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Hey there! I was wondering if I would be wise in moving some of my many orange daylilies to the north side of the house ? Has anybody grown them in the shade ? Also, I need ideas for something else for shade. There is lily of the valley, snow on the mountain, and some other ugly green plant there. I'm not a big fan of hostas . Any ideas are appreciated. Thanks a lot, Coralbelle.
If you move your daylilies to a spot with less then 4 hours of sun you may find that you have fewer blooms.* It's worth a try.
As for other shade plants for zone 4:
Lobelia cardinalis - Cardinal flower - great for hummingbirds but needs about 2 to 4 hours of sun.
http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/p....asp?code=D940
You might find this post an interesting read.
http://www.backyardgardener.com/foru...um31/1474.html
Also consider:
Corydalis - comes in different colored flowers, seeds around the garden, is easy to pull out and will appear in wonderful spots all by itself.
http://www.paghat.com/corydalis.html
http://www.robsplants.com/plants/CorydLutea.php
http://www.hillkeep.ca/images/coryda..._copyright.jpg
Tricyrtis - toad lily has dainty flowers and blooms in fall. Place near the front of a border or the edge of a path so they can be seen. Best to plant at least 5 together for better impact.
http://www.variegatedfoliage.com/tricyr-lasioinset.jpg
http://www.gardenweb.com/cyberplt/plants/toadlily.html
Asarum - woodland ginger has lovely heart shaped leaves either green or variegated. Makes a good groundcover in shady places. Native and non-natives.
http://www.variegatedfoliage.com/pg0...__callaway.JPG
http://www.botany.wisc.edu/garden/db...cies=europaeum
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/c...canadense.html
http://www.easywildflowers.com/quality/asa.can.htm
There's all kinds of ferns. Some may stay evergreen for you.
http://www.nwplants.com/images/ferns...to_jen_gus.JPG
http://www.extension.umn.edu/distrib...s/7566-73.html
http://www.extension.umn.edu/distrib...s/7566-74.html
http://www.extension.umn.edu/distrib...s/7566-72.html
http://www.extension.umn.edu/distrib...s/7566-76.html
A mix of Japanese painted ferns, sedge (the grassy looking stuff), maidenhair fern in the back and a Heuchera 'Plum Pudding' on the right.
http://edonart.jrmhost.com/images/fern_garden_2.jpg
More mix with a Heuchera in bloom, a green hosta and astilbe on the extreme left with the small leaves and a plume from an astilbe on the extreme right.
http://www.extension.umn.edu/distrib...s/7566-79.html
Bergenia is evergreen for me but don't like the soil too rich. I love the glossy large leaves.
http://www.extension.umn.edu/distrib...s/7566-19.html
Ligularia - many different varieties and different cultivars. They wilt midday but perk back up in the evening. They like it shady and a bit moist. Ligularia 'the rocket' is quite a statement when it blooms and they get large. Ligularia dentata has flowers that look like black eyed susans.
http://www.extension.umn.edu/distrib...s/7566-33.html
http://www.extension.umn.edu/distrib...s/7566-34.html
Bleeding heart in pink or white. My old fashioned ones bloom for a long time in a moist spot and form a lovely clump. In a dry spot they go dormant mid summer. They look nice with larger leaved hostas. There is a new smaller one called fern-leaf bleeding heart.* The entire plant is smaller and blooms on and off all summer.
http://www.extension.umn.edu/distrib...s/7566-21.html
http://www.extension.umn.edu/distrib...s/7566-22.html
http://www.extension.umn.edu/distrib...s/7566-23.html
Helleborus - Lenten rose in many colors and should be evergreen.*
http://www.rosebay.org/chapterweb/shadegt63.htm
http://www.rosebay.org/chapterweb/shadegt64.htm
http://www.rosebay.org/chapterweb/shadegt65.htm
http://www.hort.cornell.edu/departme...st2/sld052.htm
http://www.hort.cornell.edu/departme...st2/sld054.htm
http://www.hort.cornell.edu/departme...st2/sld055.htm
http://images.google.com/images?hl=e...ch&sa=N&tab=wi
Pulmonaria - Lungwort is another shade lover with incredible variegation. Many cultivars, some better at resisting powdery mildew then others. The flowers change from pink to blue as they age in the spring. I have 'Mrs Moon' and it's more mildew resistant and an old cultivar.
