Beat the Heat – Plant a Shade Garden

I can hear the gardeners congregating on Mount Oread, hand in hand; swaying from side to side in unison and rejoicing that the dreaded heat and drought wave of August is behind them.  It was brutal, absolutely no fun to be outside watching over our wilted little flora friends, disintegrating a bit ourselves from either the onslaught of mosquitoes sending out an SOS that fresh prey had wandered into the garden, or just purely melting in the sultry sun. 

However, if you are one of those lucky people with a wooded lot and a plethora of shade the scorching heat was no big deal, you were cool and relaxed under a canopy of green umbrellas.  But have you utilized the earth below that canopy?  Personally, I find nothing better than a woodland shade garden and now that it is planting season I thought it would be a good time to discuss shade plants that perform well in our area.  So, when the dog days of summer arrive next year more of us will be sitting pretty under the ceiling of shelter and with gorgeous plants thriving at our feet.

Many people dread a lot of cover in the garden because they feel that delight of a dazzling display of flowers is out of their reach.  But here, with the aid of some Lawrence shade gardeners are some look-at-me blossoms and foliage that don’t need a magnifying glass to get noticed, they’ll help you beat the heat and embrace your shady retreat. 

Jack Landgrebe, Extension Master Gardener, suggests,   “The ‘king’ of shade perennials and a favorite of mine would have to be the hosta.  These plants are easy to grow and care for; they have a wide variation of colors, variegation patterns, leaf texture, and even size.  They can be used as ground covers or specimen plants.” 

One of the “Plants of Merit” which is a list compiled by University of Missouri Extension program and Powell Gardens that is a proven outstanding plant that has performed well for three or more years in zones 5 and 6 throughout the Midwest is the ‘Hosta June’.  It sports large variegated leaves with gold centers and blue-green margins from a dense foliage mound that is attractive throughout the growing season.  Bell-shaped flowers of lavender appear in summer.  The bright foliage really “pops” in the dark corners of a shade garden. 

Another shady loving favorite of Landgrebe’s is, he states, “Among the shrubs is the Oak Leaf Hydrangea, which has beautiful and large conical-white blooms by early June and a large oak-shaped leaf that turns reddish in the fall.  A great companion is the Panicle Hydrangea which has a similar bloom but they produce later in the summer when few shrubs are in bloom.”

Another Plant of Merit is the Climbing Hydrangea which is a vigorous grower with a versatile woody vine, it dons white, lacecap-type flowers in the spring and dark green leaves throughout the summer and fall.  Exfoliating reddish brown bark on vines is quite attractive during the winter months as well.

Paul Hotvedt’s woodland shade garden was a featured garden a few seasons ago, he shares some of his tried and true shade winners, he says, “The spring-blossoming shade plants I love are Virginia Bluebells, woodland iris and woodland poppy.  They look so delicate but are actually very resilient perennials.”

Amy Albright, co-owner of Vinland Valley Nursery, is energized about coral bells for shade.  She states, “Heucheras have to be one of the most exciting shade plants since new cultivars started emerging several years ago.  Following the ‘Palace Purple’ revolution, every shade of purple foliage to almost black began to appear, like ‘Obsidian’.  A fantastic deep green variety with heavy silver and purple outlines called ‘Green Spice’ and most recently the golden and orange varieties like ‘Amber Waves’ and ‘Sparkling Burgundy’ have rounded this group out to be as important as hostas for shade gardening.”

Albright also states, “A native plant that every shade gardener should have is Cassia hebecarpa or wild senna.  It has round, pea-like foliage on 4-6’ tall plants with dark yellow, pea-like blooms in the summer.  It doesn’t wilt, it’s not picky about soil type and it adds height to a shade garden.  She adds that Virginia Sweetspire or Iteas are fantastic shade shrubs as well, with both tall and dwarf versions that bloom nonstop in the spring and boast beautiful red twigs during the winter.  One last plant of note from Albright is the Daphne ‘Carol Mackie’, a variegated broadleaf evergreen that has pink fragrant blooms in the spring, it tolerates drought and is a must for a Kansas shade garden.

Pam Borchardt, whose shaded garden was featured a few seasons ago, had these suggestions, “My favorite shade plants are epimdedium because they will tolerate dry shade, they have small heart-shaped leaves and in the spring they have tiny, delicate flowers.  They are tough plants that will grow under Kansas conditions.  Tiarella flower is also a good shade lover; it is a colorful groundcover with attractive foliage and fragrant spikes.  Lastly, the various types of Japanese ferns, the silver gray foliage with the dark purple stems make a nice contrast to blue hostas.  The ‘Ghost Fern’ is another favorite of mine with its upright shape.”

A fern that was awarded a Plant of Merit is the Christmas fern.  The fronds are green at Christmas and each individual leaflet suggests the shape of a Christmas stocking.  This Missouri native evergreen fern forms a distinctive fountain-like clump of leathery, lance-shaped fronds.  Clumps typically grow to 2 feet tall and slowly spread by rhizomes to provide excellent evergreen color for shaded garden areas. 

Here is a great start to selecting plants from the nurseries this fall that will create a wonderful shaded woodland feel.  These selections have been tested by local gardeners that dig in canopied lots and by the Plants of Merit committee from the University of Missouri and Powell Gardens so they should be fairly fool-proof.  An oasis from the heat will be a great reward when you are tickling your toes in the cool blue corners of your garden bursting forth with texture and color even in the middle of August, if you think now you can outsmart Mother Nature and beat the heat.