At smaller resolutions, you have to click to see the full photo, since the photo overflow is hidden.

Athyrium fern Heuchera coral bells

This is across the walkway from the garden under the evergreens, that I wrote about earlier. This section of garden is extra shady, since it is on the north side of my house with tall conifers. I rearranged this part of the garden bed, and added new Heuchera and the Athyrium ‘Ghost’ at the back in the corner. I’ve planted this fern in a few shady garden areas, since it brightens the bed up with the reflective silvery green fronds.

Heuchera 'Cinnabar Silver' coral bells

To one side in front are three Heuchera ‘Cinnabar Silver’ (coral bells). There are another three of these Heuchera across the walkway. This cultivar will stay fairly short, including the flower stalks. ‘Cinnabar Silver’ has a wonderful silver sheen, with purple tones on the leaves. The veins are a dark contrast to the metallic leaf. I love the way this foliage looks with the silver fern.

Heuchera 'Green Spice' 'Eco-improved' coral bells

On the other side in front are three Heuchera ‘Green Spice’ (also called Eco-improved’). These coral bells have slightly silver green leaves with purple running along the veins, making beautiful patterns. The newest leaves have a red colouring along the veins. Around the edge of each scalloped leaf is a medium green band. The foliage of ‘Green Spice’ is fantastic, coordinating well with the woodland plants across the walkway, yet having a little extra dazzle.

Athyrium 'Ghost' fern next to Heuchera

The Athyrium ‘Ghost’ fern produces a good number of these light green and silver fronds. They develop a very lush look over the season, since they send up new fronds throughout the summer. It grows about 45 cm (18 inches) to 60 cm (2 feet) tall in my garden. This cross between Athrium filix-femina (lady fern) and Athyrium niponicum (Japanese painted fern) is a real winner, both beautiful and hardy.

Athyrium 'Ghost' fern Heuchera 'Green Spice' 'Cinnabar Silver'

I like the green, silver and purple colour scheme in this garden area now, and it coordinates nicely with the green, silver and white scheme on the other side of the walkway. The green and silver fern, green, silver and purple ‘Green Spice’ and silver and purple ‘Cinnabar Silver’ make an attractive trio. This fern and Heuchera combination can handle the shade cast by the house and trees, and provide beautiful colour with their foliage all season.

Here are some more photos and information about coral bells in my garden, a post about Heuchera ‘Mint Frost’, and one about Heuchera ‘Plum Pudding’.

patio west Heucherella Campanula and planter

Here is a shady garden bed with blue, pink and white flowers that I recently rearranged. It gets some morning sun for a short while, and then some dappled shade. There are perennials in the border, and a pot of annuals on the corner that blends right in. Since I planted the container first, I might have got the colour scheme for the perennial bed from it.

Heucherella 'Tapestry' and Campanula cochlearifolia 'Bavaria Blue'

The pink flowers are Heucherella ‘Tapestry’ (foamy bells). This perennial is a cross between Heuchera (coral bells) and Tiarella (foam flower), showing some of the best traits for both. It has beautiful leaf markings, but the flowers are much showier than most Heuchera. The Heucherella like more light than Heuchera. ‘Tapestry’ is  new to my garden this year. I’m very taken with these beautiful plants, and hope that they are hardy. I’ll definitely be planting more of them.

Heucherella 'Tapestry' foamy bells leaves

The leaves of this Heucherella remind me of the foliage of Heuchera ‘Green Spice’ (coral bells), with a green background and dark purple coloured veins. These plants are very attractive. I have some Heuchera with all purple leaves in another part of the garden, and I think ‘Tapestry’ would make a good bridge between them and other green plants if planted next to them.

Heucherella 'Tapestry' foamy bells flower

Here is a closeup of the gorgeous pink flower spikes of ‘Tapestry’. They are thick stalks with very noticeable flowers, in a pretty pink colour. The blooms also last a long time, over six weeks already. You could grow ‘Tapestry’ for the flowers alone, even if they didn’t have decorative leaves. In the background is a Colocasia leaf in the planter with pink and blue flowers.

Campanula cochlearifolia 'Bavaria Blue' flowers

The little blue flowers in the garden bed are Campanula cochlearifolia ‘Bavaria Blue’ (fairy thimble bellflowers). I also have these perennials in another garden section, and added them here for a little more blue colour. With a multitude of tiny blooms, these dwarf bellflowers are colourful and charming.

