Northern Shade Gardening

More Astilbe plumes are opening in the shade garden now.  The white feathery flowers of Astilbe arendsii ‘Diamant’ (diamond astilbe) glow in the shadows, and the pink flowers of Astilbe simplicifolia “Hennie Graafland’ look like spun cotton candy. Astilbe ‘Europa’ started the bloom show with soft pink flowers.

You could plant these astilbe in a sunnier area to get more flowers, but in the coolness of the shadows, with a little mulch around them, the foliage stays healthy without having to quench their thirst constantly. Also, their ability to reflect light is valuable in the shade.

Most of the A. arendsii ‘Diamant’ flower stalks are open now. Their pure white flowers are highly visible from a distance, even at dusk. When I take a look out the window at the garden after sundown, these plumes still reflect the last wisps of light.

Sometimes this plant is marketed as  Astilbe ‘Diamond’. It is my tallest astilbe, about 30 cm (1 foot) taller than the pink flowered Astilbe ‘Europa’.  Diamant starts blooming  a little after Europa, but their flowering times overlap. I wrote more about Europa in a previous post.

After about 3 weeks the flowers gradually turn brown, but they are still interesting. I leave the faded plumes on the plants until next spring.

The leaves are attractive, and look nice combined with the finer textured fronds of ferns, or with broader leaves.

Astilbe simplicifolia ‘Hennie Graafland’ is a medium sized astilbe, about the same height as ‘Europa’. The flowers have darker centres, giving them a brighter, more saturated look than ‘Europa’. The cotton candy plumes on these are just beginning to open from the bottom.  In a few days, they will be as fluffy as the other astilbe. Despite being in a medium shady area, getting maybe an hour of direct sun, this perennial gets a good number of plumes. The flowers in the bottom picture are all on one plant, though there are 2 other Hennie Graafland behind in the clump.

The extra glossy, dark green leaves are what I like most about Hennie Graafland. In the shade garden, the shiny foliage is very showy, and contrasts nicely with more matte textured leaves. Since the plumes bloom bright for about 3 weeks, it looks decorative to have the polished looking foliage for the rest of the season.

I always look forward to the astilbe blooms in the shadows, but their attractive foliage is around until frost. They don’t seem to be bothered by any pests or diseases in my garden. This perennial is an excellent plant for the shade, and hardy in zone 3.

Here is some more information and photos about astilbe in this followup post.

Astilbes add a feathery softness to the shade in the summer. Astilbe ‘Europa’ is a medium sized perennial with soft pink plumes. The fluffy plumes look good above the foliage, which stays healthy and green, as long as they get enough moisture.

This is a great flowering plant for medium shade. Only a third of the plumes have opened, but already it is looking good. They would probably get even more blooms in a light shade or sunnier location, but I’m happy with how well it does in the medium shade. The flowers of Europa are a beautiful, clear pink, without purple or peach tones. The light coloured flowers are very noticeable in the shadows. I like how they look with the fiesta white double flowering impatiens. Sometimes I’ve planted a pale apple blossom pink double flowering impatiens with them too. The plumes look pink for about 3 weeks and then start turning brown. This is one of the few perennial blooms that I still like the look of after the flowers lose their colour. I leave the astilbe plumes on until next spring. Like the Hydrangea flowers, they add interest over the winter.

The foliage looks good, green and healthy, and I find it stays that way, as long as it gets enough water. These astilbe plants get about an hour or so of direct sunlight in the early morning, and then a bit of dappled and indirect light for the rest of the day. This probably helps them from getting too dry, I haven’t watered them for a month, but the rain has been very accommodating this summer.

The plumes of this perennial open from the bottom up. In this closeup, it’s easy to see the delicate pink of the astilbe flowers, and the top still waiting to open.

My Astilbe arendsii ‘Diamant’ and A. simplicifolia ‘Hennie Graafland’ are barely beginning to open, and not ready for their closeup yet. They should be adding their showy white and pink blooms to the shade soon too. You can read more about these other astilbe in another post I wrote.Do you grow astilbes, and do you have a favourite?

