Shade Loving Perennials
A Few Helpful Facts About Shade Loving Perennials
Chances are there are one or more spots in your garden well suited for shade loving perennials. As we know, most annuals are sun worshipers, and don't do very well in the shade, or at least in full shade. Some perennials fit into that category of course, but there are others that do very well in shade, a few though not many, in deep shade.
Water Still Required - One mistake that gardeners occasionally make is a belief that shade loving perennials don't need as much water as their sun loving cousins. There may be a little truth to that, but not a great deal. Water is going to evaporate less quickly in the shade, and therefore shady areas don't require as much watering. However most plants, including perennials, will not do well in a shady area if the soil is allowed to dry out. If the soil is just a little too dry, the plants may grow, but bloom less profusely or simply grow much more slowly.
Big Bad Trees - Almost as bad as planting in a dry shade area, is placing shade loving perennials around or near the base of a large evergreen tree. If the shade is too deep, the perennials may not do well. More typically though, the evergreen simply hogs all of the water in close proximity, leaving an insufficient amount for the perennials. In this case, and in the case of dry shade as well, adding some moisture-retaining mulch can be of great help, but you still need to water the perennials often enough so they won't suffer.
Mulch added annually, and worked into the ground on occasion, will also serve to build up the soil, making it more fertile and giving the shade loving perennials at least a fighting chance, and then some. If you have the chance to walk through an evergreen forest, you'll note that very little grows in the shadiest areas, and even young evergreens have a real struggle getting established. The perennial shrubs and smaller plants are often found a short distance away from the trunks of larger trees, and in places where they get at least a little filtered sunlight from time to time.
Several Perennials To Choose From - There's no shortage in the marketplace of available shade loving perennials. You can purchase them for the blooms or for the foliage, or both. Many of these plants are evergreen, and many of them are also quite hardy. The Hellebore, also called the Christmas Rose, often appears to have died back when winter snows arrive. Even after some weeks of sub-zero temperatures, as soon as the snow begins to disappear, the Hellebore already has green leaves and is ready to start the new growing season. Hostas are also one of the more popular shade loving evergreens. If you want to start a new hobby, consider the Hostas, of which there are innumerable varieties to pick and choose among. Most varieties feature very attractive foliage which can add much to a previously neglected shady spot in the yard, or near the shady side of the house.
Where the chrysanthemum is a great favorite as far as a sun loving fall perennial is concerned, a shade lover which also blooms in the fall is the Toad lily. Japanese Painted Ferns are also near the top of the favorites list, as is the Jacobs Ladder. The Jacobs Ladder can often be found in wooded areas which while shady, are not in deep shade. Commercial hybrids of Jacobs Ladder, while still very attractive, have over the years become less hardy, and may not overwinter well in some growing zones.
If you start with one or two varieties of Hosta and a few Hellebores plants, you'll probably be quite pleased with how these shade loving perennials can dress up your garden. Then, pick and choose among the many other types of perennials to add to your garden in the years to come.