A Gardener’s Notebook - Shade Gardens
by Sandy Phelps, Garden Design Consultant

It is a common misconception that it is not possible to have a lovely, colorful garden in a shady spot. Some of the most memorable gardens I have visited have been in complete or partial shade. A few basic steps are all it will take to create a shady nook that will take your breath away.

One first must determine how much shade the garden will be getting over the course of one day. Filtered or light shade is the brightest category of shade. Light is filtered through fine leaves or spaced trees. Medium shade occurs when sunlight is shaded by the shadow cast by a house, wall or fence or branches and additional foliage. The sunlight is irregular throughout the day. Deep or dense shade occurs when there are low branching trees or evergreens. Sunlight cannot penetrate all the way to the ground except through reflected light. Once the type of shade a garden will be receiving is determined then plants that will thrive in a particular type of shade can be purchased.

Many shade gardens consist entirely or mostly of green colored plants. There are many hues of green, from yellow greens to deep greens, that can make a shade garden
appear colorful. Selecting plants with a variety of textures in its leaves will also create an interesting effect. Ferns, Hosta, Coral Bells, Lady’s Mantle, Solomon’s Seal, Lamium, Foamflower, Epimedium, Sweet Woodruff, Hakone Grass and Ginger are just a few low maintenance, all green perennial plants that work well in most type of shade gardens.

Generally, the more colorful flowers of shade loving plants need a filtered sun garden. Some perennial plants with blue flowers are Amsonia, Liriope, Iris, Lobelia, Pulmonaria and Tradescantia. Perennial plants with pink flowers are Spirea, Turtlehead, Bleeding Heart, Hardy Geranium, Phlox and Primrose. Shade gardens with all white flowering perennials are often called “Moon” gardens as they create a silvery effect even at night. White perennial flowers for the shade are Goatsbeard, Astilbe, Campanula, Hellebore, Iris, Phlox and Toad Lily. There are even perennials with yellow flowers that love the shade and brighten up the garden. Some yellow flowers are Marsh Marigold, Corydalis, Leopard’s Bane and Daylily.

Shade gardens should contain a mix of trees, shrubs and perennials to create interest year round. There are many trees and shrubs that thrive in shady locations. Just a few ornamental trees that can be the focal point of a well planned shade garden are Japanese Maple, Serviceberry, Eastern Redbud, Fringe Tree, Dogwood, Witchhazel, Saucer Magnolia, Stewartia and the Japanese Snowbell. These flowering small trees will create structure as well as bring color and height to a shade garden.

Shade loving shrubs come in all sizes, shapes and flowers. Some even have a lovely scent that will entice you to visit the garden. Just a few of my favorite shade loving shrubs are Carolina allspice, Clethra, Red or Yellow Twig Dogwood, Daphne, Hydrangea, holly, Itea, Leucothoe, Andromeda, Cherry laurel, Rhododendron, Azalea, Skimmia and Viburnum. Most of these shrubs have a softly scented flower. Hydrangeas come in a variety of colors from blues to pinks as well as many leaf types. There are Oakleaf Hydrangeas and small tree-like Pee Gee Hydrangeas with huge flower clusters.

Not to be forgotten are bulbs. In early spring, before the leaves appear on trees and shrubs, bulbs poke their way up through the soil to announce that winter is over. Crocus, winter aconite, snowdrops, grape muscari, scilla, bluebells and daffodils are the first to brighten up a shade garden in spring while lilies appear later in the summer. Easy to grow, bulbs multiply in number year after year with little care and in time will fill a shady nook with color.

A shade garden can be a retreat where you sit and relax on a hot, summer day. They can be the first to welcome you to spring with early flowering bulbs, trees and shrubs. No spot in your yard is too shady for a garden. Determine the amount of shade it will receive every day and select plants that thrive in that type of sunlight. Don’t forget a layer of mulch to keep the roots cool and weeds at bay. And finally, add a bench to sit and enjoy your cool, refreshing shade garden.

A Gardener’s Diary - Ornamental Grasses: The Backbone of the Deer Resistant Garden

by Sandy Phelps, Garden Design Consultant

For the first time in ten years herds of deer have invaded my garden spaces over this long, cold winter. Shrubs that have never before been grazed by deer have been eaten to the ground. Until public outrage pushes our lawmakers to control the ever increasing deer population in suburban areas, we will need to look to plants that are deer resistant to fill our garden spaces.

One of the most deer resistant, easy care and versatile plants I recommend as a designer are ornamental grasses. Ornamental grasses can be the backbone to any garden, large or small, sun or shade. Deer do not like the sharp, cutting edges of grasses and will not eat them no matter how hungry they may be. Grasses provide texture, motion, sound, color, height, and low maintenance throughout the four seasons. There is an ornamental grass for every garden situation and will reward you for many years with a minimum of care.

   Blue fescue, festuca glauca, is a low growing grass that resembles a sea urchin. It has dense, thin, blue-green blades that form a stiff 10” mound with short upright flowers in mid summer. They are great for a pop of color and texture in a sunny spot.

   Feather Reed Grass ‘Karl Forester’, Calamagrostis x. acutiflora, is a mid size plant with upright blades. It is excellent for the back of the garden or against a wall. New green growth starts in April turning a buff color in August. In June feathery inflorescences bloom at the top of the blades with an overall height of 4-6’. They stay upright in hot, sunny, well drained locations long into winter. 

   Maiden Grass or Silver Grass, Miscanthus sinensis, has a variety of cultivars with heights varying from 4-8’ and colors to suit any garden. Its green blades are generally stiff but arching with white stripes. Red or silvery feathered plumes appear in late summer adding color and texture to the reds, yellows and oranges of fall flowers. Purpurascens turns an attractive red color with silver plumes in late summer.

   Switch grass, Panicum virgatum, is a native plant that can take a bit more moisture but will grow in even the harshest conditions of drought. This grass has a bluish cast to its blades with pinkish hues to its panicles in late summer. Its tall, wide form makes it a good choice for screening at the back of the border.

    Fountain grass, Pennisetum alopecuroides or orientale, is one of the loveliest of the grasses. Its thin green blades and arching form soften the straight lines and harsh edges of buildings or beds. There are several popular cultivars to select from including the low growing, 12” ‘Little Bunny’, 24” ‘Hameln’, and 36-48” mauve hued ‘Karley Rose’. A lovely green and white striped, low growing grass is Ribbon Grass. An aggressive spreader, it should only be used in areas that can be contained.

   For shaded and moist gardens there are several ornamental grasses that add grace and color to companion plants such as ferns and astilbe. Hakone grass, Hakonechloa macra, is native to Japan. Its soft green to golden blades grow to about 24” but cascade in a draping fashion to the ground. Hakone grass is slow growing but will in time densely fill a 24-36” area. This grass looks lovely cascading over a stone wall.

   Another part shade loving grass is Creeping Broad Leaf Sedge, Carex siderostricta variegata. With wide cream and green leaves growing only 8 -12” high, this often is a good replacement for hostas that deer love to munchon. Once established these plants will fill in an area quickly and make an excellent ground cover.

In addition to being deer resistant, ornamental grasses need little care. They generally need no irrigation even in hot, dry summers. No fertilizer is needed. Trim to just a few inches from the ground in March before any new growth has begun. Growing to full height and width in one to two years, these plants will enjoy being divided every 4-6 years to revitalize and refresh their graceful form. Alone or as a compliment to perennial flowering plants and shrubs, ornamental grasses belong in every garden.