Shrubs for total shade

[curly_kate]

Hello hello hello! Long time, no see! I've been busy, but am dying to start on a new garden - probably the most challenging one yet. I'm landscaping the basement walkout, which is on the east side of our house. There is an ugly concrete retaining wall that I need to beautify. The only trick is that the wall faces north, so the plants I put there will be in part/full shade, depending on the time of year. What would be an attractive shrub that I could plant in those conditions? And while you've got your thinking caps on, can you think of a vine that could do well there, too? I'm probably going to cover the wall with trellis.

 

[curly_kate]

I also saw this, which I thought would be interesting - it would give the bulk of a shrub, but I could fill it with perennials: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QQdXymLxB...mc/s1600/ed9b2b856f5a6295199e62e6f197085b.jpg. I'd just need to find some pretty sizeable planters.

 

[Smart Red]

For a formal look, Yews can be trimmed and neat. Virginia Sweetspire, the Highbush cranberry, and Holly are all shade-loving shrubs.

I much prefer your second choice of large containers filled with shade loving plants. The varieties are nearly endless as so much has been done in the horticultural world with adding color to shady spots. Let me know and I'll post a sizable list of blooming choices for the shade.

 

[thistlebloom]

You could plant a climbing hydrangea on the wall (hydrangea anaomala petiolaris), they say part shade, but I know a beautiful one that grows on a north facing brick wall and never gets any sun.

Rhodies will grow on the north side of buildings, and cherry laurel
( Prunus caroliniansis) too. "Otto Luyken" is a little bit hardier variety and stays more compact.

 

[Smart Red]

Shade loving vines? Here is a short list: Boston Ivy -- green in summer, red in fall; Flowering Hydrangea -- big white long-lasting blooms; some varieties of Clematis; Five-leaf Akebia; Porceline vine -- may be varigated or solid green with tiny grape-like berries; Trumpet vine and Chinese wisteria are supposed to do well in the shade, but my experience has been the more shade, the fewer blooms.

 

[lesa]

I love the idea of climbing hydrangea. I had one at my first house, it grew fast, was pretty and did well in the shade. Using containers is a great idea. You can change them up, if you get tired of them. Good luck!

 

[curly_kate]

I was looking at climbing hydrangea, but with it being a flowering plant, I wasn't sure what I'd see from it. Glad to hear it could work out. I was considering boring old Boston ivy. I like the idea of cranberry, too.

@Smart Red - I saw that pic on Pinterest, and I thought it could be a very cool idea! Something different. I need to start scouring yard sales & such for some neat old planters. I'd love to see your shade plant list!

 

[Carol Dee]

I 2nd the Rhodies.

 

[Smart Red]

These are some of the shade lovers I have in my garden: some like the goatsbeard, bleeding heart, fuschia and astilbe are taller and bushy while some like lungwort, dutchman's breeches and lamium will grow over the sides. Some are colorful leaves and some have beautiful flowers. I am partial to Heucheria and hosta. Primroses have taller and lower growing plants with long lasting flowers.

Astilbe - whites, reds, pinks and a lavender
Bergeinia - 3 varieties
Bleeding heart - white, traditional, yellow foliage, fern-leaf (a white and a pink/red)
Blood root
Columbine 4 varieties
Cimicifuga racemosa
Dutchman’s breeches
English Primrose 4 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
Heuch-tirellia - two varieties
Hosta - more than 40 varieties
Hydrangea - Dwf forever pink, Annable, and 12 other varieties
Jack in the Pulpit
Japanese lily
Lamium- white, pink and lavender
Lily of the Valley - while
Monkshood
Polemonium - Brise D Jnjou
Pulminaria - three varieties
Solomon’s seal, Variegated
Tirellia - Foam flower and one other
Trillium - grandiforum, yellow luteum, lemon, great white,Trillium purple
Trollius
Virginia blue bells
Wood violet purple, white, and mixed colors

 

[curly_kate]

Are rhodies hard to grow in the midwest? I thought they were ones that liked acidic soil.