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 lots more pictures of 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 as 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!

Winter 'Indoor Gardening'

What can you do when you are an avid gardener and it's the middle of winter? Grow indoors, naturally! 

One way is to grow houseplants -- of which I have many! They brighten our interior spaces and provide life and beauty, even when nothing is green and growing outside.

Living in southeastern Wisconsin through the long winter months, my heart aches to see the green canopy of our maple trees in summer, and to hear the buzzing of bees and hummingbirds while I am out in my yard. 

Now instead, our living room hosts the greenery, with some very tall Ficus trees, their slightly smaller offspring, and a towering corn plant. We also have several large Norfolk Island Pine trees -- all of which were originally bought over the years as tiny decorated trees at Christmastime.

Adding to these larger specimens are the numerous pothos plants that are climbing and trailing everywhere, various cacti and spider plants, and all of their babies. Visitors will say that our living room looks like a 'jungle', but I liken it more to that of a calming forest. :)

Happy Basil Plants in the Sunshine

Beyond our numerous houseplants, I have attempted to bring some outdoor plants into the house at summer's end, and have grown them on sunny windowsills with some success. Not all plants will transition to interior spaces after living outdoors, but I try to bring in some of my herbs and plants that are still growing late in the fall, before the first frost gets to them, so that I can enjoy them for a little longer. 

I have had limited success with transitioning basil plants to indoor living. The plants may survive for a brief period indoors before succumbing to an untimely end. This year, it was aphids.

My conclusion? Basil is probably best started from seed indoors, rather than moving plants inside after growing outside all summer. 

This year I had copious amounts of baby kale plants that were still going strong late in the season. I love to peel the lower leaves off of these small plants to add to my salads and sandwiches, and have added them to soups and stir-fries, too! So, even though kale does well in the colder temps, I wanted to bring these plants inside before the deep freeze of winter came.

The curled kale and curled parsley seem to be thriving this year in my interior spaces. I've recently added a grow light to aid them in optimum growth, as our unbelievably endless gloomy days continue. I am sitting under a full-spectrum light as I write, to ward off SAD, which is a real thing for us northerners. 

Winter Indoor Garden 2026

Just a couple of days after using the extra lighting for the kale and parsley, I noticed that aphids were beginning to take over some of the plants. 

I researched whether it is safe to use neem oil on edible foods, and since it will be more than a few days before I harvest any kale, and as long as I wash off the leaves with water to remove any residual oil and soap (mainly for taste) then I am safe to use the neem oil on these plants. 

Mixing a few drops of soap and the neem oil, diluted with water, I used a heavy spray on these plants; and so far it seems to have helped the aphid (and the fungus gnat!) problems already. Further applications will be used to assure the aphids have been eradicated -- or I may resort to taking each plant and rinsing the foliage under running water in the sink. Those sucky aphids like to hang out under the leaves, and with these curled kale leaves, that's a lot of hiding places -- and it's difficult to spray under the leaves! 

Lettuces Grown in 2020

The best part about growing an indoor garden is eating your own fresh greens in the middle of winter. Soon I will start some lettuce and spinach seeds. Greens are easy and fast to grow, especially since I love to harvest and eat them as baby greens. 

I hope these glimpses into my wintertime gardening inspire you to add some greenery to your interior spaces! Until I get a greenhouse, my sunny windowsills will have to do, and honestly, our indoor forest -- or jungle -- seems to growing just fine. Wishing you happy 'indoor' gardening! 

Bowman's Root - Delicate Beauty in the Shade Garden

Native to Missouri, Bowman's Root (Gallenia trifoliata) is a delightful perennial plant. Although it appears to grow as a woody shrub, its branches die back to the ground each winter, and new sprouts appear in spring. Growing to about 3' tall in my garden, with about an equal spread, these plants have a woody root system. They thrive in the edge of the woodland shade garden, requiring at least part-time shade. 

I love the delicate look of the Bowman's Root, and how it gently moves in the breeze. The tiny one-inch, five-petaled flowers arrive in early summer, and while they bloom for only a short time, they are enchanting, especially planted en masse. This ethereal quality is the reason I wanted to surround my angel statue with these blooms. Here she is, in a sea of flowers, with the late afternoon sun adding its soft light. The over-arching branch, with all the shades of pink, is a Carnival Weigela. This is another absolute favorite of mine, and I will tell you more about this lovely flowering shrub in another post.

