Got a shady spot that’s hard to manage? Here are some easy plants to put in that place.
By Karla Hollencamp
I have a shady corner of my garden where I can’t get anything colorful to grow. I asked Megan Turner of Urban Gardeners of Dayton to come up with a solution that will give me a full season’s variety of color and textures that will come back year after year.
Here’s her practical approach. According to Turner, “Plants I would be looking out for your garden, because you have a lot of tree root competition and shade, would be Ligularia ‘Bottle Rocket,’ Helleborus orientalis, Corydalis lutea, Pulmonaria ‘Mrs. Moon,’ cinnamon fern, Ostrich fern and various hostas including Sum and Substance because it’s a very large-scale lime green leaf. A midsize favorite would be Frances Williams and a sweet very small one is Mouse Ear.”
When it comes to planning for next year or buying already bloomed items at a garden center, she says, “For early spring I would suggest planting early blooming bulbs like snowdrops, winter aconite and daffodils as well as alliums. All are deer and critter resistant.”
Turner is a certified master gardener of the Ohio State Extension Master Gardening program. She has owned and operated Urban Gardeners of Dayton for 23 years. To connect with her and the company, call 937-224-7336 (22-GREEN).
