leonard j. buck garden

September 2007

A Shady Garden

Leonard J. Buck Garden, Far Hills, NJ
A shady garden is both a delight and a challenge. When we think about shade gardening we may feel we have limited options, but by choosing the right plants your somber areas can be just as rewarding as your sunny border.

First, determine what kind of shade and soil you have:
- Light shade has just a few hours of sun.
- Medium shade has little direct sunlight.
- Deep shade has no direct sunlight.
- Soil can be poor and dry, to rich and moist or very wet.

Understanding these conditions will help you determine which plants will flourish for you, resulting in a better appreciation of your shaded garden.

When choosing shade plants think about foliage; after all, what's left when a plant has finished its bloom is its foliage. A good foliage plant has leaves that are attractive on their own as well as in combination with nearby plants.

The dainty and elegant maidenhair fern, Adiantum pedatum, is easy to grow and is a welcome sight for every shade garden. Its wiry, black stems 12-30 inches long, support a horizontal fan of apple-green, finger-like branches. Maidenhair fern is native to rich, deciduous woodlands in partial to heavy shade and is a wonderful companion with other woodlanders such as, Asarum canadensis, Canadian wild ginger. This ginger has soft green, heart-shaped, leaves with a brown-purplish, urn-shaped flower emerging between leafstalks near the ground. Canadian wild ginger will return faithfully year after year with a ground-covering carpet of large leaves. It stands up to cold or heat and drought. It also does well amid tree roots in relatively dry shade areas. Together, Adiantum pedatum and Asarum canadensis create a beautiful combination based on leaf shape and texture and you can find them growing happily together in the Leonard J. Buck Fern Garden.

Hostas are marvelous plants and practically indestructible. Their diversity and ease make them indispensable for the shade garden. Plant them in drifts as groundcover or use them as specimens. Though tolerant of a wide range of conditions, hostas grow best in light, dappled shade cast by a high deciduous tree canopy. Hosta fortunei 'Francee' is a choice hosta for every garden. 'Francee' reaches a height of 24 inches with a large 36-inch spread. Its narrowly, heart-shaped leaves are dark olive-green with clean white margins. The funnel-shaped, lavender flowers bloom in August. Hosta 'Francee' is partnered with another shade-loving perennial, Heuchera 'Guardian Angel' in a garden bed near the Visitor Center.

Like hostas, heucheras are primarily grown for their attractive leaves. They are very easy to cultivate in light to full shade, and direct sun is tolerated in northern gardens. Heuchera 'Guardian Angel' has small, rounded, grayish-purple leaves and dainty, white flowers blooming May-June. It grows 12 inches tall and 24 inches wide. The bold leaves of Hosta 'Francee' form the focal point in this garden bed while the drift of mottled leaves from the Heuchera creates a striking contrast in both color and shape.

Liriope muscari, lilyturf, is a fine-textured evergreen with great tolerance to shaded areas, therefore, indispensable in the shade garden. Lilyturf is a clump-forming 18 x 18-inch plant with arching, straplike leaves. Its 5-inch long lilac-purple flower spike appears in late summer followed by black fruits. It is an invaluable maintenance-free groundcover for hot and humid areas, for sun or shade. Use it singly as an accent plant or along the edge of a path. Although flowering best in sun, they grow well in almost any situation except poorly drained soil. Their abundance of dark green, linear, lance-shaped leaves goes great with bold hostas and lacy ferns. You can find lilyturf growing along the path's edge in the Fern Garden.

Another showy plant with arching, linear leaves for sun or shade is the beautiful Hakone grass, Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola'. This variegated form makes nice clumps 18-24-inch tall. The bamboo-like foliage has gold leaves thinly striped with green. Use this ornamental grass as a groundcover, in a container, or as a single specimen. Grow Hakone grass in moist, well-drained soil in sun or medium to full shade. This desirable plant brightens up a shady area on Fern Rock.

Chelone lyonii 'Hot Lips,' pink shell turtlehead, differs from other turtleheads in having purplish bronze new foliage and bright, pinkish-purple flowers. C. lyonii is the only turtlehead that grows under mostly shaded conditions, although all turtleheads enjoy some sun to flower abundantly. A couple of hours of morning sun and shade for the rest of the day is suitable. Turtleheads are clump forming with square stems; leaves are opposite with coarsely toothed margins. It grows 24-36 inches tall and prefers moist soil in light shade. Turtleheads are reliable garden performers that provide color in late summer. You can see it in full bloom in the Azalea Field.

