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| Mahonia repens Creeping Grape Mahonia Photo: Monrovia |
Last year with a new three foot high brick retaining wall facing north, we were faced with a planting bed that got very little sun. What would grow in this shady and somewhat dry space? Here are the plants I chose and the outcome one year later.
Mahonia repens - Creeping Grape mahonia
This low, sprawling North American native shrub features leathery, spiny, green foliage, and sprays of bright yellow spring flowers that are followed by clusters of blue-black fruit in late summer. Excellent for use as a large scale groundcover in a woodland garden or in a small shrub grouping. Provides effective erosion control for slopes. It is an evergreen staying relatively green through the winter. It grows 1-2 feet tall and needs moderate water. I had used this plant before with good success but this retaining wall facing north was clobbered with snow that never went away until well into spring. The Mahonia were damaged but quickly came back.
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| Galium odoratum - Sweet Woodruff Photo: Wikipedia |
Galium odoratum - Sweet Woodruff
This a commonly used ground cover for shady areas. It has star-shaped whorls of leaves and lacy white flowers and brightens a deeply shaded part of the garden. Sweet woodruff care is easy and taking the time to plant sweet woodruff is well worth the effort. It's also associated with Maiwein or May wine which is a German springtime tradition. It's made by steeping white wine with the sweet woodruff. My plants easily came through the winter. For more information see University of Wisconsin's site: https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/sweet-woodruff-galium-odorata/
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| Lamium maculatum 'Red Nancy' Photo: Monrovia |
Lamium maculatum - Lamium 'Red Nancy'
Also known as Spotted Dead Nettle, this groundcover is valued for its foliage as much as its flowers. Scalloped silver leaves thinly edged in green spread readily and will divide easily for an economical way to cover a large expanse over time. Hooded rose-red to red-purple flowers in spring rebloom sporadically until fall. Lamium tolerates dry shade once established and stems root into the ground where they touch. A stunning filler for container plantings. My Lamium came back nicely after the winter.
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| Callirhoe involucrate - Wine Cups Photo: High Country Gardens |
Callirhoe involucrate - Wine Cups
While this perennial is supposed to grow in full sun, it is thriving with part shade in our garden. It blooms with wine-red flowers from April to hard frost. Because it is a xeriscape plant, less water and some pinching back will help this plant stay more compact and not spread so wide. It does self-seed so if you don't want it spreading, remove any seedlings while they are young, before the roots get a good foothold. It grows 8-12 inches high.
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| Hosta fortunei ‘Aureo-Marginata’ Photo: Clemson University |
Hostas
Hostas have been reliable for me in shade for other parts of my garden so they were a natural to add to the retaining wall bed. Although hosta plants are touted as shade lovers, their sunlight requirements vary widely. Successfully growing hostas in the shade depends on color. Hosta leaves come in a variety of greens, ranging from a color so deep it’s called blue to a light chartreuse to a soft creamy white. A good rule of thumb for the placement and care of hostas is the lighter the foliage, the brighter the sun. The deeper darker foliage retains it color best in moderate shade. The variegated varieties need more sunlight to keep their white and gold stripes. All hostas need some shade and few, if any, will do well in strong direct sunlight.
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| Heuchera - Coral Bells 'Sugar Berry' Photo: Bluestone Perennials |
Heuchera - Coral bells
I've tried Heuchera in sun and it hasn't done as well as part shade. I put in the 'Sugar Berry' variety last year and it looks gorgeous this spring. This variety is also more compact only getting 6-8 inches tall. It gets little sprays of flowers through the summer