Category: Shade

Posted on

Plants in the Container – Thrillers, Fillers and Spillers

One of Polly’s Pots

You have the containers that you want to fill with plants and those containers have one or more holes in the bottom. You have covered the hole or holes with something that will keep the soil in but will let excess water trickle out and you have filled the container with good soil. Remember, the better the soil, the happier and healthier the plants will be. TheGardenLady wrote that you can buy potting soil in the stores. There are those purists who don’t like to buy their soil in bags, saying it is not alive and healthy. They prefer all compost. But gardeners will have success with good bagged soil. And when you have saved enough compost, the next time you make containers, you can use your own compost. That is why it is so very important to compost all your garbage and lawn clippings and leaves.

So what can you grow in a container? Just about anything that grows in the garden. If you have a container large enough you can plant trees. If you have very small containers you can plant alpine plants. You can plant just one plant in a container. For example, there are containers called strawberry pots where people like to plant strawberries. Or you can use them for planting succulent plants or herbs. (see here)  You can plant more than one plant of the same kind like Begonia ‘Dragon Wings Red’  that will create an impressive show.

And you can use your containers to grow a variety of plants. This is what I am hoping readers will do.

Continue reading “Plants in the Container – Thrillers, Fillers and Spillers”

Posted on

Shade Loving Plants

Shade Garden by edgeplot

TheGardenLady received this question from Susan.

Outside our office in south Florida we have a planter that is entirely in the shade of an overhang. We have placed plants there and all have died. Can you suggest some plants that would survive and add beauty to building.

Before you plant anything in your planter, check to see if it has drainage holes. Plants MUST have good drainage to survive for any length of time. If there are no holes in the planter, you should either bore holes on the bottom of the container or buy new planters with holes.  (see here)

Then use good potting soil. Organic matter is always best. If your office has a gardener maintaining lawns around the building, see if he could start a compost spot for your building to use. This might be a first- creating an office building compost site. You might even be able to compost lunch leftovers in it for a savings to the building. Barring that, TheGardenLady likes to recommend buying soil with slow release fertilizer already in the soil.  If you do buy potting soil with fertilizer added to it, check to make sure the bags are not wet and that the potting mix doesn’t look like it has been sitting around a really long time. For adding your own slow release fertilizers to your potting soil, my friends like the Osmocote brand.

Continue reading “Shade Loving Plants”

Posted on

More Questions About Knockout Roses

Red Knockout Rose by photomason
Red Knockout Rose by photomason

TheGardenLady recevied these additional questions about Knockout roses.

I just heard about the knockout rose and think it will be perfect for my side patio. Two questions: The above picture? are those purple or pink? How does the Knockout do in partial shade?

There is no purple Knockout rose. They have single and double pink, single and double red, and have recently brought out a yellow rose plus they have a rainbow colored rose and a pale pink single rose. Check out their site.

TheGardenLady has the pink and the red Knockout roses . Though the company says they grow 3 to 4 ft high and 3 to 4 ft wide, mine are higher – 5 or 6 ft tall and and about 5ft wide. I pruned mine down this spring yet they grew back as tall. They bloomed their heads off this spring. And with all the rain we have had, the plants are very healthy with no rose diseases.

I just had the lower branches of trees pruned so that the roses would get more sunlight. Until then they were getting about 5 hours of morning sun. But the company says they can do well with as little as 4 hours of sunlight.

If you’re interested in reading about blooming problems with Knockout roses, please take a look at this post.

Posted on

Shade Loving Plants

Pink Double Impatiens by Judes Jewels
Pink Double Impatiens by Jude's Jewels

TheGardenLady received this question from Kevin.

I have a very small front area, very small, 2′x25′ with very little sun. I was thinking about some kind of ornamental grass for height and some other colorful flowers.  Any ideas?

In order to give you a more precise answer, TheGardenLady would need to know your temperature zone and the amount of dryness or moisture in your front area.  Without this information, here are some suggestions:

You seem interested in grasses. Most ornamental grasses need sun. Many are shade INTOLERANT. A few will tolerate light shade.  See here.   But these do not bloom as well in shade. Sedges seem to be more tolerant of shade but some can grow too aggressively for your small area.

Koeleria macrantha, Junegrass and Melica imperfecta by edgehill
Koeleria macrantha, Junegrass and Melica imperfecta by edgehill

For a drier site there is Koeleria macrantha (syn. K. cristata) June grass which is a small, green, native clump grass with showy white flower panicles in June. A host for butterfly larvae. Shade tolerant and soil tolerant.

For a moist area there are two plants that might work:
Carex muskingumensis or Palm sedge is a slowly spreading plant with palm-like foliage that requires shade and moist conditions.

Chasmanthium latifolium by nobuflickr
Chasmanthium latifolium by nobuflickr

Also, Chasmanthium latifolium or Northern sea oats which is noted for its showy, drooping flowers and light green, upright, bamboo-like foliage. Flat green flowers will turn copper. Blooms well in shade and reseeds.

Also, consider hostas. The number of different hosta plants is so numerous that you can create a unique garden just with them alone. For your small area you can find miniature or small hostas. Plant variaged hostas or gold colored hostas to brighten the dark area.

Best shade tolerant colorful flowers would be annuals like impatiens and begonias.

Ligularia Dentata by robelsas
Ligularia Dentata by robelsas

If you want perennials consider Astilbe varieties, Greater Celandine (check to see if it is invasive in your area), Dicentra spectabilis (Bleeding Hearts), helleborus orientalis (Hellebore) and Ligularia dentata or Elephant ears. One doesn’t see Ligularia very often. It has large leaves. There is one with maroon-black leaves. Showy golden daisy like flowers appear in midsummer.

Lastly, consider an azalea. Azaleas will grow in shade.