Hostas, Huecheras and Other Shady Characters

One of my favorite areas to landscape is what I like to call the Edge of the Woodland Shade Garden. It’s that magical area where the tree canopy above creates leaf shadows that dance on the plants below. 

The plants that live in this environment thrive on the rich humus of the woodland floor, with those little peeks of sunshine to help them flower and grow. 

Creating an Edge of the Woodland Shade Garden is really quite easy to do! For inspiration, try taking a take a walk in a wooded park, and observe the plants that grow in the periphery of the trail. 

Here in Wisconsin, our early spring woodland displays lovely blooming plants that are our harbingers of Spring. Along the pathway, we find wild Geraniums with their abundant, delicate blooms of lavender and pink. Search a little deeper into the forest’s edge, and find the extraordinary Jack-in-the-Pulpit, and green seas of large-leaved May Apples. Ah, springtime in Wisconsin! 

How do we create this captivating landscape in our own yards? Location, location, well, you get the idea. Look for a shady canopy that will provide deep shade midday, but offers bright light around the edges during early morning or very late afternoon. Soil matters, too. Remember that rich humus layer on the woodland floor? Adding compost and mulching your beds will aid in creating a similar environment for your shade plants. 

It's important to think about layers and texture for the shade garden. While sunny gardens flash brilliant colors to get our attention, shade gardens captivate with layers of textures, coming from a variety of leaf shapes and sizes.

These large Hostas create a backdrop for smaller shade-loving plants like Tiarella, also known as Foam Flower. Three big blue Hostas hug the base of the cherry tree, and other large Hosta varieties fill out the space, with more dainty characters filling the spaces between them. 

The Danica Geranium is a creeping variety that grows across the front of this west-facing bed. Small in stature, this groundcover plant is covered with pink flowers in late spring and early summer, and will take a fair amount of sun.

An absolute favorite of mine is my Guacamole Hosta, which I would grow for the bright, slightly variegated foliage, but we also enjoy the beautiful, tall, and delightfully fragrant blooms late in the season. 

Once I discovered the Brunnera species, specifically 'Jack Frost', I wanted to plant these wherever I could. The heart-shaped leaves have a silvery covering, and are a standout in the shade garden. 

This would be enough, however in early spring, these plants are covered with little blue forget-me-not type flowers held above the foliage -- so delightful! 

I wrote a blog post with more pictures on this favorite shady character of mine. You can learn all about 'Jack Frost' here.

Lungworts are the first plants to bloom in my spring garden. I know, but that really is the name. The foliage has dots of white, and at one time someone thought the shape and dots resembled diseased lungs! For most of the season, their interesting foliage is the star. But in springtime, these delightful first flowers open as pink, turning to blue, with both colors represented on the plant at the same time! 

I love adding spring-flowering bulbs to the garden beds for bright spots of color. After a long Wisconsin winter, I need to see some color in my gardens! Crocuses are truly the first to bloom, beating even the Lungworts. That is, if the bunnies don't get to them first. The flowers must taste delicious!

This is the first year that my naturalized crocuses have gotten to bloom in years! Daffodils and tulips will follow, and unless I take measures to stop them, the deer will tastefully nip off the blooms of the tulips just before they open. Daffodils are not bothered by deer or rabbits.

What can we do to discourage critters from eating our plants? There is a natural solution that works very well. We use Bobbex-R, which you can buy a premixed solution or in a concentrated form to mix up your own batch. The fish oil, garlic and clove solution certainly isn't attractive to the nose, however for us the scent does not linger. 

On plants, the repelling scent keeps critters from nibbling on the new growth that we've been waiting so long to see. And this product lasts through a couple of rains as well. We receive no promotion for this product. We just highly recommend it to our clients and use it on our own gardens, because it works!

There is nothing better than sitting under a summer canopy of leaves, while enjoying all of the green and growing plants in my gardens. I've listed more info about some of these shade-loving plants below. Why not try experimenting with some of these favorite "Edge of the Woodland Shade Garden" plants? You'll be delighted to see what can grow in the shade! 

Bella by the Heuchera & Goat's Beard, keeping watch.

                    

                   Happy Gardening! 🌱

Close-up Geranium Flower

The Danica Geranium may no longer be available in commerce. Search instead for Geranium dalmaticum for a suitable alternative groundcover-type geranium. This plant grows well in sun or light shade, and is drought-tolerant once established. Grows 6-8" tall and 18" spread. Leaves take on a reddish coloring in the fall for added interest. All-around a great little plant!

Heucherella Leaves

 

The Heuchera and the Tiarella had a baby, and they named it Heucherella. These truly delightful plants have lovely foliage, some with deep staining at the veination. The fluffy flowers held high atop the foliage in shades of pink and white earned this plant the common name of "Foamy Bells."

Lungwort Foliage

                                                                                            There are many varieties of Lungworts to choose from (Pulmonaria officinalis), providing many wonderful variations in their leaves and flower color. These plants are diminutive, staying close to the ground, 6-12", with a similar spread. They like shade to part sun, and will burn in full mid-day sun. Water during drought periods. A very low-maintenance plant with early spring delight.

Tiarella

This often over-looked shade plant shows its beauty with its foamy flowers that brighten the landscape, along with their interesting leaf shapes and colors. Seeking the deep shade, these plants will take only morning sun, and stay small at 6-12" tall and wide. They mix wonderfully with Heucheras and Hostas, and other shade-loving plants. These shady characters are delightful!