Shade Garden

18 years ago

In my xeriscape plan, I have condescended to my husbands wishes for a woodland type ferny garden. Maybe not practical, but it is the one small area, I plan to keep moist. I actually planted the ferns over a year ago and most have survived, but he is not keeping up his end of the bargain to keep it watered, so I reduced the size, added lots of organic material, grouped all the ferns close together and mulched heavily.

It is a full shade area and I want to add some plants... I would like some taller plants as well as ground cover. My plan is top make it look pretty lush in our hot dry summer! Ha Ha. Like I said it is full shade and really a fairly small area. I have also located my makeshift Birdbath in that area, so I can recycle the water and it is close to the house where I can recycle other water from as well. There is a fence at the back of the garden, so I could have a vine or climbing plant of some sort. Flowers are a plus as are herbs. I am planning on a Spice Vine with reddish flowers down the fence from this garden, so probably will stay away from pastel colors.

Thanks!

Any Plant suggestions?

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Comments (5)

lesdvs9
18 years ago
I'm not sure what you're looking for, but I like the red coleus. It puts out a kind of periwinkle colored flower staks that you're supposed to cut off. I don't, I like the flowers. This year besides replanting this I also planted a chocolate coleus. This is my shade garden last Oct.
It's a mess, I call it my cottage garden, LOL*
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This is Lantana running away in the middle and some Leather Fern just barely visible as well as an Australian Tree Fern in the back. That's a Dr. Huey rose at the far right I keep meaning to shovel prune.
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Leslie
wanda
18 years ago
Lots of natives for a shade garden...
Asarum canadense
Redwood sorrel
Ribes
Douglas Iris
PCH Iris
Western sword fern
Giant Chain fern (Woodwardia)
Snowberry bush (Symphoriocarpus)
Western bleeding heart

Other non-natives
Toad Lily
Heucheras
Cast Iron Plant
Abutilons
Liriope
Polemonium
Hellebores
ivy geraniums
to name a few

And of course annuals like Impatiens, fibrous begonias, tuberous begonias,
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inkneedeep
Original Author
18 years ago
lesdvs9... beautiful cottage gardens!...The coleus does look pretty. I had tried preiviosly, but I have a German Shorthair who loves winding through the plants looking for lizards and they broke easily and she destroyed them. I finally realized that I need to make a kind of path (like a landscapers path) througn the middle, so she can have a little winding adventure path of her own... The color is great for brightening up shae...I never knew they bloomed.

Wanda, as always you are full of helpful info...I just love that I can quickly look these up on the computer. Thanks!

Thank you both for your time posting pics and listing plants!
kelpmermaid
18 years ago
Also, you might want to take a look at clivias. Green leaves all year, flowers in Feb-March, don't need much water.
inkneedeep
Original Author
18 years ago
kelpmermaid,

Thats a good idea... I have one (orange)and meant to look and see if there were other varieties. I love the one I have!