Campanula portenschlagiana 'Blue Waterfall' flowers by Heucherella

Another dwarf bellflower in this garden bed is Campanula portenschlagiana ‘Blue Waterfall’ (Serbian bellflower). The flowers are just opening, but there are lots more buds to bloom soon. The pretty stars of this Campanula bloom in rows all along the flower stems, which mostly radiate out in sprays along the  ground. This was already planted at the front corner, and you can see how short it is, by the Heucherella towering over it behind.

Actaea ramosa 'Atropurpurea' with Heucherella 'Tapestry'

The tall plant in the middle is Actaea ramosa ‘Atropurpurea’ (bugbane, used to be Cimcifuga). It will grow two metres (six feet) in height by late summer, and will have beautiful tall spikes of cream coloured flowers, high above the other plants. It coordinates well with the Heucherella, because both of them have purple on their leaves. ‘Tapestry’ has conspicuous purple in a pattern along the veins of the leaf, and this Actaea has subtle purple edges to the leaves, as well as purple stems.

Actaea racemosa with Campanula cochlearifolia 'Bavaria Blue'

The photo above shows Actaea racemosa (bugbane) with Campanula flowers underneath. This Actaea also has cream flower wands over 2 metres (6 feet) tall, and was already planted here.  Bugbanes make great plants for some height in a shady garden. I find the scientific naming of Actaea a little confusing, and it might be that these are actually the same. They were switched from Cimicifuga, which is straightforward, but I see ‘Atropurpurea’ listed as a cultivar for both of these species and they look very much alike.

Osmunda regalis royal fern

In between are two Osmunda regalis (royal ferns) in the spotlight above. The fronds of this fern are a light green, which gives them a little glow next to darker leaves. Some lighter coloured foliage show up well in a shady garden. Both of the sections above belong to one plant. The second fern  is behind and can’t really be seen in this photo. This one was originally planted in back, because I thought it would grow taller, so I moved it forward to better enjoy the foliage.

Osmunda regalis royal fern with Campanula cochlearifolia 'Bavaria Blue'

Osmunda regalis has a bit of a shrub appearance. These are supposed to grow quite tall, but don’t get beyond 60 cm (2 feet) tall in my garden. They probably need a longer growing season to reach their full height, or perhaps a warmer climate. One thing they really like is water. They make nice garden plants, even if they don’t get to two metres (6 feet) in my garden. Now that I’ve moved this one to the front of the bed, I hope it doesn’t put on a growth spurt after five years.

Begonia 'Non-Stop Pink' lobelia colocasia esculenta

The planter in the corner has a tall Colocasia esculenta (elephant ear) in the middle. There are Begonia ‘Non-Stop Pink’ putting on a good floral show around it with their double flowers, as well as some pink double Impatiens, and blue Lobelia cascading over the edge.

Begonia 'Non-Stop Pink' and lobelia planter

Here is a closeup of the lovely double begonia flowers. They don’t mind the shade, and seem to thrive in the extra water that the Colocasia gets.

Colocasia esculenta elephant ear plant

This closeup of the Colocasia esculenta leaf shows the wonderful leaf texture and size. If there is anything better than a nice big leaf, it’s a big wet leaf in the rain. It makes an umbrella for the begonia, one of which is peeking out to see if the rain has stopped.

patio west Heucherella 'Tapestry' and pot

This bed in part shade has pink and blue flowers, and there will be white from the Actaea in late summer. Continuing along, just to the north of this section, is a Philadelphus (mockorange) shrub with white blooms, while to the south are some Lamprocampnos spectabilis ‘Alba’ (bleeding hearts, used to be Dicentra) with white flowers. You can see a few of the bleeding heart flowers still left at the back of the photo above. I used to have some daylilies where the Heucherella are, but it is more shaded now, and they weren’t doing as well. I instantly liked the new arrangement in the shady garden, as soon as it was finished.

The soil under the spruce is a pleasure to work in. It has years of decomposing needles and tree debris, making a thick spongy layer. It is difficult to dig with a shovel, because of the lower tree branches getting in the way of the handle, so I ended up scooping some of the holes easily with my hands, since the soil was so soft.

