Perennial Selections for Shade Gardens

Do you have a shady garden where you would like to plant perennials? Hostas, ferns, and Lenten roses are the usual choices, but there are a number of wonderful perennial selections to choose from that will add bloom, texture, and color to your landscape. Here are several of my favorite early spring bloomers.

A beautiful part to full shade-loving spring flowering perennial is Asian bleeding heart (Lamprocapnos spectabilis, formerly Dicentra spectabilis). Native to China, Korea, and Japan, Asian bleeding hearts have delicate, heart-shaped pink flowers with white inner petals that give the plants their common name. Blooming from April to May, they grow best in moist, humus-rich soils, and the foliage will die back in the mid-summer. Similar to Virginia bluebells, mix in ferns, hostas, and other summer perennials to prolong the season. When mature, Asian bleeding hearts range in heights of 2 to 3 feet tall and 1½ to 2½ feet wide and are larger and showier than their native counterparts.

Commonly known as barrenwort or fairy wings (Epimedium species) are available in a number of different species and hybrids. If you have dry shade, this is the plant for you. The delicate, airy flowers appear above the foliage in April and can range in color from white, yellow, pink, red, purple, or orange. These clump spreaders from China are an excellent choice to plant under trees. Depending on the species or cultivar you choose, fairy wings will range in heights of 10 inches to 2 feet tall and spread up to 2 feet wide. Cut back the old foliage in the late winter before the new leaves begin to emerge. It’s a great addition to a garden, as these plants have a high resistance to rabbit and deer visitors dining on them.

A tried and true perennial