Northern Shade Gardening

Puschkinia scilloides var libanotica (striped squills) in bloom

Puschkinia scilloides libanotica (striped squills) are one of the earliest bulbs to appear in the spring, and make a lovely show with their pretty blooms. There are masses of florets facing outwards from the stem. I’ve been very impressed with how well these showy bulbs have flourished in the shade and handled the cold.

I have one group of striped squills close to the north side of my house, partly under  a bay window, squeezed between some small yews, and large spruce and pine. These evergreens create year round shade for the Puschkinia, unlike the bulbs in the backyard under deciduous trees. The little blue bulbs might get a half hour of  sun at the most, but are still growing and blooming well. I’m very impressed by how these spring bulbs have performed with such a low light exposure, and that the blooms have not shrunk after three years. In the shadows, the pale blue colour is very conspicuous. Their lovely flowers show up well against the dark green of the yew.

The Puschkinia bulbs have coped with the flurries we’ve had over the past week just fine. They continue to shine, blooming through the below freezing temperatures, and shrugging off the white flakes. The striped squills are handling the May weather better than me. The flowers might look delicate, but they are definitely not wimps. Planting some early, hardy bulbs greatly lengthens the number of weeks that the garden is in bloom, when the growing season is so short.

Puschkinia scilloides var libanotica (striped squills) closeup

Here is a closeup of one flower stalk, showing the six petals of each floret. Each petal is white, with a blue stripe down the middle, visible on the front and back of the petals. This gives an overall light blue colour when seen from a distance. Since they face outwards all around the stem, they look good when viewed from any direction, even from above. In my garden, the Puschkinia bulbs are about 25 cm (10 in) tall, and the blooms about 10 cm (4 in) high. The flowers last for about three weeks.

Puschkinia scilloides var libanotica (striped squills) buds closeup

This closeup of the buds shows the tightly folded petals with blue stripes. You can see how they are positioned in all directions around the central stalk.

I’ve seen these sold as Puschkinia libanotica too. I also grow some Puschkinia scilloides ‘Alba’, which are the white version. If you look very closely at the Alba blooms though, you can see a very faint blue line in the centre of each petal. They are lovely in their own way, but the regular blue striped bulbs are more endearing. This post from last year shows photos of both types of Puschkinia growing in my garden.

Puschkinia scilloides var libanotica (striped squills) group

Here is part of the Puschkinia group in front of a yew. You can see how the pine tree helps mulch this garden bed, by dropping needles on top of the soil. I sometimes scuff my shoe across the sidewalk as I walk by, pushing more fallen pine needles into the bed. They make a great natural and free mulch.

I love the little spring bulbs, which bloom one after another in my garden. The Puschkinia (striped squills) bloom a little after the Galanthus (snowdrop) bulbs start to flower. They bloom just before the Chionodoxa (glory of the snow) and Scilla (squills), to which they are related. Then come the Muscari (grape hyacinths) and Crocus. The parade of little bulbs starts early in the garden, extending the bloom cycle. Here is a post showing the pretty blue Chionodoxa and Scilla bulbs flowering last year.

Puschkinia scilloides var libanotica really make a splash in the early spring garden. They are very hardy in a zone 3 garden, and they don’t mind the shade. The bulb’s early blooming time is a real benefit to a short growing season. These easy going spring bulbs are one of my favourites. Here is another article about these pretty striped squill bulbs.

Here are four pretty  shade perennials I recently bought to plant under the trees. Trillium grandiflorum (great white trillium), Sanguinaria canadensis (bloodroot) and Arisaema sikokianum (Japanese jack in the pulpit) are woodland perennials that emerge to bloom in the spring. The Trillium and Sanguinaria have white flowers, while the Arisaema has a white interior on the hooded spathe and a conspicuous white spadix in the middle. The Arisaema is going to be borderline hardy, but is so captivating, that I had to give it a try. The new Onoclea sensibilis (sensitive fern) has nicely shaped fronds. These plants are still in their pots as they pose for their photo shoot, before being planted in the garden.