Pachysandra terminalis 'Green Sheen' under evergreen

Do you see how dim it looks at the back of this photo? That’s because it’s right against the spruce trunk with branches coming down within half a metre (under 2 ft) of the plants. Yet, the Pachysandra terminalis ‘Green Sheen’ is glowing in the background, even where the dappled light doesn’t reach.

Pachysandra terminalis 'Green Sheen'

The glossy Pachysandra terminalis ‘Green Sheen’ (Japanese spurge) is reflecting light in the deepest shade. I never had the urge to add Pachysandra to my shade garden before, until I saw the foliage of  ‘Green Sheen’. Like a magpie, I’m attracted to shiny things in the garden. :) This groundcover is recently planted, so I don’t know for sure how it will overwinter in zone 3, but I think it is going to do well in this siting.

Asarum arifolium ginger leaf detail and woodland floor

I just moved the Asarum arifolium (wild ginger) from under the darker spruce tree, where the Pachysandra is now located, to the base of the pine tree. I’ll be able to see the attractive leaves better here, and it will get a bit more light. I’m pleased with how these Asarum have survived so far. I planted them last fall, but they were rated for a warmer zone. The evergreen leaves of the ginger were there in spring, but disappeared at the end of May when we had a snowfall and frosts. Then a few weeks later, one appeared, and now there are five plants showing. I hate to stress them by moving the plants again, but this will be a better position for them, right next to a silver and green grouping, where their faint silver markings will look super.

Asarum arifolium flower detail

As I was moving them, I notice that they already had a flower this year, so they not only survived the winter and the very late spring  frost, they even had enough energy to flower. The flower is the green structure, looking like a pitted olive, on the upper left of the photo.The flower is not showy, just rather interesting, but it’s a good sign that they are actually hardy in zone 3. The flowers of Asarum are usually right on the ground, hidden by the leaves, but this plant has been dug out and is laying sideways, so you get a good view.

front shade garden under evergreens

This is one of my favourite foliage combinations: Athyrium ‘Ghost’ (ghost fern), Hosta ‘Francee’ and Brunnera macrophylla ‘Jack Frost’ (Siberian bugloss). The white edges of the Hosta leaves, with the silver fern fronds, next to the silvery green Brunnera are very attractive. The transplanted Asarum are at the top in the middle, but you have to click the picture to enlarge and see them. This pine is multi stemmed, so I’m planting in the pockets between the small curving trunks.

Asarum arifolium behind other perennials

Here is a closeup, so you can see how nice the leaves look on this ginger. The Asarum arifolium has faint silver markings on it,  so it coordinates beautifully with the perennials that were planted last year in front. If I leave them alone, they should fill in and cover the ground.

Hosta 'Patriot' under evergreens

Hosta ‘Patriot’ gets a spot on the other side of this shade bed. It has a wider white margin than the Hosta ‘Francee’ that is already in this bed, so it reflects more light under the pine. I also added another Athyrium ‘Ghost’ (ghost fern) between the two Hosta. Partly because I love the look of the delicate fern fronds next to the bold Hosta leaves, and partly because it will repeat the silver ferns from the front of the bed.

Heuchera 'Cinnabar Silver'

Another new perennial is Heuchera ‘Cinnabar Silver’, which has fabulous silver leaves, with purple underneath. I especially like leaves where the variegation follows the veins of the plants, making beautiful patterns. I chose this Heuchera because it grows shorter, so it fits underneath the low evergreen branches. Even the red flower wands are shorter, so they won’t get tangled with the overhead boughs.

Epimedium grandiflorum 'Lilafee' with late flower

These Epimedium grandiflorum ‘Lilafee’ (barrenwort) were planted last year, and they have filled in beautifully. This one even has a late flower on it. There were many of these purple flowers dancing over the leaves back in May and June.

Hepatica nobilis perennial

These Hepatica nobilis (liverleaf) were planted in the late fall last year, when they were dormant. This year they sent up these good looking leaves, but only one flower so far. I’m assuming there will be more of the beautiful blue blooms next year as the plants mature.

Aruncus aethusifolius (dwarf goatsbeard) with Brunnera

The Aruncus aethusifolius (dwarf goatsbeard) was planted last year, too. It has finely cut leaves, like a fern, with small creamy white plumes waving over top.

