Native Plants for the Shade

Don’t let a little shade stop you from going native.  A look at nearby shady natural areas and many of the new garden catalogues will provide lots of ideas. 

Understory trees like Amelanchier also known as serviceberry or Juneberry, pagoda dogwood, redbuds, ironwood (Ostrya) and musclewood (Carpinus) provide seasonal interest.

Shrubs like viburnum, hydrangea and Diervilla add color with flowers and fruit.  Cool Splash is a cultivar of the native Diervilla that brightens up the shade with its white variegated leaves.

And dress up the ground level with a nice mix of perennials.  Start with early spring wildflowers like trillium and mayapple and follow them with columbine, wild geranium and woodland phlox.

Add a bit of texture with the native grass-like sedges and of course ferns.

A bit more information:  Don’t add additional soil underneath and plant with care when working under and around established trees. Do mulch new plantings and water as needed.

Tags

redbud serviceberry dogwood ironwood musclewood diervilla mayapple columbine woodland shade-plants japanese-painted-fern cranesbill autumn-fern arrowwood-viburnum american-cranberrybush-viburnum blackhaw-viburnum pagoda-dogwood eastern-redbud lady-fern maidenhair-fern royal-fern ostrich-fern marginal-wood-fern large-flowered-trillium

Related

Audio

Attract Nature’s Vegetarians - Goldfinches to the Garden

Audio

Growing Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis)

Video

Unique Trees for Your Landscape

Audio

Summer Blooming Virginia Sweetspire (Itea virginica) for Sun or Shade

Video

Managing Botrytis Blight in the Garden

Audio

Rodgersia for Moist Shade

Audio

Grow a Native Musclewood - Carpinus caroliniana

Audio

Grow Native Columbine for Hummingbirds and More

Audio

Growing Ramps, Also Known as Wild Leeks Allium tricoccum

Audio

Cornelian Cherry Dogwood

• « Previous
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• 7
• 8
• 9
• ...
• 17
• 18
• Next »