Perennial Shade Plant Suggestions Needed

[aftermidnight]

....a few more Astlibe, Heuchera, Rodgersia, Kirengeshoma palmata, Hellebore. Check to see if these will grow in your zone.
Annette

 

[catjac1975]

I have some old Jack in the Pulpit seeds. Do you think that I could try to start them indoors? I have read that native plants seeds can sit longer than hybreds.

No idea-don't see why not..

 

[Smart Red]

Here are the plants I have in my shade garden:
Astilbe - whites, reds, pinks and a lavender
Bergeinia - 3 varieties
Bleeding heart - white, traditional, yellow foliage, fern-leaf (a pink/red)
Blood root
Columbine 6 varieties
Cimicifuga racemosa
Dutchman’s breeches
English Primrose 5 colors
Ferns - hardy fern collection - plus maiden hair, fiddlestick, cinnamon, Japanese painted, silver-ghost, and two others
Fuchsia Magellanica
Geraniums, hardy (cranesbill) - blue, pink, Birch’s double, Sanguimeum, Johnson’s blue, Sanguimeum ‘album’, Sanguineum ‘striatum’, Wild geranium
Goat’s beard
Heucheria - 11 varieties
Helleborus - 2 varieties
Heuch-tirellia - 5 varieties
Hosta - more than 60 varieties
Hydrangea - Dwf forever pink, Annabelle, Parfait, Endless Summer, and 11 other varieties (most still in pots)
Jack in the Pulpit
Japanese lily
Lamium- white, pink and lavender
Lily of the Valley - white
Monkshood - dark purple, light purple, and white
Polemonium - Brise D Jnjou
Pulminaria - three varieties
Solomon’s seal, Variegated
Tirellia - Foam flower and two others
Trillium - grandiforum, yellow luteum, lemon, great white,Trillium purple
Trollius -
Virginia blue bells
Wood violet purple, white, and mixed colors
Along with a few more things I’ve forgotten the names of or gotten since this list was made.

 

[ducks4you]

Holy Moley, Smart Red!
You must have a forest in your yard. What a great list.
Thanks, everyone! The only one that I have failed at is Primrose. I had some success with columbine that I purchased, the white and pale blue, "Colorado" type, and I've had a small invasion of deep blue columbine that has been spreading. I'm making a list on my computer of ALL of these suggestions.
Are there any shade or otherwise perennials that climb? They have a wooden fence around the back yard that we will repair in the Spring. I have clematis at my house, and I know to shade the roots.

 

[Nyboy]

English Ivy climes and does well in shade, but no flowers

 

[so lucky]

I just want to add my 2 cents worth on the lily of the valley. The white, at least is very invasive. If you plant it, maybe you could contain the roots with a cut off barrel sunk in the ground about a foot.

 

[Nyboy]

I guess NY winters must keep it in check. I planted at both houses and kennel never had trouble with it. lawn mower does help control.

 

[ducks4you]

My Lily of the Valley is white. It has doubled the width of the bed it was in since we moved in 16 years ago, and I THINK to move it when I see it come up every Spring, and then forgot to do anything about it!
Keep the ideas coming. Also, I have hostas in two places. One is on the north side of my house, FULL SHADE and it just comes back up the same size every year. My neighbor gave me hostas that she divided last year and they were in partial shade and had doubled in about 5 years.
I'd like to know what plants you are growing that do well in TOTAL shade, like vinca which Will NOT grow past the sun line on the north side of my garage, and what plants do better in partial shade. The idea is to make them nice beds, water them in well, and then forget about them, unless they need to be thinned down the line.

 

[Nyboy]

Hostas come in all sizes, the ones that came back the same size every year most likely are small variety. How about a fern garden?

 

[Smart Red]

Hydrangea - there is a climbing variety, Virginia Creeper - grows wild in my woods, Boston Ivy which isn't likely to flower, but grows well on the North side of DS's house, and some vine - looks like grape leaves - which also grows on DS's house with tiny white flowers and berries that look like (but are not) wild grapes.

In most cases, shade lover truly means semi-shade not full shade. Many plants will grow in the shade, but few will flower and thrive without some sunlight.