Northern Shade Gardening

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.

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 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.