Arisaema sikokianum (Japanese jack in the pulpit)

The Arisaema sikokianum (Japanese jack in the pulpit) is a striking plant that grabs your attention with its unusual flower shape and colour contrast. There is a long dark coloured spathe (hood) that rises up from behind, with distinct stripes on the interior. The inside of the cup is a pure white. Within the cup is the equally white spadix. The unique form is eye-catching, along with the bright white contrast. The light colour shows up well in the dark of the shade. There are two leaves, one with 3 lobes, and one with 5. This woodland plant will be planted under the trees, where it should be right at home. I only purchased one plant, because I’m not sure if it will be entirely hardy. It is rated for zone 5, and the garden is in zone 3, but I’ve had fairly good success with other perennials that were borderline. I’ll make sure that the jack in the pulpit is covered with leaves in the fall, and the snow cover should help too. Since they are not very common yet, it’s possible that this particular type of jack in the pulpit just haven’t been tried much in zone 3. I’ll let you know next spring if this perennial survives an Alberta winter. Update: They survived a very cold winter, with only tree leaf cover, and flowered the next season.

Sanguinaria canadensis (bloodroot)

Sanguinaria canadensis (bloodroot) has distinctive, deeply lobed and rounded leaves. Although I haven’t broken a stem yet, they are supposed to have a red sap. This is the origin of both their common name and Latin name. It has been a while since I took Latin, but for a dead language, it comes in handy once in a while. I haven’t decided whether to plant these perennials in the garden next to some lacy ferns, or beside some Pulmonaria (lungwort) that have long leaves. Being a woodland plant, they should enjoy the same shade as these perennials. You can see these on bloom in this followup post on Sanguinaria canadensis and their flowers..

Onoclea sensibilis (sensitive fern)

I’ve  picked up  a new fern, Onoclea sensibilis (sensitive fern). Although the plant is still in its pot, it looks good in the dappled light under the tree. These ferns like it moist, so I’ll add lots of organic matter to the soil. They are found throughout eastern North America, and now in an Edmonton garden too. Sensitive ferns are hardy to zone 2, so they won’t need any coddling. This fern won’t be for fall interest, since the fronds quickly die back when the frosts come. The fertile fronds are supposed to persist, much like ostrich ferns.

Trillium grandiflorum (great white trillium)

Aren’t the three petalled  Trillium grandiflorum flowers pretty? I remember these plants from the woods of Ontario. They are perfect for a shady garden.

I’ve decided to plant some real Trilliums this year. A year ago I bought some ill fated trillium rhizomes in a plastic package from the store. I knew they were not a good idea, even as I was buying them, but they were so inexpensive (another bad sign), that I thought I’d give them a try, with nothing much lost. Well, I carefully prepared the soil and planted the rhizomes underneath the maple tree, where they’d be sure to get lots of leaf litter in the shade. I watered them, and waited, but  no hint of green appeared. Since trilliums often die back for the summer, I thought perhaps they might appear later. All summer I tended the area, and even when I brought home new plants, I reserved the spot for my phantom trilliums. In the fall, when I needed space for some new perennials, I refrained from planting anything too close to the spot with the nonexistent trilliums. Well now, a year later, nothing has emerged from underground, so I’ve given up the fantasy that there were ever any real trilliums there, and I’ll plant these new beauties. Their lovely white petals, and nicely shaped leaves, in groups of 3, will look much better than a carefully tended bare area.

I look forward to seeing if these new woodland perennials spread next year. I’d love to have a little colony of trilliums. Even though they are in a suburban garden, I hope the new woodland plants appreciate the shade of  the trees, surrounded by fallen leaves.

Here is a follow up post about how the woodland flowers are growing.

Helleborus 'Ivory prince' rain washed spring leaves

There are more glimpses of green foliage around the garden now that spring is here.  We had a good thunderstorm, that helped wash away almost all  of the snow piles. The rain also cleaned the perennial leaves that had emerged early from under the melted snow, and I’m sure it will encourage the growth of new sprouts. The sounds of pouring rain, mixing with the crash of thunder and flashes of lightening, are a welcome signal of a new,  more exciting season. Spring has arrived.