http://www.extension.umn.edu/distrib...s/7566-44.html
http://images.google.com/images?svnu...rt&btnG=Search
Solomon's seal will form a lovely clump.* There's an all green native - False Solomon's seal and a Japanese variegated one that's a true Solomon's seal. Mine are mixed with hostas and ferns. Watch the berries on these if you have small kids.
http://images.google.com/images?svnu...al&btnG=Search
Phlox divaricata - Woodland phlox is a native groundcover with different colored flowers. The most common is blue. Spreads without being invasive and likes rich soil. Nice with ferns growing through it. This is not the tall fragrant phlox.
http://images.google.com/images?hl=e...ch&sa=N&tab=wi
http://www.easywildflowers.com/quality/phl.div.htm
http://www.ct-botanical-society.org/...phloxdiva.html
http://www.npr.org/programs/talkingp...les/phlox.html
Mitchella repens - Partridgeberry* A slow grower that forms a small mat of evergreen foliage. Height 2-4 in. Pink-white flowers in June with red berries that last into winter. Prefers moist soil.
http://www.rosebay.org/chapterweb/shadegt72.htm
http://www.rosebay.org/chapterweb/shadegt73.htm
Iris cristata - Dwarf Crested Iris creates a nice ground cover when grown in a mass. Easy to grow. Height: 6-8 in. Blue-violet flowers in May. A nice contrast to broad leaved plants. Grows best in fertile, well-drained soil with a few hours of sun.
http://www.rosebay.org/chapterweb/shadegt69.htm
Epimediums aren't evergreen in your zone. Several colors and leaf shapes.* Just in case you can't pick just one...
http://www.plantdelights.com/Catalog...nt/page36.html
or you could look at these 5 pages!
http://www.plantdelights.com+epimedium%5Dhttp://www.plantdelights.com+epimedium%5Dhttp://images.google.com/images?hl=en&lr=&q=+site:http://www.plantdelights.com+epimedium]http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&lr=&q=+site:http://www.plantdelights.com+epimedium]http://www.plantdelights.com+epimedium]http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&lr=&q=+site:http://www.plantdelights.com+epimedium[/url][/url][/url]
Lamium takes dry shade, but be careful with these as they can spread out of hand.* If you choose one and it says 'vigorous' you'll be pulling it out of your lawn as well as pulling your hair out.
http://images.google.com/images?svnu...um&btnG=Search
Ideas for mixing plants under trees.
http://www.mooseyscountrygarden.com/...ta-plants.html
http://ky-dan.com/images/summer2002/5260015.jpg
http://www.rona.ca/webapp/wcs/stores...arentAssetId=4
Mostly hostas and ferns
http://keystonehort.com/images/page_photos/shrub.jpg
Mostly hostas with epimedium in the front.
http://pss.uvm.edu/ppp/gardens/olb12.jpg
When my pond is finished I'm going to plant Hakonechloa so it cascades over the rocks.* This looks great at the front of a bed.* Comes in different shades of variegation.* Looks great with solid green hostas, purple leaved plants (Ligularia) or large ferns behind it.
http://images.google.com/images?svnu...echloa&spell=1
http://www.chrisghyselen.be/pictures/arch004.jpg
Some nice combos.
http://www.gardenlady.com/favorites_2004.html
You can click your way through these plants and research them at http://www.google.com* Best to use the botanical names.* Also click on 'Images' at google to get more pics.
http://www.rosebay.org/chapterweb/shadegt1.htm
If you decide to mailorder hold on to this site to check references and search for highly rated nurseries near you.* You can search by country and then by plant material.
http://davesgarden.com/gwd/
Part of my response is from another post, so I'm hoping all those links work for you.
Newt
Newt, your response blows me away !!! You are so very helpful and I sure do appreciate it. Now I have something to plan for the north side of the house. Many thanks to you . I'm off to dig. Talk to you later. Coralbelle...
Coralbelle, you are so very welcome!** I'm glad you liked all those.* Can you tell I love shade gardens?
Have fun,
Newt