Northern Shade Gardening

Heuchera ‘Cinnabar Silver’ (coral bells) has beautifully patterned leaves of silver purple with reddish purple marks along the veins. As well as the great evergreen foliage, this perennial sends up spikes of dark red flowers. It is a great ornamental plant for the shade.

Heuchera 'Cinnabar Silver' (coral bells) with purple leaves

The ornate leaves of this Heuchera have a purple base with a silver sheen. Running along the veins of the leaves are dark purple lines in wonderful patterns, which can be a reddish colour, too.  The rich colour overlays pop in the shade. Best of all, the evergreen leaves last all season, even after frost sets in. They keep the garden looking fresh, when other plants are retreating underground for winter. This foliage looks good with other purple, green or silver leaves. Here are more pictures of the Heuchera foliage in my garden.

Heuchera 'Cinnabar Silver' (coral bells) red flowers and purple leaves

‘Cinnabar Silver’ is adorned with dark, slightly brownish, red flower spikes. The flowers really stand out when displayed against a silver or grey background in the garden. In the picture above, an Athyrium ‘Ghost’ (ghost fern) makes a super foil to show off the darker blooms. The flower spikes are much thicker than many Heuchera, and the flowers larger, so they make a good display. These plants bloomed for over 6 weeks, with a beautiful display.

Heuchera 'Cinnabar Silver' (coral bells) red flowers with Epimedium behind

The colour combinations of  this coral bells turn a a darker shade area into a colourful garden. The picture above shows another group of this Heuchera in front of some Epimedium. The purple foliage is highly decorative, even without flowers, but the flowers are very appealing on ‘Cinnabar Silver’, unlike many other Heuchera. This is a more compact form of coral bells. The leaves are about 15 cm (6 inches ) tall, while the flowers spikes are up to 53 cm (21 inches) high.

Heuchera 'Cinnabar Silver' (coral bells) with Hosta in front

This photo shows the flowers of Heuchera ‘Cinnabar Silver’ behind the purple flowers of Hosta ‘Ginko Craig’. The lavender flowers of the Hosta coordinate nicely with the Heuchera leaves. Since the Heuchera were just planted earlier this year, I’ll know more about their natural flowering time next year. Even if they don’t flower at the same time, I’m happy with the combination of lavender Hosta flowers and silvery purple leaves of coral bells.

I often choose different coral bells based on the wonderful foliage colours, but Heuchera  ‘Cinnabar Silver’ is one that you can plant both for the showy flowers and the colourful leaves. It is definitely a desirable shade plant. Aren’t those flowers below pretty? You can read and see more about other Heuchera in this post.

Heuchera 'Cinnabar Silver' (coral bells) red flowers closeup

Cornus canadensis (bunchberry) is an easy care groundcover for the shade under trees, that develops great Fall colour. The leaves turn from green to a handsome red, making an eye-catching Autumn display. All of these photos are showing their seasonal colour change.

Cornus canadensis bunchberry with red tinge

My bunchberry are planted in the shade under an evergreen, on the side that gets almost no direct light. Despite the deep shade, the plants grow well, and make a green carpet over the summer, needing no real attention. They would probably get more flowers in medium shade, or the shade of deciduous trees. This groundcover looks much prettier than half dead grass, or a rock mulch under the evergreen boughs.

Cornus canadensis bunchberry leaves with red edges

The bunchberry are right at  home in the forest atmosphere under the tall spruce. The spruce cones, dropped needles, and cone scales left by squirrels blend with the plants to make a natural forest floor under the trees.

Cornus canadensis bunchberry turning red in Autumn

My bunchberry grow about 13 cm (5 inches) tall, but I’ve seen them a little taller than that in the wild. They spread to make an attractive green carpet of leaves under the trees. Earlier in the season they have what looks like white flowers, but are 4 large white decorative bracts, with small flowers in the middle.  They can develop into large red berry clusters.

Cornus canadensis bunchberry red fall foliage

Bunchberry are especially attractive as the Autumn chill sets in, when they develop a deep red colour. Soon, all of the leaves are a deep scarlet red, brightening the ground under the evergreens.