As I started my spring gardening, the Helleborus ‘Ivory Prince’ stand out as the most prominent plant of the early spring. These perennials emerged from under the snow with almost all of the foliage in excellent shape, well before the first bulbs. I think the consistent snow cover we get kept them in good shape. The patch of 6 hellebore are clearly visible from across the yard and from the house, rising up from the fallen tree leaves. As the snow melted, it left dusty water spots on the Helleborus leaves. I was almost tempted to wash them off, to help them look their best, but Nature was a better housekeeper than me. It sent a rainstorm to wash them clean, and now they gleam in the sunlight. When the willow tree leaves appear, this bed will be back to mostly shady.

Helleborus Ivory Prince new buds and leaves

In addition to the well preserved foliage from last fall, new Helleborus sprouts are growing. The recent growth was in suspended animation for the past week, but now it is unfurling, and showing miniature leaves in tiny groups of five.

Dianthus caryophyllus grenadin early spring 2009

Dianthus caryophyllus ‘Grenadin’ (carnations) are another perennial  that were already displaying green leaves when the snow melted. This plant doesn’t seem to have any problems with the cold. I’ve had these for 3 or 4 years, so I should take some cuttings to keep them going, as Dianthus are usually short lived. The grayish green foliage of the carnation looks great right past frost, but the wonderfully scented pink flowers are my favourite trait.

The dwarf Campanula (bellflowers) are showing plenty of green too. I found some more left-over blue flowers on another type of bellflower, the Campanula rotundifolia (harebells). I’m still amazed that the blue colour of these flowers could have lasted for 5 months under the snow. It was  a welcome surprise to see the vivid colour against the backdrop of earth tones.

Asarum europaeum (European ginger) early spring in snow

The Asarum europaeum (European ginger) have mostly kept their leaves too, except the ones that I planted late last fall. The ginger that were planted early last season are green, despite the ice around them. The leaves are very thick, which is a good trait for surviving the cold. This perennial is starting to show the shiny texture that makes it so appealing. The extra glossy Asarum looks especially good in the shade. In the early spring light, this groundcover gets to reflect some sunlight, before the trees casts their shade.

Aruncus dioicus (goatsbeard) new sprout

The Aruncus dioicus (goatsbeard) is showing its first new shoot. Although it is only a cm (less than an inch) tall right now in early spring, in two months it will tower at 2 m (6 feet). This shade perennial will send up a number of stems, and will spread out about 1.5 m (4 feet), looking more like a shrub. It’s a good thing the Astilbe and Convallaria (lily of the valley) around it don’t care about the shade it casts.

willow tree branches in red light

Here is my favourite tree in the garden, the willow. You can see by the tangle of branches, that it has not been tamed much by pruning, and is more of a free range tree. When it leafs out in May,  it makes a wall of green in this corner of the garden. I adore the intricate pattern of branches, the way it whips around in the wind, and how it shades a good part of my garden. I have a hard time spotting the birds when the tree is in full leaf, but I can hear them busy within.

willow branches on ground

The ground underneath the tree is a tangle of branches too, like the crown.  My first spring  gardening job on Friday was to pick up the winter’s accumulation of fallen twigs. You can see hints of green from the Asarum europaeum (European ginger), half buried in the brown tree leaves near the birdbath.

ladybugs in leaves spring

As I worked in the garden for the last 2 days, an army of ladybugs kept me company. Frequently, when I turned a leaf, or trimmed away dead foliage, a little red speck would be slowly plodding along the edge of it. Since there were hundreds crawling everywhere, I carefully shook out each piece of debris removed from a garden bed. The garden could benefit from  every voracious aphid-eating machine it can get.

7 spotted lady bug

This is the seven spotted ladybug (Coccinella septempunctata). They are  not native to Alberta, but were imported to North America from Europe.

Even in spring, we can still have some good snowfall. Last year we had about 30 cm (a foot)  in the third week of April, as the first garden photo shows. I imagine the ladybugs crawl back under any remaining leaf litter when that happens.

The signs of spring are everywhere in the garden, from the fresh green foliage, to red tipped sprouts, to black  spotted ladybugs. I’m finally able to do more than poke around the garden, investigating  small bare areas.  I spent the last two days cleaning up the garden beds, stretching, bending, and noticing each new sign of growth.  As I work around the yard, I’m picturing how I’ll extend a corner bed, and pondering the new shade plants I might put there. Are you making plans as you work in the garden?