Northern Shade Gardening

The Tulipa ‘Foxtrot’ (Foxtrot tulips)  have developed wonderful pink tones, now that they’re fully open. With their extra petals, these tulips look beautiful in the garden. They are in Division 2, which are double early tulips. I wrote about the ‘Foxtrot’ tulip combined with the blue Muscari before, but I don’t think I emphasized how wonderfully pink they really are.

Tulipa 'Foxtrot' 2 double pink tulips

‘Foxtrot’ flowers have various shades, from a light shell pink, through medium to rose pink. The blush shading of pink and white on each petal is very attractive. When they first open, each petal is almost pure white, before they develop their mature colour. The double petals can have a bit of a ruffle around the edges, giving them an attractive shape, almost like a peony. If they packed any more petals into the flower, they would look like my ‘Sarah Bernhardt’ peony blooms.

Tulipa 'Foxtrot' 3 double tulips

These tulips also have a wonderful scent. I was pleasantly surprised by the sweet fragrance a group of them can give off. It reminds me a bit of my lilac. Between the lilac, tulips and lily of the valley, the garden is deliciously perfumed right now.

pink Tulipa 'Foxtrot' and blue Muscari

The above picture show the edge of the Muscari armeniacum ‘Blue Spike’ (grape hyacinth) group in front of the tulips. I’ve got over 50 ‘Foxtrot’ tulips planted in this group, and with the Muscari in front it is my favourite garden section right now. They look terrific with the smaller blue bulbs.

Tulipa ‘Foxtrot’ are a little shorter and sturdier, so they remain upright, even when they get a bit of snow. Because they are 30 to 35 cm (12 to 14 in), they look balanced when combined with shorter bulbs, like the Muscari.

With the cooler weather, these spring bulbs have been blooming for three weeks already and are still going strong. I’m very pleased with their vigour and appearance so far.  I planted them last Autumn, but since they are in a part shade location, I’m not sure yet how strongly they will come back next year.

I’ve made a gallery to show how pretty the ‘Foxtrot’ tulips look in a group as well as up close. You can click any of the small photos to see it full sized. It’s a pink extravaganza.

Here are some of my favourite colours of the shade garden in late May. I love the combination of blue and white flowers in spring, with silver leaves to showcase them. If the overflow of the photos are hidden at a smaller resolution, just click them to see the full picture.

blue flowers of late May

Above are some of the blue perennial flowers of spring, bringing a bit of the sky into the garden and making the beds a little more serene. On the upper left is the beautiful sky blue of Brunnera macrophylla ‘Jack Frost’ (Siberian bugloss). Three established, large plants of these can produce a square metre (around a square yard) of airy blue flowers. On the upper right are the pretty light blue flowers of Muscari azureum (grape hyacinth) bulbs.  The flowers over the spotted leaves are Pulmonaria ‘Majeste’ (lungwort). They emerge pink, but quickly turn this bright blue shade. The fern fronds behind make a good background for them.

silver leaves of May

Silver leaves are my favourite with blue and white flowers. The steely tones pull together the cooler coloured blooms, and show them off . The top left picture is of Athyrium niponicum (Japanese painted fern), with its first silvery green frond. These ferns are slow to come up in my garden in spring. On the top right is the silver grey foliage of Pulmonaria ‘Samourai’. The bottom of the picture shows the king of shade foliage, Brunnera macrophylla ‘Jack Frost’. The exquisite silver and green pattern make this my favourite leaf. The silver colours of these perennials add an extra glow in the shady areas of the garden.

white flowers of late May

White flowers are a stand out in the darker areas of the garden. On the upper left of the above picture are the white flowers of Tulipa ‘Foxtrot’ when they first open. As the flowers of these bulbs age, they turn pink. These are in a part shade location, so I’m not sure how they’ll return next year.  On the upper right are the sweetest smelling Conavallaria majalis (lily of the valley) flower bells. The garden is full of this wonderful scent right now. Along the bottom of the photo are the pure white flowers of Sanguinaria canadensis (bloodroot). This perennials bloomed briefly, but shone while they were out. Another white woodland flower coming out now is the Trillium grandiflorum (great white trillium).

Purple leaves and flowers in May

This image shows some purple leaves and flowers. On the upper left are the newly opening Syringa vulgaris ‘Wedgewood Blue’ (lilac) flowers. These blooms get more blue as they develop. If you’re wondering why the lilac flowers are drooping, it’s because I had just shook off the wet snow that bent the branches over. The top right perennial is Heuchera ‘Mint Frost’, which has green and silver leaves for most of the summer, but includes lots of purple and red shades in the cold. With our colder late May temperatures, they have lots of colour in them still. On the bottom of the picture is the intense silvery purple foliage of Heuchera ‘Plum Pudding’. It is another super foliage plant.

My favourite colours are repeated in groups around the different shady garden beds. What are your favourite garden colours for late spring?