Comments on: My Garden Plants

By: Northern Shade

Northern Shade — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 15:15:39 +0000

MissB, you're welcome, I'm glad the information was helpful. I just wrote a post on a new shady garden with pink blue and white flowers. Here is another post I wrote about another shade garden under evergreens. They both have more photos and ideas.

By: missB

missB — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 04:26:51 +0000

I stumbled on your page about a year ago when I was first looking for fern varieties, here I am again after Google’ing shady plants for zones 2-3! I just wanted to say thank you for all the details provided on your [mostly] shade loving plants! I’ve been having a bit of a difficulty trying to plan out what I am going to fill my shady, well treed north-east corner, but I definitely have some ideas now. :)

Thanks again from the nwo!

By: Northern Shade

Northern Shade — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 00:57:45 +0000

Sana, if you want bright colour all summer, then annuals like begonia and impatiens would work well. Lobelia is a nice edging with blue flowers.

Here are some of the perennials that get the showiest flowers in that kind of shade. You can use Brunnera and Pulmonaria for blue colour in May and June. Pink bleeding hearts provide colour for about 2 months, from the end of May to mid July. Epimediums come in shades of yellow, pink and purple, and they give spring colour too. Some Campanula (bellflowers) like Dalmatain bellflower have blue blooms for a couple of months in summer. Serbian bellflower and fairy thimble bellflower get showy blue flowers. Aruncus (goatsbeard) will get very tall white plumes for 3 weeks in July. Actaea (bugbane) gets tall white spikes in late summer. Astilbe give very bright colour with fluffy plumes in pinks, reds, whites and purples in July and August. Some of the Heucherellas like ‘Tapestry’ get nice pink spikes for a couple of months. Filipendula is another tall perennial for the shade, with pinkish flowers. Primulas come in a rainbow of colour. Those are some of the perennials that get showy flowers in shade.

By: Sana

Sana — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 18:09:11 +0000

Hi all,

I have a big patch of garden which is totally shaded. I am wondering if you have any idea to make it bright with flowers ( it get sun only 6p.m. to 8p.m). For your information Calgary is very new to me.

Thanking you in advance
Sana

By: Northern Shade

Northern Shade — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 14:52:33 +0000

Andy, you’re welcome. They are great in the garden for their long bloom time in late sumer.

By: Andy

Andy — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 14:40:03 +0000

Thanks so much “Northern Shade”, I appreciate your advice. I will try planting the ones you mentioned above, since I am worried that the other kinds of Hydrangea might not survive in Calgary.

Cheers,

Andy

By: Northern Shade

Northern Shade — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 01:34:53 +0000

Andy, the hardiest Hydrangea are the Hydrangea paniculata, like PG, ‘Little Lamb’, etc. I grow them in Edmonton. I also grow Hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle’. This year I had a small amount of dieback on the tips of some branches, but overall they are hardy here.

By: Andy

Andy — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 00:54:15 +0000

Hi,
Can you grow hydrangea plant in Calgary? Will it survive its harsh winters? Please help. Thanks.

Andy

By: Northern Shade

Northern Shade — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 02:20:49 +0000

Ruth, here is a post I wrote showing how I keep track of my plants on a spreadsheet. It has a sample you can download to see, and there is a follow up post showing it in action.

By: Ruth

Ruth — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 00:50:19 +0000

You gave me idea to do a plant file. I can record my garden and plants I have.
Wonderful.
Thank you.

ps I am a flower presser. you can check out my blog site.