What are the best outdoor flowers for shade?

[Frankie]

I have a number of areas in my yard that I would like to plant floweres, but am having problems finding different varities that will grow well in shade. This area is shade about 80% of the time. Don't want all the same thing there, it is a pretty good size area.

Would you mind to post pictures if you can find them?

 

[kaykay]

we had a really shady place at our old house. I planted all different colors of impatients and it was just beautiful! they really thrive in shade and add a lot of color

 

[sharon]

Bleeding hearts and Lily of the Valley are a couple that come to me right off. I think Cyclamen too.

Non-flowering plants, but still very attractive are hosta and coleus.

 

[lyn_j]

[SIZE=14pt]Also Hostas, they come in various kinds including Varigated. They do sent out a flower shoot but they are mostly foliage plants that must be shaded. They look so pretty in the shadows with the silvery varigation.[/SIZE]

Lyn

 

[nootka]

Around here, the front of my house is all shaded and we planted both varieties of Impatiens, also some Begonias do just fine in the shade.

A lot of the nurseries or flower tags will show little guides on the tags that let you know what type of light they need.

That said, I have also grown Nasturtiums in shady conditions and Columbine. Fuschias also love the shade.

Liz M.

 

[runamuk]

Hostas, impatients, and coleus come to the top of my list

:

 

[tifflunn]

:bgrin My shade garden does well with Impatients, begonias and assylumm

 

[ali]

80% shade is a tough area to plant up!

:

Here are some of my favourites.

For earlier colour try Bergenia, Primula, Epimedium and Pulmonaria. For later colour throughout the season try Ligularia's, Kirengeshoma, Aruncus, Chelone, Cimicifuga, Heuchera, Ferns and of course, Hosta. Be very careful of Convallaria (Lily-of-the-Valley) as it is a very aggressive spreader and can be terribly invasive.

There is a very lovely grass (pricey here) but well worth every penny. It is Hakonachloa macra 'Aureola'. Slow to establish but one of the most graceful and elegant of grasses. This grass looks amazing on mass lining a walkway and combined with ferns that are not aggressive. Yummy.

When using Hosta's, remember that one can stagger bloom period by choosing those that bloom early, mid and late season. Also use slug resistant types. Look for thick substanced and puckering leaves. Takes a hard working, starving slug to do much damage. Hosta 'Guacomole' has very fragrant flowers and the foliage is very bright and colourful when grown well.

Hosta 'Sum and Substance' is a huge specimen that will 'wow' anyone and it will tolerate sun as well.

I'm sure there's so much more but that's about all that's coming to mind at the moment.

Good Luck and enjoy.