There are always places in the garden that are in the shade most of the day. But even the most shady garden can be decorated with many different plants that will fully develop and delight their owner. Shade-loving plants do not always bloom spectacularly in the garden, but have beautiful foliage.
Popular shade-loving bushes
Experts advise purchasing plant seedlings only in specialized and trusted stores.
Khosta
Hosta is an ornamental deciduous perennial plant. Hosta bushes have bright colors. They can be blue, green, gray with a contrasting border or stripes of a lighter color.
Bushes are planted in partial shade, in places protected from the wind. Bushes cover a large area of the ground around them with their foliage. By doing this, they suppress the growth of weeds and almost do not need to loosen the soil. Hosta is a disease-resistant shrub, but it is susceptible to frequent attacks by slugs and snails.
You can plant hosta not only in open ground, but also in wide pots, decorating uncomfortable corners of the garden with them.
Astilbe
A perennial plant in which the above-ground part dies off during the winter. Feels comfortable in the shade and tolerates high soil moisture well. There are about 400 species. Their size varies from 15 to 400 cm.
The plant begins to bloom in July, flowering lasts 25-35 days. The flowers are collected in panicle-shaped inflorescences 10-60 cm high. The colors also come in different colors, but white, pink, purple and red astilbes look the most attractive.
Prolonged drought, poor soil, open and hot sun can destroy the plant. In dry weather, it is watered twice a day, in the morning and in the evening.
Astilboides
The homeland of the plant is China. There, astilboides grows in ravines and forests. The height of the plant is about 30 cm, while the diameter of the leaves is 70 cm, which grow on long petioles. The peduncle grows 1.5 m tall. The flowers on it are small, collected in inflorescences similar to panicles.
The bush is moisture-loving, and if the soil is sufficiently moist, it tolerates bright sunlight, but it is still better to plant it in partial shade. Tolerates frosts well without shelter. Astilboides is fed 2-3 times per season with organic fertilizers.Doesn't need replanting for years. Old foliage is cut off.
Buzulnik
An unusual and beautiful plant of the Asteraceae family that will decorate any summer cottage or garden. Buzulnik blooms with bright yellow-orange inflorescences that attract attention.
The shrub is weather-resistant and does not require mulch in the winter. It grows for decades in one place without needing replanting. It can grow on any soil, even if it is heavy and clayey. But still prefers moist and fertile soil in the shade. In direct sunlight, the bush will wither and have an unpresentable appearance.
Buzulnik has strong and elastic branches, but during flowering it needs a garter. You also need to tie up the plant if it grows in a windy area.
Brunner (Forget-me-not)
Although this perennial shrub blooms, its beauty lies in its foliage. It appears throughout the season, which gives the bush freshness and elegance. Prefers semi-shaded or sunny places with moist, fertile soil.
Brunnera is a frost-resistant bush. In order for it to be lush, the soil is mulched in the winter with compost, humus or peat. In spring, fertilize with mineral fertilizer. The plant rarely gets sick.
Badan
Bergenia is also a perennial plant that can grow for a long time without transplanting. In the next 10 years after planting, it will definitely not have to be replanted. The bush has a thick rhizome located close to the surface. It has large shiny leaves of a round shape.
The shrub blooms in purple, hot pink or white, creating a beautiful contrast to the green foliage. This happens at the end of spring and lasts 20 days. Bergenia fits perfectly into the design of rocky gardens.
Volzhanka
The shrub has spreading bushes with an abundance of white inflorescences. The flowering period is from June to the end of July. Its height is about 2 m. Volzhanka grows calmly both in the sun and in the shade. But growing in the open sun, Volzhanka shrubs develop poorly. The best soil for planting is moist soil with drainage.
The plant is unpretentious in care. It can grow in one place for 15-20 years. Although it is resistant to cold, gardeners insulate it for the winter. Propagated by dividing the bush, cuttings and through seed.
Heuchera
The main advantage of this herbaceous plant is its bright and varied palette of foliage. Its leaves come in the most unpredictable colors, for example, gray, white or cream, purple, brown or red.
Most heuchera varieties have a presentable appearance, starting in early spring and ending in late autumn. Often the first snow that falls covers the plant along with the foliage. Gardeners love heuchera not only for its beauty, but also for its ease of care and shade tolerance. If the bush grows in good soil, then it does not need fertilizing and is resistant to pests and diseases.
Dicentra (Broken Heart)
A perennial plant with a height of 30 to 100 cm. Its leaves are green with a bluish tint, and their shape is pinnately dissected. The flowers are heart-shaped, reddish or pink, drooping, about 2 cm in diameter. They are collected on an arched branch, which is elevated above the bush.