Kirengeshoma palmate, yellow waxbell, is a woodland plant with big maple-like green leaves. In September, each of the many 3-4-foot tall stems produce clusters of soft yellow, bell-shaped flowers, followed by pretty seed capsules. It flowers abundantly in medium to full shade. Constant moisture and excellent drainage are essentials. Once established, they have a stature of shrubs. Kirengeshomas make great companions to astilbes, cimicifugas, hostas and fern in the moist woodland border. Their large leaves hold on until the first freeze. You can see yellow waxbells growing under a tulip tree along Moggy Brook.

When shade is coupled with inadequate moisture, plant choices decrease. Few perennials tolerate both shade and drought. Some plants that grow in dry shade at Buck Garden are: Epimedium species, Eurybia divaracata, white wood aster, Galium odoratum, sweet woodruff, Polystichum acrostichoides, Christmas fern and Vancouveria hexandra.

Epimediums are well known for their neat habits and undemanding requirements. Those native to the Caucasus and Mediterranean basin are drought-resistant, while Chinese and Japanese species require water in the summer. Epimedium pinnatum, makes an excellent groundcover for dry shade growing to 12 inches with an 18-inch spread. The glossy leaves with spiny-toothed margins are almost evergreen on wiry stems. Yellow flowers with tiny brown spurs are borne on leafless stems. The cultivar 'Colchicum,' which you can find along Epimedium Path, has strong yellow flowers with longer spurs. E. alpinum, E. perralderianum, and E. warleyense are also recommended for dry shade.

Eurybia divaracata, white wood aster, is a North American native. It prefers moderate shade and average moisture but it also thrives in dry woodlands and at the forest edge. Its flowers are small white daisies with purplish centers on 2-3-foot tall shiny purple stems with heart-shaped, saw-toothed edged leaves. It blooms August and September continuing into early October. It self-sows with abandon, especially on disturbed ground. You can find white wood aster in various locations in Buck Garden.

Galium odoratum, sweet woodruff, is a deciduous groundcover that tolerates the deepest, driest shade. Sweet woodruff quickly forms a lovely mat of soft green stems with whorls of leaves, topped by clusters of 6-12-inch fragrant white flowers in May. Sweet woodruff may look dainty and fragile, but its creeping roots spread wildly. You can see sweet woodruff with another shade-loving foliage plant, Athyrium niponicum, Japanese painted fern, on Ivy Rock.

Polystichum acrostichoides, the Christmas fern, is a tough, easy fern to grow. It makes a great plant for nearly any shade garden. It thrives in moist, rich soils in light to full shade, but it is also one of the most drought-tolerant ferns. Christmas fern will grow on dry banks and even in clay soil. This versatile evergreen fern has dark green, soft-textured new foliage which turns leathery with age. Its long arching fronds are 1-2 feet long. Christmas fern grows along the woodland edge in Buck Garden.

Other ferns that handle dry sites are Dennstaedtia punctiloba, hayscented fern, Polystichum polyblepharum, brittle fern and P.setiferum, soft shield fern.

Vancouveria hexandra is a fast-spreading deciduous, woodland groundcover native to the northwestern coast of North America. Its slender, creeping rhizomes make quick spreading, weed suppressing colonies on wiry stems. The compound leathery, leaves are divided two or three times into threes, almost hexagonal, creating a pleasing fine texture plant. V. hexandra grows to 12 inches tall with a 12-inch spread. Its tiny, drooping, white flowers appear in late spring. It can be found on Little Rock.

Many gardeners view shade as a challenging situation for growing plants. When it comes to shade we may feel our plant choices are limited, yet there are a good number of plants that not only thrive in shade, but often require it. There are difficult aspects to gardening in the shade - dry soil conditions under dense conifers, greedy tree roots and poor air circulation just to name a few. The key is to discover which plants are adapted to the conditions in your yard or garden. A properly planted shade garden will possess a charm of its own, while creating a pleasing cool summer refuge.

- Tricia Scibilia, interpretive gardener
**All photos by Tricia Scibilia unless credited otherwise

Leonard J. Buck Garden, Somerset County Park System: www.somersetcountyparks.org/

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