Cornus canadensis bunchberry all red leaves for fall

In the photo above you can see the full red  and purple Fall colour of the foliage. It is very striking, rising up out of the brown cones and needle mulch.

If you are looking for a low maintenance groundcover perennial for a shady site, bunchberry will make a natural woodsy look. The dramatic Autumn colour change is an added bonus. You can see more photos of Cornus canadensis in my garden here, including pictures of the plants in flower.

Here is a collage showing the different stages of colour change for some of the bunchberry plants.

Cornus canadensis bunchberry Fall collage

campanula cochlearifolia elizabeth oliver double bellflowers

Campanula cochlearifolia ‘Elizabeth Oliver’ (double fairy thimble bellflower) have gorgeous light blue, double flowers on very compact plants. They are covered in a multitude of dainty blooms for many weeks in summer. Although I love all of the Campanula genus, this one has especially charming double blooms.

campanula cochlearifolia elizabeth oliver flower closeup

Although tiny, there are over 50 blooms on each small ‘Elizabeth Oliver’ plant in midsummer. Each one is a perfect double flower, like a mini rose. The double bells face upwards and outwards, so it is easy to see their delightful shape. The beautiful blue coloured petals show up well, with the petal tips curving slightly outwards.

campanula cochlearifolia elizabeth oliver dwarf bellflowers

Campanula cochlearifolia are very short, around 10 cm (4 inches) tall. The elfin plants make a great edging for a garden border. This groundcover spreads out to form a beautiful carpet, but does not bother other plants. This makes them perfect for underplanting taller perennials or shrubs, too.

campanula cochlearifolia elizabeth oliver blue flowers

In zone 3, these fairy thimble bellflowers bloom from mid July through September, putting on a long flower show. Although the flowers look very delicate, they are actually very hardy plants, and have no problem surviving winters down to – 40º C (-40º F).

campanula cochlearifolia elizabeth oliver double petals

‘Elizabeth Oliver’ bellflowers get a good number of flowers in part shade. Mine are planted just a few feet south of a pine tree. They also have a fence a few metres to the south and to the east. A few maple branches stretch this far, and the  shadow of the willow tree reaches here in the late afternoon and evening. It sounds shadier than it is, as they get bits of sun at different times of the day, as well as dappled light. They thrive in this light, and flower well.

campanula cochlearifolia elizabeth oliver with campanula carpatica behind

I have my ‘Elizabeth Oliver’ planted with some other bellflowers. The photo above shows the Campanula carpatica (Carpathian bellflower) in a darker blue behind. There are also some white C. carpatica behind on the other side. Another double bellflower, Campanula ‘Haylodgensis’, is planted next to them, as well. The ‘Haylodgensis’ flowers are about double the size and especially attractive, too. There are some Muscari ‘Blue Spike’ (grape hyacinths) spring bulbs planted in between the perennials, to start the blue flower show in spring and extend the flowering time.

campanula cochlearifolia elizabeth oliver with miniature flowers

The photo above shows how thick and pretty the flowers on ‘Elizabeth Oliver’ can be at their peak.

Campanula cochlearifolia 'Elizabeth Oliver' after the frost

The first pictures are all from earlier in the season, but the bellflowers are still blooming towards the end of September, just not with as many blooms. The photo above shows the Campanula after the first frost this week. Even after the freeze, there are still pretty blue bells on ‘Elizabeth Oliver’. Their long season of flowering makes them great for edging up front. Any plants that can still show some flowers after the first frosts are appreciated in a short growing season.

campanula cochlearifolia elizabeth oliver blue flowering groundcover

There are many Campanula on my favourite bellflower list, and all of them make great garden plants, but Campanula cochlearifolia ‘Elizabeth Oliver’  have a little extra charm, a cute petal form and a great colour.

campanula cochlearifolia elizabeth oliver fairy thimble bellflower

You can read more about the double flowering Campanula I grow, and there are photos and information about other Campanula cochlearifolia in this post.