lillybettybabs Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 I have a boarder down the side of the house that is very shady, I have some ferns that seem to be doing ok but not a lot else. Has any got any ideas on what plant would do well? Not fussed what as it can be a climber or shrub etc just needs to love shady areas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daphne Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 Is it dry shade or damp shade? And what is casting the shade - trees/building/big shrubs/hedge? If you have ferns growing well I am assuming its quite damp, which is a lot easier to grow in than dry shade. You could plant lots of bulbs in the Autumn for next Spring, hopefully they will emerge before the shade is too dense. Quite a few shrubby things are as tough as old boots - acuba, box (you could have a line of repeating box balls or cones which would look striking if you like formality), castor oil plant, mahonia. For perennials, try some euphorbia (robbiae is a tough ground coverer), ivy (there are some great yellow/white splashed varieties to lighten the gloom), more ferns or for Spring I have grown paeonies and dicentra (bleeding heart) in shade, but not ultra dense shade. There are loads more! Some hostas do well, as do some clematis - look for those which are OK on North facing walls. Try looking up woodland plants as well. I think most plants for shade tend to be green so I might choose a real splash of colour for Spring and/or embrace the green but make sure I had different textures and leaf shapes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 I had a shady border at my last house, and as I recall I planted dicentra (bleeding heart), pulmonaria (lungwort) and a clematis which coped because it had shade on its roots (which they like) but sort of grew up into the light. Is there anything you could do to lighten the area, e.g. painting the wall or fence a light colour - it can make a difference. Short-flowering bulbs are often ok, or could you put things in tubs and bring them in and out of the area to add some colour? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lillybettybabs Posted March 1, 2012 Author Share Posted March 1, 2012 Thanks guys, It is a damp corner shaded by a tall fence one side and our house the other (corridor) also two small trees. Gets a little sun first light but that's it, The ferns thrive in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