Bowman's Root also pairs strikingly with my pink peonies. The dark bark of the Black Cherry tree is a lovely backdrop for these early summer bloomers in my garden.

Even after the blooms have faded, the foliage of the Bowman's Root adds wonderful texture to the garden. Its trifoliate leaves hug the stems, which develop a red coloration that is a lovely contrast to the bright green leaves. The arching branches move softly with the breezes through the shady garden all summer long.

Funny story about my Bowman's Root... One day I was at the garden center and fell in love with these delightful plants, and purchased 3 of them to add to my garden. I had to laugh at myself when I came home and approached the garden bed to lay out the new plants, because there, right in front of me, was a specimen plant of Bowman's Root that I had planted the year before. There it was, blooming happily in my garden!  Well, at least I know what I like! 

If you're looking to add a lovely "filler" shrub for the middle of the garden bed, check out these delightlful perennial plants. You will enjoy their beauty for years to come. Here are the basics:

Common Name: Bowman's Root; Indian physic

Botanical Name: Gallenia trifoliate (formerly Porteranthus trifoliatus)

Type: Herbaceous perennial

Family: Rosaceae

Native Range: Eastern North America

Zone: 4 to 8

Heght: 2 - 4'

Spread: 1.5 - 3' 

Bloom Time: Early summer

Bloom Description: White (can be pale pink)

Light: Part shade

Water: Medium

Happy Gardening, everyone! 🌱

Crocuses - Beautiful Harbingers of Spring!

Each spring I wait with anticipation for the unveiling. 

Our region had been experiencing sub-zero temperatures, and unfortunately there was no snowpack to insulate the ground from the extreme cold. 

I had covered my garden beds with evergreen boughs to provide some winter protection for the plants.

Now it was finally time to remove the boughs, and I was eagerly hoping to see something green and growing underneath.

Winter can seem interminable here in the upper Midwest, and it is so hard to wait for spring! But I know from experience that by early to mid-March, under those boughs new life would be emerging. Temperatures had been creeping upward, along with longer hours of sunlight and a gradually warming sun.

And as sure as spring follows winter, once again new life emereges from the recently frozen ground, bringing with it hope, along with its tiny green sprouts. They're here! Crocuses! And if you look closely, you can see a white stripe on every little leaf!

And then there's the flowers! 

The Flowers! They shine with such beauty in the warming sun! This little garden bed area outside of our back door is a "microclimate", with southerly exposure and protection from the northwesterly winds that usher in the bitter cold. 

This cluster of crocuses is the first to bloom in my yard every year! 

Although I currently have only purple spring blooming crocuses in my gardens, they also come in lovely golden yellow and pure white varieties -- as well as some tantilizing bicolor varieties that are also available.

Overall, there are about 100 vaieties of crocuses, most of which bloom in the springtime; however there are some varieties that bloom in the autumn of the year. Today we are focusing on early spring blooming varieties. Here are the basics:

Scientific name: Crocus vernus 

Common name: Spring crocus

Plant type: Corms

Bloom time: Early spring

Height: 4-6" tall

Spread: 3-6" spread

Hardiness zone: 3-8

Crocuses, like many spring blooming bulb plants, require a period of cold temperatures to 'force' them into coming out of their corm 'shell'. This pre-chilling requires about 10 weeks of being exposed to temps below 45 degrees Farenheit. 

How to Plant: Crocuses grow best in loose, well-drained soils. Plant crocuses in perennial beds or rock gardens where they can thrive without being disturbed. 

When to Plant: Plant crocus bulbs in the fall, once the weather has cooled, but before the ground freezes. Space them 3" apart (on center) and plant about 3” deep.

Tip: An easy to remember rule-of-thumb for bulb (and corm) planting depth, is to plant them 2-3 times their diameter deep into the ground. 

Truly crocuses are our harbingers of spring here in the upper Midwest! They bring such joy when thier bright colors light up the garden after the long months of cold winter. Why not plant some corms this fall? You will delight in the joy that these little crocuses bring to the very early spring garden!

Happy gardening, everyone! 🌱

Happy spring! 

A Sweet Look at Meyer Lemons

A few summers ago, I was gifted a pair of dwarf Meyer Lemon trees. Despite a battle with brown scale, they thrived outdoors in summer and wintered in my kitchen. Their incredibly fragrant blossoms would yield a continuous harvest of sweet, juicy lemons enjoyed throughout the seasons.

These diminutive, shrub-like trees were so enchanting! They can sport pink buds, fragrant white blossoms, and varying degrees of maturing fruit on them -- all at the same time. A very unique characteristic!