Cornus canadensis plant

Cornus canadensis (bunchberry) is a very common woodland plant across Canada. This hardy perennial makes a good groundcover under the spruce. I planted these late last summer, and they are starting to spread now.

garden forest floor under evergreens

You can see in this photo that I’m going for a woodsy look, even though the shade garden is on a suburban front lawn. I leave the tree needles and cones here to add to the forest duff, and have been trying to get more moss to grow. The moss is slowly expanding, and should give a nice green setting for the perennials.

The plantings are looking more full, now, and it is greatly improved from the scraggly grass that was here before. This previous post about this shade garden has a good before picture, showing what it looked like when I started planting. I give this garden some supplemental water, but I don’t have to mulch it, since the conifers do that for me. I’m going to continue expanding the bed out more to the next tree.

part shade flower container

This flower container is in a part shade location on my patio. There is a tall Colocasia esculenta (elephant ear) in the centre at the back with enormous leaves. In the middle are some pink double Begonias and Impatiens, while around the edge are some blue trailing Lobelia.  These plants like it moist, so they should do well together, although the Colocasia likes the most water of all.

Colocasia esculenta (elephant ear) large leaf

At the back, towering over the other plants is a Colocasia esculenta (elephant ear), with fabulously large leaves. I love the tropical look of the foliage. My plant is only 40 cm (16 in ) tall so  far, but each leaf is 28 cm (11 in) long. The veining detail really stands out on a blade of this size. The elephant ear  gives a little extra shade for the plants underneath, like a  garden under a miniature tree, while it gets to grab a little more sunshine above.

impatiens apple blossom double pink flower

The small rose-like blooms are the apple blossom Impatiens  with the sweet double pink flowers. These are terrific plant in a container, because they produce the small perfect flowers all season. They don’t mind the extra shade from the leaves over top, and they don’t like it dry either, so they make a good companion.

Begonia non stop pink double flower

The larger rose pink blooms are Begonia ‘Non Stop Pink’. The darker pink petals go well with the impatiens and light blue Lobelia. The double flower form is very showy in a container, with lots of petals per square cm.

double pink begonia and impatiens

These Begonias and Impatiens will keep flowering all summer, but the tender plants won’t be happy when the frost comes in Autumn.

Lobelia erinus Regatta Sky Blue

The Lobelia erinus ‘Regatta Sky Blue’ has already started to cascade down the sides. They’ll soon obscure the sides of the blue pot. This trailing type of lobelia is especially good for tumbling over the edge.  I usually get a more compact type, like ‘Riviera Sky Blue’,  for my flower beds. It has a mounding shape that works well on the ground. Another light blue lobelia that I love is ‘Cambridge Blue’, but I never see it available any more. The Lobelia will be the only plant in this container to tolerate the first frosts.

Flower container in part shade

The above photo shows the whole container. If you click to enlarge the the picture,  it looks like I have perennial Epimediums growing in the pot, but those are in the garden border behind. :)

In this location, the flower container will get some morning sun, and then some dappled light for the rest of the day. These plants won’t be able to live outdoors in Edmonton after the Fall frosts, but they will brighten the patio until then. I used some similar plants for flower planters on my shady front porch, shown in a previous post.

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 it’s 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?

tray of annuals for shade

Here are some of the plants I used in containers for my shady front porch. There are lots of bright, colourful flowers to liven up the area. Much of my garden has subtle colours and leaf combinations, but the porch is separated from the rest of the garden, so I went for a vivid look with these shade planters, including lots of petals.

tray of shade annuals

Above  are some of the new plants, still in their pots on a tray. These all make great container plants with their long blooming time. They are annuals, or treated as annuals in a cold climate. It’s possible that the begonia and fuchsia are wondering what they’re even doing in zone 3, and why they didn’t make it onto the shipment to Florida.  Most of these flowers will fold at the first sign of frost.

shade planter Begonia Schizanthus and Impatiens

You would think there would be a finite number of ways to arrange them, but I tried lots of combinations.

Impatiens balfieplos apple blossom pink

The Lobelia and double flowering Impatiens are two annuals that I often plant into my shady perennial beds. They blend nicely in a mixed bed, as well as working well in a container with their long blooming time. They will flower right up until Fall. The Impatiens will collapse at the first frost, but the Lobelia is more tolerant of a little cold at the end of the season. The photo above is a double flowering pink Lobelia ‘Balfieplos’ (Apple Blossom). I love the soft pink colour and beautifully folded petals.

