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September 15, 2008
Colorful shade plants for a container?
We are looking for recommendations for colorful shade plants/flowers for containers for the front of our house. The front of the house faces north and only gets a bit of morning light.
Thanks.
Comments
I love New Guinea Impatiens for a splash of color in shady areas. They're incredibly hardy and they're my personal preference for a shade garden. They like a lot of water but even if you neglect them during a hot spell they revive nicely.
Posted by: brooklyny at September 15, 2008 6:05 PM
Thanks brooklynny--how long will they flower? As we head into fall, I am wondering how long we can keep some color out front. Mums seem to need too much sun.....
Posted by: PHfamily at September 15, 2008 6:16 PM
Right now I have begonia and coleus blooming (rampantly!) in a container in a shady location in front of the house. Alongside them, but not blooming (right now) are hosta, astilbe, heuchera and ornamental potato vine (available in purple and neon green variations). There are endless varieties of hosta, of all sizes, textures and colors. Additional possibilities are helleborus, tiarella, heucherella, ferns, azalea, and lily of the valley. There's a good chance that crocus might bloom in your shady spot before spring foliage appears on surrounding trees. Also, be sure to check out this link: http://www.bbg.org/edu/greenbridge/
In the spring, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden sells fabulous and very affordable windowbox kits, including shade kits, as part of their Greenbridge program. They have wonderful educational programs--especially their children's garden--and handbooks, including a handbook on shade gardens.
Posted by: vinca at September 15, 2008 7:21 PM
My New Guinea Impatiens usually stay hardy through the first frost. That being said, it's probably not a great idea to start out with them at this point, if you can even find them right now. You should wait til Spring and they'll give you love for a good 5-6 months. For now, the coleus suggestion is good, and hostas, though they wither up in the winter and seemingly shrivel up to nothing. There are many varieties beyond the standard Home Depot garden center offerings. I see the hostas the previous owners planted in our (shady) front yard are flowering nicely at the moment.
Posted by: brooklyny at September 16, 2008 12:28 PM
There is a beautiful hydrangea that they sell at white flower farm that has blue flowers and grows really well in deep shade. http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/63140-product.html
It blooms only for about a month in July - but it is a good looking plant even when not blooming.
Posted by: gkw at September 16, 2008 3:26 PM
I also have deep red coleus growing abundantly at my place and have them in containers in the front (some mixed with different color variations and leaf size) and they are amazing! So gorgeous I stop outside the house when I leave to look at them. I also have hydrangea which I have in pots and which are still blooming. I was at a nursery yesterday which told me that pansies are great to plant at this time of year, that they will last till the end of December and will come up in the spring (that will be it, though, and it doesn't work the other way, i.e. plant in spring and get them all the way through Dec). I also have begonia blooming as well -- it seems to take them a while to get going and they are starting to bloom. I have hostas as well which are actually flowering now. "Cabbage" plants come in several color varieties and last all the way through the winter.
Posted by: donatella at September 16, 2008 3:51 PM
I also have deep red coleus growing abundantly at my place and have them in containers in the front (some mixed with different color variations and leaf size) and they are amazing! So gorgeous I stop outside the house when I leave to look at them. I also have hydrangea which I have in pots and which are still blooming. I was at a nursery yesterday which told me that pansies are great to plant at this time of year, that they will last till the end of December and will come up in the spring (that will be it, though, and it doesn't work the other way, i.e. plant in spring and get them all the way through Dec). I also have begonia blooming as well -- it seems to take them a while to get going and they are starting to bloom. I have hostas as well which are actually flowering now. "Cabbage" plants come in several color varieties and last all the way through the winter and I am going to get a few of those.
Posted by: donatella at September 16, 2008 3:52 PM
Same here, there are big beautiful flowers on our hosta right now. Really nice late Summer color and interest. I'm pleased with it. I am going to add more hostas to the full shade part of our patio, in various colors of chartreuse and blue.
Posted by: traditionalmod at September 17, 2008 9:27 AM
Try caladiums.
Posted by: SenatorStreet at September 17, 2008 11:40 AM
elephant ears (caladiums) are great! I've also had a lot of luck with coleus in the shade, and now many of them come in new more colorful varieties.
Posted by: bodhi_brooklyn at September 18, 2008 12:16 PM
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