Meyer lemons are a cross between lemons and mandarins. If you haven't tasted their fruit and juice, you really should. A sweeter lemon you will not find, and these are surely a treat! Don't worry, they still have their lemony sourness. It's just more balanced and less acidic, with a gentle sweetness that is so unique!

We enjoyed many seasons as my plants grew, indoors and out. My dwarf Meyer lemon trees were only about 2 1/2' x 2 1/2', with only minor pruning, making it easy to bring them back indoors when they would otherwise freeze outside in our Zone 4 winters. They soaked up the sun in south facing windows during their indoor stay, and continued to produce fruit. All in all, they had a good life and yielded many delights that everyone enjoyed.

Sadly, my battle with the brown scale eventually resulted in me throwing the plants onto the compost heap in the middle of winter. I had finally had enough! I did receive some complaints -- from those who were not fighting the brown scale war with me, mind you. I know I made the right decision, after too many seasons of cleaning up the sticky honeydew left behind -- on everything!

I do plan to grow some new lemon trees, hopefully minus the scale issue. It is such a treat to enjoy their fragrant gifts. There's nothing like harvesting their fresh fruit in my kitchen, with a snowy scene just outside my window. 

So enjoy this glimpse of summer sunshine, these golden globes of goodness that were a delight to grow. Thinking of their deliciousness makes me want to create a lemon curd... mmmmmmm. Anyone have a vegan recipe?

Flying Gems - The Hummers of Summer

I miss my little hummingbirds. I finally took their feeder down today, though they’ve been gone for a couple of weeks. 

Their departure signals the end of summer, and that has been difficult for me to accept this year. Once again, summer has passed by much too quickly. 

Do you enjoy watching these little feathered friends throughout the summer? We have a feeder hanging by our kitchen window, and the whole family enjoys our little summer neighbors.

Blooms of my Hosta 'Guacamole'

With their antics and boundless energy, these tiny friends entertain us throughout the summer. I love to watch them inspect my petunia baskets, thoroughly checking out each flower for nectar. 

When my larger hostas bloom with their bell-shaped flowers, the hummers almost disappear inside the blooms. Even the tiny coral bells offer something pleasing for their palate.

Do your hummingbirds come and say hello, or even goodbye? I get to know the little family who shares our feeder each year, and if I am outside near their feeder, they act somewhat surprised to see me, although they seem to know who I am.

Raspberry Blast Petunia

I am the flower lady who plants bountiful gardens of blossoms for them to enjoy; and I am the one who refills their feeder with fresh sugar water for their sustenance. Yes, they know me, and they are not afraid of me.

At the end of the season, one of these little flying gems will come right up to the window, looking directly inside, usually at my office window on the other side of the house. My little friend will hover, looking into the window, and seems to be saying goodbye.

Male Ruby-throated Hummingbird

They do this every year, and I am always awed by their presence. They never seem to be afraid of me. While it is bittersweet farewell, I treasure that they know me and I fancy that they are saying thank you for the lovely summer gardens and sweets. And too soon, they are gone.

Autumn leaves are falling, and our seasons are changing once again. I miss my tiny friends, but I know next May I will place my feeder out with fresh sugar water, and once again these delicate beauties will grace us with their presence. It wouldn’t be summer without them!

*******

Female Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Let me share a story of my personal encounters with hummingbirds. I’ve actually gotten to hold these tiny creatures in my hands, not once, but twice! 

The first time was when we lived in Oregon, and one got trapped up by the skylight in the outdoor breezeway. It was twilight and this poor little guy was franticly trying to find a way back to the sky!

Fearful that he might harm himself attempting to escape, I got a ladder and climbed up to carefully catch him in my hands.

I stood on the patio, incredulously holding this tiny creature in my hand; two species not normally in direct physical contact. He felt practically weightless, and I could feel his tiny heart beating so fast. With a soft whir of his wings, he was gone. But the gift of holding that tiny life in my hand was indescribable, and I will never forget it.

Fast forward fifteen years or so, to our home here in Wisconsin. My husband saw that the cat had something out in the yard. When he approached, a chipmunk freed himself and ran off. But he noticed something bright green in the grass, and it was a hummingbird!

We don’t know how this tiny bird got to be there in this mix of animals, lying in the grass. He rescued the tiny bird and brought him to me. I held him for awhile, and he began to perk up.

Baby Hummingbird on a branch. So tiny!