Begonia Non-Stop Pink

The tuberous begonias can handle a lot of shade, and get covered in these large flowers all summer. This beauty is a Begonia Non-stop Pink, with lots of crinkly petals. The shadings from light to medium pink are very attractive. It looks great in the blue ceramic planter.

shade annuals in mixed tray

The large white double begonia on the tray above is picked from Memory Mix. It has lots of bright petals that stand out against the dark green leaves. This one is very noticeable in the darker shade on the recessed  front porch.

tuberous Begonia deep pink

The deep pink, almost red Begonia is supposed to be Picotee Lace, but I don’t see a white edge on it. It looked pink when I picked it out, but in this light it is looking more red, poinsettia red.

Schizanthus Rose Bicolour blooms

I used to grow mixed Schizanthus in the beds of my last garden and found it handled quite a bit of shade. Now some are available as separate colours, and growers like to trademark them. This one is a rose bicolor. They should work well in the planters, since they have masses of flashy blooms.

Fuchsia 'Dollar Princess' buds

This is  Fuchsia ‘Dollar Princess’. Those plump red buds are very attractive, and soon they will be dripping with intricate fuchsia blooms. I like how they look against the cobalt blue pot. They’re a classic shade plant, and will cascade nicely over the sides of the planter.

Begonia and Lobelia in container

This is a view from above of one of the flower containers, as I walk down the steps. It’s full of pink red tuberous Begonia and blue Lobelia. Do you think I could have stuffed any more blooms in there?

shade planter Begonia Lobelia Impatiens

I had a lot of fun designing these containers this year. The picture above shows them while I was still arranging them in their packs. They are all grouped on my front porch, so it is easy to keep them watered. One advantage of pots in the shade, is that you don’t have to water them as often. Did you make up any flower planters this year? What are your favourite combinations?

I have another post about a part shade flower container.

Hydrangea and birdbath fall leaves

Hydrangea shrubs have enough room underneath, that you can make a beautiful layered garden by underplanting them with shorter plants. In summer I have some dwarf Campanula (bellflowers) producing purplish blue star shaped flowers in a low carpet under this Hydrangea paniculata. I love the look, and wanted to extend it to spring, so I’ve planted some Chionodoxa forbesii (glory of the snow) bulbs underneath. These early spring bulbs should flower before the bellflowers bloom, with their own version of starry flowers.

Campanula porscharskyana (bellflower) in flower

Above is  a photo of  Campanula poscharskyana (Serbian bellflower) from this summer. They start flowering midway through June, and continue intermittently all summer, and into fall. They look especially pretty under the Hydrangea, even before it flowers,  twinkling up through the branches. They are a gorgeous shade of purplish blue, with five narrow petals and white towards the centre. These bellflowers grows quite low to the ground, so they don’t interfere with the Hydrangea branches, and they fill the bare area underneath with beauty. Then in August and September, when the Hydrangea blooms in white, the little blue flowers of the Campanula look lovely paired with the large panicles. However, there are no flowers underneath the shrub before mid June, just the bellflower foliage.

Chionodoxa luciliae (glory of the snow) flowers spring

I  added some glory of the snow bulbs to bring some early blooms to this area. The blue stars are reminiscent of the Campanula and should have a similar effect. These have six petals, a dark line down each petal, and a white centre. The Chionodoxa luciliae start flowering during May in my zone 3 garden, so the Chionodoxa forbesii should start the colour show early too, before the bellflowers. These two Chionodoxa species seem interchangeable now. The pretty blue bulbs will bring some spring cheer, while the Hydrangea stems are still leafless. Then when the glory of the snow flowers fade, the bellflower groundcover should easily hide the slender bulb foliage as it dies back for the season. Usually the  Chionodoxa foliage disappears quickly.

planting Chionodoxa forbesii (glory of the snow)bulbs

Here is one of the bulb planting holes, in between the Campanula poscharskyana plants. I dug narrow holes among the perennials, to minimize the root damage. Then I planted 5 to 10 bulbs in each hole. Altogether I planted 50 Chionodoxa forbesii, but I could have planted more. These bulbs cover the  ground under the front half of the Hydrangea, and a bit around the sides. I could plant another 50 to really carpet the ground under the PG Hydrangea.

fall leaves under Hydrangea

The fall leaves were already covering the garden bed, as I watered in the newly planted bulbs. This will be some of my last outdoor gardening fun for the year, since the temperatures are so cool now. It is probably a little late to be planting bulbs in zone 3, but the weather warmed above freezing this week, the bulbs were on sale, and the picture of more blue flowers was running through my mind. Soon, a white quilt will be spread over top of the brown and green patchwork one. However, come spring, the flower parade will start as soon as the snow melts, and the early spring bulbs bloom.