The planting site is prepared in the fall by digging up and fertilizing the area with humus. During the season, feed 2-3 times, remove weeds and loosen the soil. During droughts, additional watering is necessary.
If you cut off faded brushes from the bush, the flowering period increases.
Black cohosh (Cohosh)
This herbaceous shrub received its name due to its insecticidal properties. Another name for the shrub is Silver Candles; it most fully describes the beauty of the plant.
The height is 1-2 m. In dwarf varieties it is 60 cm. The foliage is pinnately divided in burgundy or green. The bush blooms with long thin candle inflorescences 20 cm high. The inflorescence consists of tiny white flowers with stamens, this creates the effect of lace and translucency.
Often used in modern landscape design trends.
Kupena
The genus Kupena consists of more than 50 species. Most often in nature they are found in lowland forests and mountains of the Northern Hemisphere. The plant has a curved stem with bright green leaves arranged in two rows. Flowers hang from the axils of the leaves.
Externally, kupena is similar to lily of the valley, but this is not surprising, because they are from the same Liliaceae family. Therefore, kupena is sometimes called deaf lily of the valley. These cute bushes have medicinal properties. With their help, cardiovascular diseases and lower back pain are treated.
Fern
Ferns are found in almost every climate, from coniferous forests to the tropics. Thanks to the structure of their branches, which are called fronds, ferns look quite elegant.
This eye-catching plant also attracted our ancestors, who saw something magical and enchanting in it. Many myths and legends have been told about ferns. But today, gardeners use it as an ornamental plant in their flower beds and gardens.
When planting a fern on a site, the main thing is to choose the right place for it, dark and moist.
Rogersia
Rogersia is a large perennial, classified as an ornamental foliage plant.There are 8 species in the genus, native to Japan and China.
It blooms with white paniculate inflorescences, reaching 120 cm during this period. The leaves are palmately lobed. When caring for this perennial, you need not only to water and feed it, but also to clean the curtain of leaves and stems that have died.
Having planted Rogersia in his garden plot, the owner will immediately notice its dominance in the flower garden.
Aquilegia
This is a beautiful flower with a diameter of about 3-8 cm, usually two or three colors. The most common colors are white, yellow, pink, blue, indigo and violet. Flowering period May-July.
Reproduction occurs by dispersing seeds, and the seedlings are picked up and transplanted to a permanent place. They are not propagated by division, as adult plants do not tolerate transplantation well.
The flower is planted both in shady corners of the site and in the sun. Aquilegia tolerates any soil well, but develops better on loose sandy soils with sufficient moisture.
Garden geranium
These flowers bloom beautifully, forming picturesque thickets. Their leaves retain their decorative appearance from early spring to the first snows in autumn. They endure winter easily, without any preparation. They grow quickly.
The flowers of the bush are large, about 4-5 cm in diameter. The leaves are deeply dissected. In spring and summer they are green, and in autumn they are red or red-orange.
Geranium is drought-resistant. It grows in any soil, but prefers well-drained, moist soil without stagnant water.
Hydrangea
Gardeners love perennial shade-tolerant hydrangea flowers for their beautiful and long-lasting blooms, which begin in the spring, continue throughout the summer and end in late fall.A garden in which hydrangea blooms will not be inconspicuous, since the color scheme of the plant’s inflorescences is varied, ranging from cream to blue and red.
Bush varieties of hydrangea grow up to 1-3 meters in height. Liana-like varieties reach 30 meters. The plant can also be evergreen or deciduous.
Interesting to know! The color of large-leaved hydrangea depends not only on its variety. It varies depending on the pH of the soil and the amount of aluminum in it.
Features of cultivation and care
To achieve lush greenery and bright blooms in a shady flower garden, you need to properly care for the plants.
Most of the shade-loving species require plenty of moisture. They especially need watering in late spring, when hot weather begins. Plants are watered without waiting for them to wilt.
All plants, except wild ones, also need periodic fertilizing with fertilizers. It is also important to loosen the soil, because then the inhabitants of the shady garden will be able to more easily absorb moisture from the soil.
Rules for creating a beautiful flower bed of shade-loving plants
A variety of flower beds are collected from shade-loving plants. Multi-level plantings and island flower beds are popular. When planting shrubs and flowers, adhere to the scheme. On 1 square meter, plant no more than 10 ground cover bushes, 5 medium-sized, 7 low-growing and 3 tall plants. Then the flowerbed will not only look harmonious, but the shrubs will also feel good.
Shade-loving plants are in demand among gardeners. This is because they are perennial and will delight their owners with bright colors for many years with minimal and uncomplicated care.
