A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion Landscape trials and triumphs Gardening in the Shade my shade area,

im still workin on it any ideas would be great
pond, got hostas around it, wantin to plant impatience in there, was wondering about somthing by the border that would trail down the logs?


this is off to the side. i was thinking of planting the painted fern in the big log, and dont know what else. theres 2 big hostas on both sides of it,

heres a close up

sorry the pics arnt s great, im using a cheap dig. and the area still needs a god clean up

and on the other side are big hedge roots. my work place cut them down and dug out the root, so i took em home, still need to clean em out real good. was thinkin of puttin in a raised bed. and maybe getting a shade vine to go up the trunk roots? im still tryin to think of ideas for it.

close up

Are you looking for perennial or annual vines?

either, i like both. it gets full shade by the hedge roots, im realy likin the idea of buildin it up,
i planted a jack in the pulpit down there today! i hope that grows well,

I think that lobelia trails and does well in the shade, comes in some pretty colors too. Mostly blues though. I think.

Bacopa is an annual and trails. I have a Ramona Clematis planted in partial shade and it doing very well.

I think the blue sky lobelia is the prettiest. but I also like Diascia--I usually buy the salmon colored variety (I think perhpas called wink pink?) but this year I have the Pink variety called Darla Light Pink--all very pretty--they are annuals. The Hypernicum, if I maybe even spelled that correctly--is perennial & more of a bush but it hangs over and has many colord leaves and occasionally a yellow flower for a beautiful effect--that might be worth trying too.

if you would be intereseted in tailing greenery why not try some vinca vine?? I have even planted swedish ivy out as it too will traily nicely.
Good luck!! That is a very pretty setting--I esp. love the pond--lucky you!!

thanks! i googled all of them i may put more than one kind down there! im keepin a list so next time i go to the hothouse i can see if thet have anything on my list

well keep us posted. I would especially like to see the finished product. :wink:

walmart didnt have anything! i thought they would atleast have impatience, try again nextweekend.
i drained the pond so i can clean it out, my hubbys gonna presher wash the trunks for me, then im gonna put a sealer on them before i plant anyhow. and raise the bed.
one of the white hostas has leaves!!
white bleeding hearts are up too! with one little bloom!

my bleeding hearts got froze while in bloom.
they are growing well now but i dont think they are gonna rebloom.

that always scares me with the bleedinh hearts, i never take the leaf[mulch] off till i know the weathers good, if i have to ill pile more on them. i have white on one side along the shrubs, i want the red for the other side of shrubs,
thats one thing about living in a vally, it holds the cold longer, so my spring flowers are always later to come up, the people on the hill always have blooms way before me, but when we get a cold snap, freeze, i dont get hit so hard cause they aint come up yet.
i took a peek by the creek! there are some dead trees down from the winter, storms, im gonna drag them up to build up the hedge roots, i got 2 so far. and started cleaning it out, dug up all the grape h, havent dug p the tulips yet cause their still bloomin, was thinking of putting them around the pond, so i have somthing there for spring, and impatience for summer. patty i realy like the sound of the deadnettle,lamium!
i dont work this weekend so i can realy get some stuff done. hopefuly!

patty i wonder if you could cut them back, and get new groths??

wallmart had nothing but the impatience, i got 2 flats and planted around the pond, i drug the hedges up and started preshure washing them. they look so beauitful when striped down to their natural look what a diffrence!. lol i was head to toe caked with mud from that.

Christy: When you are done you will post a picture, right---it is such a beautiful setting--I would enjoy seeing it done.

Patti: What part of IL are you in---I live in IL too and the freeze got me as well---everything but possibly one of my Hydrangeas and a young cherry tree have come back. So my advice is just be patient and wait until fall to assess the damage.

other shade suggestions
Monkshood
Ajuga (I just LOVE mine)
Ladys mantel
goats beard
Astilbe
Begonias(annual for you)
Berginia
Turtlehead
Bugbane
lilly of the valley
Corydalis(long bloom period,sink pot,acidic soil.will reseed)
Foxgloves
coralbells
Rocket ligularia
Cardinal flower
solomons seal(variegated one also)
Bethlaham sage(very pretty)
foam flower
trilluim
periwinkle(I can even share this!)

Cinnamon fern
royal fern
christmas fern
ostrich fern

Annuals
flossflower


at one time...I had cinnamon fern, southern shield fern claduims,tarro&cloeus.It's proably the best my shade bed ever looked.I'm working on returning the ferns to that area& have quiet a bit of periwinkle,lilirope,alstromeria,daffs,hycaniths,ivy(turns reddish purple in winter)oxillias,ajuga,jack in the pulpit,tarro.I believe I sat a huge container on my cinnamon fern& I weeded my ladys mantel.I'd love to add some ribbon grass....but can't find it around here.I've grown peacock ginger in area also...until the dog played with its container(a good reason to SINK those pots huh)

I love what you have done so far. I can't wait to see what it will look like finished.

The only thing about vinca major and minor is that they can take over everything if you're not careful. In my area anyway, Monroe, NC. I am constantly pulling it up. It will wrap around shrubs and if they're small or not established to start with it will kill them.

I too have a shady area, went to Lowe's yesterday and found that they have few shade plants.

Love your pond. I would like to have one but will have to wait until I'm stronger to work on that. As everyone else has said please post a finsihed photo.

i will take pics when its done.
i got 6 hedges to preshure wash and its taking me awile. every time i think i got all the dirt out, i see more tucked in somewere, the hostas are all growing nice,
i bought cinnamon fren from wallmart and so far nothing, i keep hopin to see sprouts.
i seen ostrich fren somwere. i love how tall they get. wonder if that would grow good in the hollow log?

i cleaned out the pond and took a few pics, i dont wanna go over my pic limit for topics so you can go to my photobucket album if ya wanna see em,
i got white fishtank rocks to put in the pond, just to lightin it up a bit.