Asarum europaeum leaves October

The Asarum europaeum (European wild ginger) leaves are semi-evergreen, and keep about half of their leaves through the winter in my zone 3 garden. This little groundcover creates a great display in late fall and early spring, when other perennials have retreated.

Asarum arifolium leaves October

Here are some new Asarum arifolium (hardy ginger) that were just planted a few weeks ago. These are rated for a warmer zone, so I’m not sure how they’ll handle the full winter temperatures, but they don’t seem to mind getting hit with freezing temperatures right after planting. The lovely shaped leaves are still green, and make a great sight. I’m impressed that they didn’t collapse, after the temperature dropped drastically, and the drying winds blew.

Cornus canadensis leaves October

The Cornus canadensis (bunchberry) look good, and add some red fall colour too. This groundcover creates a green display  under the evergreens, despite the temperatures.

Heuchera 'Mint Frost' leaves October

Heuchera (coral bells) are another perennial that keep fresh looking leaves through the frost. Some Heuchera intensify their colour in the cool temperatures, giving lovely fall shades. This normally green and silver Heuchera ‘Mint Frost’ starts to get purple, red and orange colours as the weather turns cold. They keep these leaves until spring. The red stems make a good contrast on this showy perennial too.

Heuchera 'Plum Pudding' leaves October

The Heuchera ‘PlumPudding’ started with such an intense silvery purple, and has been keeping it through the frosts. The Astilbe next to them have collapsed, so these leaves get the attention.

Campanula poscharskyana leaves October

The Campanula (bellflowers) maintain their green leaves through the cold too. They keep most of their leaves through the snow, and start the garden early in spring. They also keep some flowers long after others have disappeared. The glimpses of blue in a late fall/early winter garden are very uplifting. The Campanula poscharskyana (Serbian bellflower) above still has clusters of purple flowers. You can see I haven’t been deadheading since the frost. :)

Campanula portenschlagiana leaves October

Campanula portenschalgiana (dalmatian bellflower) has a few purple flowers, as well as the fully green leaves.

Campanula carpatica leaves October

My Campanula carpatica (carpathian bellflower) also has a few purple bells above the fresh looking green leaves. They stand out when surrounded by the fallen deciduous leaves. My C. rotundifolia (harebell), C. cochlearifolia (fairy thimble bellflower) and other dwarf Campanula have a few blue flowers along with their well preserved leaves too. These dwarf bellflowers are showing green as soon as the snow melts in spring.

Epimedium grandiflorum 'Lilafee' leaves October

The Epimedium grandiflorum ‘Lilafee’ (lilac fairy barrenwort) has lots of green leaves, and they are just slightly twisted from the long frost.

Helleborus 'Ivory Prince' leaves October

Helleborus ‘Ivory Prince’ looks exactly the same as it did in early spring. This perennial has kept these leathery textured leaves in perfect shape for many months. They’re glossy, patterned, have a lovely form, and they have been since they appeared from under the spring snow. Yes, I have checked to make sure I didn’t plant plastic ones by mistake. They’re real and growing. This plant gets the award for best looking foliage regardless of the frost.

Dianthus caryophyllus leaves October

Dianthus caryophyllus (carnation) is another perennial that keeps great looking foliage from when the snow melts in spring to after the frost. The slender bluish gray leaves rise above the fallen tree leaves. Although I planted these purely for the pink flowers and wonderful scent in summer, I’ve enjoyed the foliage longer in fall and spring.

Geranium 'Rozanne' leaves October

The Geranium ‘Rozanne’ have unmarred leaves and a few flowers still too. The patch of Johnson’s Blue geraniums next to them have shrivelled leaves, and no flowers, so these appear very fresh in comparison. The Johnson’s Blue got a head start in spring, but the Rozanne geranium has been the strong finisher, and much longer bloomer.

