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! ~

Atlanta Trip Report #2 - Atlanta History Center Gardens featuring American Ginger, American Smoke Tree, Indian Pink and More!

Just a humble place to call home...  Atlanta History Center's circa 1928 Swan House

For a gardener visiting Atlanta, it's hard to top the allure of the Atlanta Botanical Garden.

But there are other garden attractions in Dogwood City, including the gardens at the Atlanta History Center. These gardens include both the formal gardens around the 1928 Swan House, as well a variety of Georgia native plants nestled into a wild and wooded ravine. Here are some glimpses into these two very different types of gardens:

The formal side garden at the Swan House. Fountain? Check. Statuary and columns? Yep. Boxwoods and crape myrtles abound. It's not my style at all, but I can appreciate the symmetry and the clean lines.

This wild garden in a woodland ravine was more to my liking with some beautiful Oakleaf Hydrangeas

The woodland garden contained this lovely thick carpet of native Asarum canadense, American Ginger. I understand that this plant needs shade to survive in the South, not sure how much moisture it requires. Unlike cooking ginger (Zingiber officinalis), A. canadense is typically described as toxic or inedible, but Hank Shaw at Hunter, Angler, Gardener, Cook has done an interesting analysis suggesting it may not be as toxic as some people fear - particularly if used to make tea and drunk in moderation.

Cotinus obovatus, American Smoke Tree is high on my list of coveted trees that I hope to add to my garden. I've usually seen it described as a full-sun plant, but it seemed to be growing happily in this shady ravine at the Atlanta History Center

Light filters through the canopy of Cotinus obovatus, American Smoke Tree. The "obovatus" name comes from the egg-shaped leaves.

Here's a close-up on the Smoke Tree's smoky flowers. I suspect that trees grown in the shade will have fewer flowers than those in full-sun settings. 

A healthy, beautiful patch of Spigelia marilandica (a.k.a. Indian Pink or Pinkroot). I have three little newly-added Indian Pinks in my garden, so it's fun to see how large these plants can get!

Thelypteris hexagonoptera, Broad Beech Fern, apparently native throughout Eastern North America, reportedly makes a good deciduous groundcover in moist, shady settings. Clemson says it prefers constant moisture, but can withstand some drought.

Woodwardia areolata, Netted Chain Fern, native throughout Eastern North America (zones 5-9) in wet, swampy marshes, woodlands and flood plains. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center calls it well-mannered, but Missouri Botanical Garden says it can spread almost to the point of being weedy.