland with a deep loose litter of organic matter. Some wooded bits are getting there: when the grass has trouble growing in these spots I'll try some native bulbs.

Japanese anemones grow well in all sorts of clay - a lot of local village gardens have them here. I have a couple of spare volunteers which need a new home. :P

My biggest embarrassment regarding shade plants was that I did not know that astilbe actually are half shade-shade plants and I was attempting to grow them in full sun - until my DH googled the cause of their misery... Oh dear I won't hear the end of this lol, 5 years back I almost threw out baby hibiscus, which I thought to be dead and he spotted the leaves... he still is very proud about HIS saved hibiscus.

Jackie,
Sorry, I forgot to answer your message! I have Iris foetida, clumps here and there. You're right about its virtues, and Heaven knows it's tough enough to grow almost anywhere, but in this dark spot something light and luminous--if I could have it--would be the best thing. I will continue to dream about anemones, until I'm disabused.
Melissa