Dryopteris expansa fronds October

Dryopteris expansa (spiny wood fern) has the most evergreen fronds of all my ferns. The spiny wood fern usually keeps a few fronds under the snow, so it’s easy to spot in spring. All of my other garden ferns have shrivelled, but these are still showing perfect pinna. The Onoclea sensibilis (sensitive fern) were the first ferns to collapse, even before the frost, when it was only 4° C (40° F).”It’s too chilly. I surrender,” they gasped as they disintegrated. It makes sense that lacy ferns with so much exposed surface area are the first to desiccate when the cold comes, so I wonder how the Dryopteris can maintain their appearance.

Pulmonaria 'samourai' (lungwort) leaves October

The Pulmonaria ‘Samourai’ leaves  still have their silver colour, and intact foliage. These long silver leaves are especially showy against the piles of brown fall leaves.

When the temperatures didn’t rise above freezing for a couple of weeks, and combined with bitter winds, we got down to about -15° C (5°  F) with the windchill. I’m always surprised that some hardy perennials manage to keep their leaves under these conditions. I’ve been adding more of these perennials to the garden, since they maintain a fresh appearance through the cold. In a short growing season, the garden can look bare when the frost hits, and temperatures don’t climb above freezing. Being able to see green leaves, or fall colour, instead of withered foliage, gives me an incentive to wander the garden in the crisper temperatures. These plants also give a quick start in spring, with an early shot of green for a northern garden.

Which plants in your garden keep their leaves the longest after you get extended freezing temperatures?

front shade bed under conifers

I love the texture of the natural mulch that has accumulated under the conifers. There is a layer of decomposing tree debris that is as thick as my trowel blade. It’s very easy to plant in. I can make the planting holes with my bare hands, since it’s so soft.  I think the new plants will love this location.

Asarum arifolium new shipped plants

Here are the Asarum arifolium plants that I ordered. They looked very healthy as I unpacked them. The rootballs were nice and moist. The leaves are in good shape for having been through the mail.

Asarum arifolium (wild ginger) under spruce

These Asarum arifolium are  good looking wild gingers. However, I’m not sure if they will be fully hardy in zone 3. My Asarum europaeum have overwintered fine, so I went with ten of these groundcover plants. If they do well, I’ll expand the group next spring. They should fill in, and cover the ground with their wonderful leaves eventually.

Asarum arifolium (wild ginger) leaf closeup

Aren’t the leaves a great shape? They are halfway between an arrow and a heart shape. In the above photo two above, you can see the variety of leaf shapes, from arrow on the right, to heart on the left. Some of the leaves have faint markings. The markings should get more silvery as the plants grow, so I think they will fit in well with the silver colours running through this bed.

Asarum arifolium (wild ginger) group under spruce

The roots of these Asarum had a very strong ginger smell as I unpacked and planted them. I think they’ll thrive in all the natural mulch that has accumulated here, and the conditions under the trees. By spring I’ll see if they tolerate  the Edmonton winter temperatures.

Brunnera macrophylla 'Jack Frost' (Siberian bugloss) under pine

Here is a group of  Brunnera macrophylla ‘Jack Frost’ at the front of the bed. The leaves are holding up well to the mild frosts.  I’ve added a group of Brunnera macrophylla ‘Looking Glass’, which will have the most silver colour of all the perennials here, since they develop a strong overall silver colour in summer. The newly added Looking Glass is just around the pine, but their leaves don’t look as good as these yet.

Hepatica nobilis (liverleaf) dormant

This is  a group of Hepatica nobilis‘, which will have blue flowers in spring. They arrived dormant, so most of the interesting parts are underground right now. You can just see the green tips of two of the plants from the group of five. They should enjoy the shady location, with lots of humus, from decomposing tree debris. I got the idea for adding these from Dave at The Home Bug Garden.

Aruncus aethusifolius (dwarf goatsbeard) under pine

Here are some of the Aruncus aethusifolius plants. that are planted on the west edge. There is a group of seven plants that go around the pine trunks to the left here. They will have creamy flowers next summer.

Epimedium 'Lilafee' under spruce

These Epimedium grandiflorum ‘Lilafee’ (lilac fairy barrenwort) that were planted earlier are thriving in this location, and expanding to cover their area. The light green leaves with the asymmetrical heart shapes show up well. In late spring they will have purple flowers with long spurs, held up above the leaves.

