plants which grow in the shade

lexi

Hi,
Anyone know of any plants which will grow in the shade. My neighbours have awful conifers & underneath looks plain so wanted to plant something for a bit of colour. Any ideas?

LJM

http://www.crocus.co.uk/charlie/Colourfulshrubsforshade/

try this site

clairefun

Our current garden is entirely in the shade - we have successfully grown:
lots of different ferns - I'm a bit obsessed actually -
hostas (beware the slugs),
lily of the valley - so pretty and smells lovely.
aucuba japanonica - brightens a dark spot but would eventually grow too big for that spot
snowdrops - would look lovely naturalised under a tree.
hellebores - oriental and lenten - the christmas rose - lovey winter flowers, really pretty
foxgloves - maybe a bit tall for there though?
bleeding heart - a beautiful one for shade
aquilegias - pretty and happy in shade

I'm sure there must be others but that's all I can think of that I've personally tried - hope this helps!

lexi

thanx ljm & clairefun you are sounding like an alan titchmarsh clone! I do actually like hosta's & lily of the valley so am gonna try the hubby to visit the garden centre this weekend.
thanx again.

clairefun

No problem! Glad to help. An Alan Titchmarsh clone eh!?! It'd be lovely if I'm that useful, so thank you.

Penelope_Penguin

lexi wrote:

Hi,
Anyone know of any plants which will grow in the shade. My neighbours have awful conifers & underneath looks plain so wanted to plant something for a bit of colour. Any ideas?

Hi, lexi! If you're planting near the conifers, then lack of water will be as much of a problem as shade. Established conifers will take all the moisture from soil.

The list of plants from Claire Fun is a great one, but make sure you pick ones that like dry shade.

HTH, Penny. x

Lord_Gardener

If the soil is very dry, it's worth planting into pots sunk into the ground to retain moisture around your plants!