You’ll Never Have to Be Satisfied with a Sea of Green Again
There’s nothing else I’ve learned about gardening that’s more than gardening. One of the lessons I learned was that shade shouldn’t be a lack of color. Why should it be just leaves and texture when you can have colorful flowers too? Few people realize that many colorful perennials need some shade. The following plants are spine-tingling perennials that brighten up low-light spaces with their colors year after year.
1. Primula elatior and cvs., and P. veris and cvs.
Closely related and similar in appearance, oxslip (Primula elatior, zones 4–8, pictured) and cowslip (P. veris, zones 3–8) are excellent primroses (except in the heat of the Deep South). These late winter and early spring bloomers have flowers that appear above wrinkled leaves that resemble leafy greens. Both species and their selected cultivars bloom well in the summer, and their leaves remain intact year-round. The tubular flowers are arranged in rows on one side of 8-inch-long flowering stems, like little balloons floating in the spring breeze.
2. Corydalis ochroleuca
The cultural adaptability of white corydalis makes it difficult for the plants to be at home in all types of shade, especially dry, rocky shade. Its flowers, which appear from spring to fall, are white with a yellow lip above blue leaves. Its self-seeding habit helps white corydalis naturalize beautifully, as it does in the hemlocks under a mature cedar in my garden. As it ages, new foliage quickly covers the ugly leaves. Deer leave it alone
3. Lilium Species and CVS
Lilies are considered large-flowering, sun-loving plants, but there are many that enjoy a little shade. I think species with lots of bell-shaped flowers give a more casual look than species with large showy flowers. The top three on my list are the Japanese lily (Lilium speciosum and CVS., Zones 5–7, pictured) in white and carmine red, the Martagon lily (L. Martagon and CVS., Zones 3–7) in any of its forms, and the Canada lily (L. Canadense and CVS., Zones 3–8) in its color variations. The Japanese lily is also a butterfly magnet.
4. Iris cristata and CVS.
In my garden, drifts of crested iris weave their way through the larger perennials in late spring or early summer, forming a carpet under a dogwood tree (Cornus sp., Zones 2–9). This miniature iris blooms in white, blue, or lavender above the sword-shaped leaves. The creeping rhizomes grow just below or on the surface of the soil, forming a weed-suppressing mat. There are several varieties of this popular native plant - all of which thrive in shade, where many other irises do not. It is rarely damaged by deer.
5. Spigelia marilandica
This is our nursery's most colorful native plant, and it is tough as nails. The Indian lilac blooms in bright red tubular flowers, topped with a burst of color with yellow stars. After a large bloom in late spring, occasional flowers appear. The Indian lilac is suitable for a variety of conditions, from full sun with moisture to very dense, dry shade. It also thrives in heavy soils. The Indian lilac is slow to bulk up but is worth the wait.
6. Arizema species.
Several varieties of cobra lily add colorful stems and clusters of berries in the shade. There are more than 150 species worldwide, including two native to the eastern United States: jack-in-the-pulpit (Arizaema triphyllum, zones 4–9, pictured) and green dragon (A. dracunculum, zones 4–9). Careful selection of these plants for continuous blooms ensures a peak bloom that lasts from April to July. Deer resistance and colorful seed heads are added bonuses, lasting until November. Among my favorites are Farges’ cobra lily (A. fargesii, zones 5–8), with its thorn-striped spathe, giant leaves, and colorful orange-red seed clusters.
7. Epimedium species and CVS.
When it comes to adding color to the shade, you can’t go wrong with epimedium. White, yellow, purple, red and bicolored flowers, such as red barrenwort (Epimedium × rubrum, zones 4–8, pictured), bloom from spring to early summer on long and short spikes With the , this plant is only half of what it has to offer. The magnificent foliage with coppery veins and edges carries the torch after the initial blooms are over, and the plant is rarely bothered by deer. Often the leaves will bunch up a second time, which makes the older leaves fade into the background. Epimedium will thrive in dry shade, but given a little more light and humidity, it will produce heavier blooms and fuller leaves.
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