Hosta 'Ginko Craig' under spruce

The two little Hosta ‘Ginko Craig’ are doing well so far. They are supposed to be good spreaders, so they should fill their section under the tree. The narrow margin of white on the leaves gives a little glimmer in the darker area under the trees.

Cornus canadensis (bunchberry) plant under spruce

There is a group of about 15 Cornus canadensis (bunchberry) now. I’ve been adding to this group as I found more in local greenhouses. They already look as if they are a natural part of the woodland floor, and you’d hardly know they have been recently planted. I’ve seen large patches of these spreading out under conifers in the mountains, so they will enjoy this shady site.

Cornus canadensis (bunchberry) under spruce 2

This natural groundcover should fill in well. I might end up adding some twinflower with them, as I’ve seen that combination in the forest, and it’s an attractive woodland look.

front bed under conifers older plants

I’ve been gradually expanding this woodland bed all summer, weaving between the conifers. I’m going for a look midway between a garden and a forest floor in this shady bed. These will probably be the last plants added for this year, since we are getting much cooler temperatures now. I have some ideas for more additions, and will probably start again in spring. I’d like to add some Polygonatum odoratum ‘Variegatum’, and some Pulmonaria. I’ve been very pleased with how healthy all the plants have been so far. They seem to be doing very well under the conifers. In spring, I’ll see how they overwintered here, and will expand this bed out to the north, to the next spruce tree. Here is an earlier post, about when this shade garden was first planted. This post shows some of the additional shade plantings. Here is another update from 2010 of the shady garden plants under the evergreens.

Heuchera 'Plum Pudding' foliage

The most eye catching purple foliage is from the Heuchera ‘Plum Pudding’. I particularly like this shade of purple as it has a metallic silver tinge to it. You can see in the above photo how the silvery overlay reflects the light in this darker area. Dark colours can fade into the background in the shade, but the silver highlights brighten up the foliage. The leaves are very vivid, and I like the way they add a little drama  here.

One of the advantages of Heuchera is that their leaves stay fresh looking through the mild frosts. In fact, the frost often brings out the colors in Heuchera. In the short growing season of zone 3, it really extends the gardening season when plants can look good into October and November. Heuchera keep many of their leaves under the snow, so they also look great in early spring, before other  perennials have risen. Here is some information about Heuchera ‘Mint Frost’, which has silvery green leaves.

The foliage of the Heuchera make a great ground cover, since they produce many overlapping broad leaves. Smaller plants can’t grow through, so there is less weeding. However, the 2 m (6 ft) tall Actaea has no trouble growing over the 25 cm (10 in) tall Heuchera, so they make a good combination. The group of three Heuchera make a nice clump in front of the Actaea.

Actaea racemosa 'Atropurpurea' leaves

The tall perennnial behind is Actaea racemosa ‘Atropurpurea’ (Cimicifuga, bugbane). This plant has purple tinges to the edges of its leaves, and reddish purple stems. It grows a couple of metres tall (around 6ft). The leaves will make a good backdrop to the other plants. My other Actaea racemosa have tall white flower wands, above my head. These plants will flowers with a minimal amount of light.

Heuchera 'Plum Pudding' and Astilbe

The purple Heuchera is planted next to some Astilbe simplicifolia ‘Hennies Graafland’. I dug up and divided the Astilbe, which had too many lily of the valley closing in on them. Now these short astilbe are towards the front of the bed, where they can be seen better, and have more space. I like the shiny Astilbe leaves next to the glossy metallic purple leaves of the Heuchera. The glossy leaves of A. simplicifolia are highly reflective in the shade. They still have their faded flower plumes on them, with fall colours now. I think the bright pink flowers of summer will look good with the dark purple leaves, but I’ll see when they flower fresh next year.

This section of the border is going to have mostly purple highlights on the leaves. I saw a nice Tiarella that had dark purple centres on its leaves that I might add too. To the south of this section, the plants have more silver highlights. The Heuchera ‘Plum Pudding’, with both purple and silver colours, will make a nice transition between them. I love fall gardening, redesigning the beds, transplanting, dividing the perennials, and adding new plants. Then you wait over the winter, picturing it in your mind. I’m eager to see how this garden border will look next year, as the plants grow in.