Isn’t spring great? It really brightens up woodland areas with lots of colors just bursting out saying “Hey, look at me!” I think that is what sparks us to want to add color to our own shaded patches. The artist part of us comes out in wanting to splash color into our surroundings and the fun part is that it doesn’t stop with spring just as Claude Monet did at his garden in Giverny. This is a fall picture looking across the famous pond at the oriental bridge. The pond as well as each of his plantings was carefully planned by Monet. Over one hundred years old and (of course with regular maintenance) and the gardens still look as beautiful today as I can imagine that they did when he first created them.
I have put together a list of shade loving plants from ground covers, to perennials, shrubs and trees that will grow in shaded zones. Now, most will produce spring color while a few others will just add something special to the blend.
Strategically placing plants with color can give a whole new look to your woodland or shaded areas. It’s especially easy if you have a digital camera. You can take pictures of the areas you want to enhance with color or texture, print them out or just study them on the screen and you can visualize how you would like to see the woodlands as the seasons unfold.
Ground covers for shade:
• Ajuga
• Pachysandra
• Vinca
• Cotoneaster (creeping)
• moss
Perennials for shade:
• Ferns
• Tiarella
• Anemone
• Aster
• Astilbe
• Dicentra
• Helleborus
• Heuchera
• Hypericum
• Hosta
• Solomon’s seal
• Carex
• Liriope
Shrubs for shade:
• Mountain laurels
• Sambucus
• Azaleas
• Rhododendrons
• Bamboo
• Carolina allspice
• Shrub dogwood
• Hydrangeas
• Nandina
• Holly
Trees for shade:
• White flowering dogwood
• Red bud
• Serviceberry
• Sourwood
• Cedar
• Hemlock
• White pine
• Sycamore
• Green ash
• Poplars
Don’t try to do your entire project at one time. Working on it over several years allows you to see that you are on the right track for what you want as the outcome.
And don’t forget about ways to move through your wooded area. Bark mulch walkways and stepping stones make great paths. Benches, whether wood, stone or metal, give excellent reasons to sit and enjoy from the inside out. Rocks of all sizes and even boulders look stately with moss growing over them and are right at home in wooded and shaded spaces.
I hope this has given you some ideas to build on to make your own woodland area as beautiful as a Monet painting.
Until next time……Cheryl
To respond to or suggest topics you would enjoy reading about, drop me an email at info@greenwoodnursery.com
