Shade Loving Plants

Weve got a plot at the bottom of the garden beneath 4 protected trees so you can imagine their size! Due to this the planting beds beneath them get little or no sun at all. I've currently got lupins, foxgloves, aquilegias, hostas and delfiniums. We are making the area into a 'wild' garden and hope anything we plant will re-seed itself eventually. Thanks for your help!

 

Pulmonarias and bergenias would work well there too, Andy, not to mention the dreaded ivy! :eek:

Do you have space for higher things like shrubs? I presume since you have foxgloves and so on you must have - so you could try holly. Laurel would probably be too big.

If you want it wild, try teasels - the renowned goldfinch-magnet! Pity that buddlejas prefer sun, as they're great for wildlife.

Anything that will increase itself under the soil would be just as useful as ones that self-seed - pulmonarias and bergenias will do that, as will your hostas.

 

Aaaaargh. Teasels. I put a couple in to fill a gap. They are truly the rabbits of the plant world. They self seed like crazy and are totally invasive. If you must, and want some of this year's seed, just let me know. But if there are kids around, watch out for the thorns.

 

I forgot to mention we have ivy, this has grown over from next doors fence which looks nice but the damn thing keeps seeding itself all over, much to my annoyance! Tthe Pulmonarias look quite nice I might give them a go.

The shrubs bit was quite handy as we have another shady spot which is currently filled with topsoil where we will be planting shrubs once that is shifted, but im trying to keep the area im doing now just for wild flowering plants, I dont have much room as i've filled it up with small foxgloves & aqueligias which will soon grow big!

I may give teasels a go just for the goldfinch bit but will have to consider whether i want spiky weeds everywhere!!

 

This grew in the shade AndyK,

If you can tell ,e what it is you can have it :D

 

Hi Andy how about wild garlic (Allium ursinum)it's great for woodland settings and I'm pretty sure it self-seeds itself judging by how many are in woodlands near me and would look great with some bluebells too.
Helen.xxx.

 

These grow well in the shade andy a selection of ferns.

If you walk in your local woods just see what grows there.
http://www.beautifulbritain.co.uk/htm/nature/woodland_flowers.htm

 

ferns! Great idea I love ferns, might give the wild garlic a go too, I love the smell. It did used to be part of a woodland & we have some bluebells, unfortunately instead of leaving the bottom bit as a nice wild garden the builders just chucked some turf down, so were trying to bring it back to its former glory! :D

 

its a shrubbery! And I am one of the nights who say "NI" and you must bring me a shrubbery! :D

 

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LOL AndyK

It may be a burning bush, if that proves to be the case i will have a spare seedling shortly which brane knight i shall bestow on you as a sign of my allegiance

 

Paula, I think its a dogwood, more famous for its coloured wood than its foliage. There are about 50 varieties, and yes, I could be wrong (again).

But here's a variegated one.

 

Yours looks better than mine :D is that a Fuchsia i spy at the back on the right :D

 

Paula, that is my dad's fuchsia from another thread. Didn't you recognise the grass? Must get the jobbing gardener to pull some grass sometime now that autumn is here, but he'll probably pull all the plants too. :D

 

Why do we have categories for discussion? So far we have got Paula's dogwood (which actually likes a bit of sun Andy) and my fuchsia both tied up in shade loving plants, as well as the fact that the same things are on plant i.d. and somewhere else that I can't remember. Just wait till you lot get old. No wonder I get confused. :confused: :eek: :D I am getting too old for gardening, I think I will take up surfing or