There are many wonderful perennials and ornamental grasses that can be used in part or full shade gardens. The definition of part shade is areas receiving 50% or more filtered light reaching the ground. Full shade has less than 50% of light covering the area. Shade gardens can be a bit more challenging when planting in dry or excessively moist sites so proper plant selection is crucial.
Epimedium(Barrenwort) and Lamium(Spotted Nettle) are excellent groundcovers for dry, shady areas. Epimedium x rubrum bears rose colored flowers in the spring growing to a height of 12”. Lamium maculatum ‘Pink Pewter’ has pink flowers in early to mid Summer with white and green variegated foliage. Polygonatum(Solomon’s Seal) and Carex(Sedge) are other great choices for dry sites. Polygonatum odoratum ‘Variegatum’ has white flowers with variegated green and cream colored foliage growing to 24”. Carex siderostica ‘Variegata’ is a nice white and green variegated cultivar growing to 12”.
Astilbe(False Spirea), Chelone lyonii(Turtlehead), Filipendula(Meadowsweet), Hosta(Plantain Lily), Kirengeshoma palmata(Yellow Wax Bells), Monarda(Bee Balm), Primula(Primrose) and Rodgersia are great perennials for moist sites. Chelone lyonii ‘Hot Lips’ is a nice plant with showy pink flowers blooming in late Summer growing to 36”. Kirengeshoma palmata has yellow bell shaped flowers in Fall but this plant’s greatest asset is its beautiful bushy Maple-like foliage which makes it a great perennial for a Japanese or Chinese garden.
More superb perennials that grow well in part shade and average soil moisture include: Alchemilla(Lady’s Mantle), Anemone(Windflower), Digitalis(Foxglove), Hakonechloa(Hakone Grass), Heuchera(Coral Bells) and Polemonium(Jacob’s Ladder).
Some of my favorite cultivars are Anemone tomentosa ‘Robustissima’ which is covered with pink flowers in Autumn; Digitalis x mertonensis, a hybrid of D. grandiflora and D. purpurea, large pink flowers in late Spring; and Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’. Hakonechloa m. is a graceful ornamental grass that has variegated green and yellow foliage growing to a height of 12”.
There are other nice perennials that thrive in full shade including: Asarum europaeum(Ginger), Brunnera macrophylla(Siberian Bugloss), Dicentra spectabilis(Bleeding Heart), Ferns, Galium(Sweet Woodruff), Chasmantium latifolium(Northern Sea Oats), Lamiastrum galeobdolon ‘Herman’s Pride’, Pulmonaria(Lungwort), Rudbeckia fulgida ‘Goldsturm’(Coneflower, yes this will tolerate a lot of shade!), Tiarella(Foamflower), Tricyrtis(Toad Lily) and Waldsteinia(Barren Strawberry). Brunnera macrophylla ‘Jack Frost’ is a popular plant with attractive silvery white and green leaves bearing blue flowers in the Spring growing to 12” high. Chasmanthium latifolium is a great ornamental grass growing to 36” and producing attractive seedheads in Autumn.
http://www.vaughanlandscaping.com/
http://friendsofthehortfarm.org/
http://perrysperennials.info/