The Campanula (bellflowers) are displaying their beautiful blooms now. They are a great perennial, and not just because they come in various shades of blue, purple and white. Many of these plants have a long blooming period.  Most of them also have good looking foliage. Campanula tend to be very easy care. Most bellflowers don’t need much fussing, except some of the small rock garden ones which need good drainage. Generally, deadheading and some extra water when things get dry are about all they need.

I always smile at the sight of bees in the flowers of Campanula. Most of the flowers are small, short tubes, and bees can’t get all the way in. They squeeze their bodies in as far as they can to get the nectar goodness, while their back ends hang outside, and wiggle back and forth.

This perennial with pretty stars is Campanula poscharskyana ‘Camgood’ (blue waterfall Serbian bellflower). It has horizontal flowering stalks with many blue star-shaped flowers. It blooms well, even in medium shade.

The plant is low growing.  It is a spreading bellflower, but doesn’t become annoying in zone 3. In good soil in a warmer climate, it might spread faster. I like the look of the numerous blue stars shining under shrubs or around tall perennials. There is more about Campanula poscharskyana in this post.

Campanula carpatica (Carpathian bellflower) is a very reliable perennial in zone 3. It forms a neat mound of foliage, and is covered in bells that face the sky. This good looking variety is C. carpatica ‘Blaue clips’ (blue clips). I also have the very similar C. carpatica ‘Deep Blue Clips’. Both of these flourish in the semi-shade. They are easy and satisfying to deadhead with a fingernail. Carpathian bellflowers are the longest flowering perennials in my garden.

I have 2 white flowering versions of C. carpatica, ‘Weisse clips’ (White Clips) and ‘White Uniform’. I’ve lost track of which Carpathian bellflower is which now. One of them is slightly more compact. These perennials are both very pretty and show up well from across the yard. Both are in semi-shade and do well. You can read more about Campanula carpatica and their care in this post.

I posted about Campanula portenschlagiana “Hoffman’s Blue” (Hoffman’s Blue Dalmatian Bellflower)  in more detail before. It is a great bellflower that I highly recommend for its shade tolerance and long bloom. The flowers are upright, showy bells.

Campanula glomerata (clustered bellflower) is my least favourite of the bellflowers I grow. It has a pretty flower, but it is short blooming, too vigorous and the foliage deteriorates after blooming. I discussed it in more detail in this post.

Campanula cochlearifolia (fairy thimble) is an appealing little bellflower with many small light blue or white bells. It is very dainty, and looks good at the very front of a border, or draping around rocks or ledges. It spreads out to make a low carpet, with numerous tiny bells hanging from short stalks above. You can find out more about Campanula cochlearifolia in this post.

‘Elizabeth Oliver’ is a double flowering form of C. cochlearifolia. It is new to my garden this year. I hope it is as hardy as the basic fairy thimble. The charming flowers are a very pale blue, with a bell within a bell. This petite perennial is full of flowers. You can see how dark the Blue Clips on the left looks in comparison. There are more pictures and information about this double bellflower, ‘Elizabeth Oliver’,  in this post as well.

C. rotundifolia (harebell) is a hardy bellflower  that has blue bells hanging down the slender flower stalks. It has a low base of leaves, and the delicate flowers stalks rise above. In the shade, the flowers tend to lean over more, but this trait is fine, because it  looks good mingled with so many other plants. This is a charming, easy care bellflower that blooms for a few months, and then intermittently until frost. There is more about Campanula rotundifolia here.

Campanula never seem bothered by pests or disease. I had rust on a C. persicifolia (peach leafed bellflower) once, and that has been the only problem.

Campanula are a terrific genus in the garden. Their flowers, generally in shades of blue, purple and white, are always eye-catching. Many bellflowers bloom for an extended time, which is always a bonus for a perennial. They are easy to use in the garden, since they blend well with many other plants. Some of them tolerate medium shade, and many do well in part shade. All of these are hardy in the cold climate of zone 3. If you enjoy Campanula, here is a review I wrote of a super book about the dwarf Campanula.