Suggestions for Shade?

Gardens are always changing and evolving.

Originally, my garden was almost all full sun.

Now, as I've let the 'Natchez' crape myrtles grow unfettered, I have some shady spots along the patio from spring to autumn once the crapes have leafed out.

So... dear readers, any suggestions from your own personal experiences as to which shade-loving plants I should try?

I have a few ideas already in mind...

Anemone virginiana, thimbleweed (photo via Lindley Ashline)

Aralia racemosa, American spikenard (photo via Distant Hill Gardens)
I have one of these plants growing along the front of the house in that east-facing, full-morning-sunshine bed, but I'm going to try to transplant it to a shadier spot where I think it would be happier.

Aruncus dioicus, goat's beard (photo via Megan Hansen)

Asarum canadense, American ginger (photo via Kevin Faccenda)

Blephilia ciliata, downy wood mint (photo via Ali Eminov)

Clematis versicolor, pale leatherflower (photo via Sonnia Hill)

Cunila origanoides, dittany (photo via Fritz Flohr Reynolds)

Erigeron pulchellus, Robin's plantain
I already have this plant in my garden in a variety of settings, including some pretty shady spots, so I think it should grow fine beneath the crape myrtles.

Iris cristata, dwarf crested iris (photo via Andrew Hoffman)

Any thoughts on these plants?

I have some other plants already in the garden - Agastache foeniculum, for example - that already grow here and probably will spread further. They seem quite at home in the shade.

And I've found that other perennials - Amsonia tabernaemontana 'Blue Ice' and Echinacea purpurea, for instance - may be marketed as full sun plants, but are surprisingly tolerant of a good deal of shade.

But I know that some other plants have declined as the shade has increased. Coreopsis verticillata is dying out in spots (although I've heard that this can be a short-lived plant). Baptisia australis (blue false indigo) is hanging tough, but I suspect it would be more upright, floriferous and generally happier in a full sun spot. (I scattered some of its seeds in a full sun bed, and the seedlings seem more robust and vigorous than the lax, louche plant that lolls about in shade alongside the patio.)

I welcome your advice and suggestions! ~

Shots in the July Garden - A Bevy of Blooms for Bees and Butterflies!

It's been a bit of a challenging year to garden so far.

We had a really dry spring (a 7 inch rainfall deficit at one point).

Then we made that up with torrential rains in July, but we've settled (like much of the country) into an uncomfortably hot and humid weather pattern.

So even though I don't want to toot my horn, I must say I'm rather pleased that the garden has been looking pretty good - - and with very little supplemental water (I think I've only watered with a hose about 4 times this year, plus other occasional spot waterings with a can.)

Without further ado, here are some scenes that caught my eye when I was in the garden on July 20th.

Lantana camara

Gaillardia x grandiflora and bumblebee

Gaillardia x grandiflora and a teeny-tiny bee (not its real name)

Hibiscus moscheutos, this is the straight species version of our native hibiscus. (I also have the 'Luna Pink Swirl' hybrid or cultivar of H. moscheutos.) This is my first year growing the straight species. It's in full sun on an unamended clay hillside and seems to be thriving, despite the fact that it would probably prefer wet-to-moist conditions.

Perovskia atriplificolia, Russian sage. I moved three Russian sages to more of a full sun location and generally they seem much happier and more floriferous in their new spot. That said, I've still seen some of the yellowing foliage and even wilting of entire branches that I've noticed when they were in partial shade. It's my opinion that they do not like our humidity (which has been especially high this summer) or the heavy clay soil. The Russian sage flowers seem highly attractive to pollinators, especially honeybees.

Coreopsis verticillata 'Zagreb', attracts lots of little pollinators

French marigold, Tagetes patula 

Hibiscus syriacus, rose of Sharon, 'Diana' cultivar

Cosmos bipinnatus and bee.

Agastache foeniculum (anise hyssop) and bee

'Red Rocks' penstemon and bee. I have three of these Red Rocks penstemons. I cut back two of them after the main bloom and left the third one (this one) uncut. They're all starting to rebloom a little now, which makes me think that it may not make any difference (at least in terms of stimulating more flowers) whether or not you cut them back. That said, I'll keep an eye on the plants over the next month or two to see whether there's any difference in terms of flower quantity or overall form between the penstemons that were pruned and those that were left au naturel.

Lagerstroeima indica 'Natchez' (crape myrtle). In bloom for about two months now. The flowers attract lots of pollinators. (Not every crape myrtle seems equally attractive to pollinators. I rarely see any pollinators on my pink-flowered crape, but these white-flowered Natchez crapes are often buzzing with bees all day.)

Cosmos bipinnatus with skipper butterfly. White-flowered 'Diana' rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus) in the background.

Glandularia canadensis (rose verbena)

Large milkweed bug (Oncopeltus fasciatus) on rose milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)

More Cosmos bipinnatus with bumblebee

If you look very closely, you can see lots of pollinators crawling through the flower cluster on this Asclepias incarnata (rose milkweed). Oh and there's a large milkweed bug hanging out beneath a leaf in the lower part of the picture! 

Coreopsis lanceolata (lanceleaf coreopsis)

Coreopsis tinctoria (plains coreopsis) with pollinator

Heliopsis helianthoides (false sunflower) with bumblebee

Polanisia dodecandra (redwhisker clammyweed)

Helianthus annuus (sunflower) with bees

Ailanthus webworm moth on Agastache foeniculum (anise hyssop)

Aralia racemosa (American spikenard), those are the tiny greenish-white flowers -- not very showy, but they do seem to attract a lot of little pollinators. The plant itself is in morning sun and afternoon shade. It's hanging tough, but it doesn't seem all that happy. I plan to try to transplant it to a shadier spot this autumn.
 

Just a pretty, colorful tableau - sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima) in the front, 'Rozanne' cranesbill geranium behind it and a few blue balloon flowers (Platycodon grandiflorus) peeking into the upper left corner.

Hope you enjoyed this quick tour through the July garden.

What are some of your favorite summer flowers blooming in your garden right now? 

Scarab on the Milkweed

If I'm not mistaken, the photo below shows a delta flower scarab beetle (Trigonopeltastes delta) browsing through the flowers of swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata).

Incidentally, the milkweed is more versatile than its common name suggests. My plants are not growing in a swamp at all, but on a clay hilltop that gets sodden in winter rains, but bakes dry in the summertime.

Just another example of how planting native flowers and avoiding pesticides can attract all sorts of cool wildlife to your garden...  :)

Hibiscus Time!

The top photos show 'Luna Pink Swirl', a cultivar of our native Hibiscus moscheutos.

The bottom photos are two different cultivars of  rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus), 'Blue Bird' on the left (looks bluer in person) and 'Diana' on the right.

Both species seem to be totally hardy in my garden - H. moscheutos behaves as an herbaceous perennial, while H. syriacus grows as a deciduous shrub.