As we had just made fresh sugar water for the feeder, my boys suggested we get some for the little bird. We filled a small medicine cup, and encouraged him to drink. Before long the little guy was perched on the side of the cup drinking the nectar. After a few minutes, he felt stronger, and soon, with a whir of wings he flew away.

Once again I felt awed at the rare opportunity to commune with this delicate species that live with us for the months of summer. I will never forget how it felt to hold these tiny creatures, and I feel privileged for having had the experience not once, but twice!

What Happened to Summer?

Close-up of Verbena, one of my favorite summer annuals

How is it possible that summer has come and gone, and I haven't gotten to share my gardens with you? Oh yeah, I run a landscaping business and a busy household. No excuses! So I'll start by sharing some pictures here.

I would be willing to bet that you will agree with me that SUMMER WENT TOO DARNED FAST!! 

While I hold onto my impatiens as long as I can and keep watering petunias that I should have let go long ago, my tomato plants continue to produce bounty, and we keep enjoying it!

'Nora Leigh' Phlox

These last few days have been absolutely gorgeous, the kind of September that Wisconsinites dream about. The sun brings heat through blue skies, but you don't have to look far to see Autumn creeping in. Tinges of yellows and even reds are beginning to peek through, though for the most part we still savor our green palette of summer adorning the tree-covered hills. This soon will change.

The forerunners of color-change are already among us, and there's no turning back. Many of the ash trees on our property have already lost their leaves. They're always early to lose leaves and late to leaf out. That's just their style. But the crunch on the driveway lets me know that the inevitable change of seasons is here, so we might as well embrace it. 

I've always loved Fall. As a little girl, the smell of Fall brought the crunch of leaves and made for a fun season. I loved raking leaf piles and jumping into them, and then laying in the warm sun, letting my imagination take me far away.



I still love Fall, but with the maturity of many seasons behind me, I know that the beautiful hues of Autumn lead to the snow and cold of winter. Not that I mind winter. It's just that it LASTS TOO DARN LONG in Wisconsin. But I digress...

Savor the season you are in.  

Summer glided by on the wings of butterflies and hummingbirds, but as Autumn approaches, we now ride the winds of change.

Change can be for the better, or sometimes for the worse, but one thing is for certain. Nature guides us in displaying that change is a constant in our lives, and we had better learn to go with the flow. Hopefully, our transitions may lead us into new beginnings.

Somewhat reluctantly, I will bring out a few Fall accents to decorate our home. But first, I have a bird bath to clean and plants outside that still require regular watering. 

I hope you are enjoying these last days of our summer-turned Autumn. The promise of pumpkin pies and apple cider and nights around a fire sound inviting, but for now, my rose bush is still blooming and soaking up the sun. Therefore, so am I. 

Anemone: Fall Blooming Beauty

Summer is over, way too soon, in my opinion. Usually by now I'm ready for falling leaves, cleaning up the gardens, and preparing for winter. But this year's odd summer weather has left me wanting more, and I'm being dragged kicking and whining into autumn this year.


 


One bright spot of joy in my garden is this sweet little Anemone. I added three of these plants to complete an "edge of the woodland shade garden", one of my favorite designs, (although this one is actually right up against my house!)

Though this garden is on the west side of my house, it is heavily shaded and receives only a brief time of direct sun each day. 
 

The Anemone holds its flowers high on sturdy stalks. Each flower measures only an inch or two, but the plant is floriferous and as it matures will bear many flowers each season. 





I chose most of the plants in this shade garden for their foliage, though all of them flower at some point - a bonus! However, the anemones were planted with flowers in mind, fall flowers, mind you, at a time when everything else is fading away.

I love their cheery little faces, and as the plants grow, I think this will be a highlight of my new shade garden.




This Anemone is rated for zone 5 hardiness, meaning that if we experience a really frigid winter (below -20), these plants may not survive. Planting them in a protected area, such as in this garden next to the house, will help to assure they make it to the next season.




Here are the facts:


Scientific name: Anemone x hybrida 'Pamina'

Common name: Windflower, Japanese Anemone

Family: Ranunculaceae

Hardiness: Zone 5-9


Light Requirements: Sun to Part Shade

Height: 24-36"

Width: 24"

Blooms in late summer or early fall.

Resistant to deer and rabbits! 

Just one more note:  I though you might like to see my Limelight hydrangea in the fall. The flowers have turned nearly all pink, and are still darkening in their color. This plant is enjoyable in all seasons!