Flowering plants that like shade
***Advice needed***
My garden is a funny design, I have one side which gets sun all day and gets bone dry in the summer and to be honest were all the colour is in the garden, the other side is in complete shade and gets no sunlight mainly because of the fence dividing my garden and next doors, i have put in ferns, foxgloves, (busy lizzies in the summer) and the odd rhododendron bush there as well, however i would like a bit more colour down this side of the garden so its balanced out, the soil becomes quite wet after a downpour as the garden is on a slope and is were all the rain water runs off too, im not in a position to improve drainage so this isnt an option, when its been warm for some time it drys out completely, anyone suggest any plants with lots of colour that i can add which will tollerate these conditions?
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Hi Daniel 2323
I have a plot North facing in shade located in N.E.After much experimenting I successfully grow Begonia,s ( plenty of colour ) fuschsia,s nocotiana and senecio
Good luck
Mike W
Damp shade - astilbe
It sounds as if your soil has some clay in/under it with it staying wet & then drying out hard. If Rhodos cope then it's on the acidic side.
If that side is completely in shade all day, then colour will be in short supply. However most 'shade' areas do get some sort of light sometimes, unless North facing & surrounded by high walls/fences. A lot of shade tolerant plants are spring flowering, but not all. Think about what grows under trees in a dense wood.
You could try painting the fence a pale colour to lighten up the background behind your plants.
Further away from the fence there will be more light, so by widening the border you could have more plants there that will cope better.
Shrubs- Azaleas, rhododendrons, ribes, pieris, sarcococcca, skimmias, some viburnums- deciduous/evergreen, chanomeles, cornus- they will love the moisture, hydrangeas, including the climbing one which could eventually cover the fence, ivies too- lots of small leaved varigated types, euonymous- the varigated emerald & gold will climb, no flowers though, fuschias- lots of hardy ones, usually the less showy flower types.
Plants- heucheras, bergenias, small spring flowering bulbs- before any overhead tree canopy closes in, vincas- minor less invasive, solomons' seals, hardy geraniums, some campanulas, foxgloves, hellebores, japanese anemones, winter flowering jasmine- yellow flowers, some honeysuckles,campanulas, lysimachia, aquilegias, forget-me-nots, cyclamen, dicentras,
I could carry on walking around my garden, but think you've now got the idea. Shade gardens are challenging, but can be just as good, but in a different way to those in full sun. BTW there are lots of shades of green too! J.
Lots of good choices there Danielm. Bright colours don't come naturally in the shade and the more subdued light doesn't show them off well.
In the sticks near Peterborough
hellebores and lots of spring bulbs for early colour
I agree with nutcutlet - I have a shady northfacing border and whites and pale colours show up much better in the lower light levels. There are plenty of clematis that will cope well with those conditions, both the alpinas and the larger flowered varieties.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.