posted
I just planted about a month ago a variety of shade loving plants under a 15 year old Bradford pear tree; approximately a 100 sq foot area. The planting groups were as follows: Qty. Lady Fern's 4 Lily of the Valley 6 Violet(etain) 4 Corydalis(lutea) 4 Hosta(fortunei) 3 Astible(japonica) 3 Astilble(visions) 3 The Astilble seem to be dying;had to cut of blooms and dead foliage. Currently deep watering and hoping for recovery. Any help comments?
Plants: 102 | From: North Aurora,IL USA | Registered: Jul 2006
| Seeded: 205.188.116.9
posted
Astilbes like to be kept moist, but they don't like to have their feet standing in water, so the soil needs to drain well. My Astilbes are planted under the shade of trees with dappled sun peeking in, off and on, throughout the day.
* * * * "Lord, I love you and I need you, come into my heart, and bless me, my family, my home, and my friends, in Jesus' name. Amen!" Plants: 6492 | From: Illinois | Registered: Feb 2006
| Seeded: 199.217.139.100
posted
Thanks for the tip. They did well for about a month and now the temperature is in the high 90's. I think that what sunlight they get may be too much for them.
Plants: 102 | From: North Aurora,IL USA | Registered: Jul 2006
| Seeded: 205.188.116.9
Geesh, I just noticed when reading your post that you're from Illinois and in zone 5, too! It's so nice to meet you!
You're welcome! You may be right because I know mine look a little stressed when they get this hotter sun on them even though it's infrequent.
* * * * "Lord, I love you and I need you, come into my heart, and bless me, my family, my home, and my friends, in Jesus' name. Amen!" Plants: 6492 | From: Illinois | Registered: Feb 2006
| Seeded: 199.217.139.126
posted
It's been a couple of weeks now and I'm starting to see new growth emerging from the base of the Astibles. I think the 90+ degree heat period and maybe too much direct afternoon sunlight was the problem. I deep watered with a bubbler on the end of a garden hose around the whole tree for about an hour every other evening for about a week and a half. All of the new plantings look healthier. Thanks for the help!
Plants: 102 | From: North Aurora,IL USA | Registered: Jul 2006
| Seeded: 205.188.116.9
I'm so glad to hear that! All my flowers and even my tomatoes are looking stressed because of the heat. We had a few days of cooler weather, but now it's up to 98 degrees again today! Geesh, just trying to keep everything watered is becoming a full time job! We really need to get a long, gentle rain! Have you had any rain in your area?
* * * * "Lord, I love you and I need you, come into my heart, and bless me, my family, my home, and my friends, in Jesus' name. Amen!" Plants: 6492 | From: Illinois | Registered: Feb 2006
| Seeded: 199.217.139.134
posted
Actually this morning from about 10:30 up to about 1:30 pm there was a steady light rain out here. Then the sun came out and all the clouds went away. Won't need to water anything today! Hope some of the rain made it to you.
Plants: 102 | From: North Aurora,IL USA | Registered: Jul 2006
| Seeded: 205.188.116.9
posted
That's great! Unfortunately, we didn't get any rain here. There is some coming in tomorrow and there's a slight chance we might get some; but right now, it looks like it may go south of us! We got the hot temperatures again today with a high of 99, but I'm hoping the storm front will cool things off again.
* * * * "Lord, I love you and I need you, come into my heart, and bless me, my family, my home, and my friends, in Jesus' name. Amen!" Plants: 6492 | From: Illinois | Registered: Feb 2006
| Seeded: 199.217.139.111
posted
I think I'm getting the hang of it! Anyway as they say a picture is worth a thousand words and this is probably the best way to convey a description of future forum discussions. Please let me add one more view of this scene.
[ August 08, 2006, 03:44 PM: Message edited by: afgreyparrot ]
Plants: 102 | From: North Aurora,IL USA | Registered: Jul 2006
| Seeded: 205.188.116.9
posted
Hey, that really looks great and your Astilbe look very healthy and seem to be doing well now! You did a good job posting your pictures and it doesn't really matter if they show up in the middle of your message.
Here is a picture of my shade garden.
* * * * "Lord, I love you and I need you, come into my heart, and bless me, my family, my home, and my friends, in Jesus' name. Amen!" Plants: 6492 | From: Illinois | Registered: Feb 2006
| Seeded: 199.217.139.122
posted
Very nice pictures, ladies. I love gardening in the shade and surprisingly, lots of "sun" lovers do almost as well in a shaded bed. And there are always the lovely jewel tones of the many Coleus to add lots of color.
* * * * Rosie z7a Plants: 745 | From: Tulsa OK | Registered: Oct 2005
| Seeded: 68.14.167.179
posted
Very nice pictures, ladies. I love gardening in the shade and surprisingly, lots of "sun" lovers do almost as well in a shaded bed. And there are always the lovely jewel tones of the many Coleus to add lots of color.
Edit Note:
Sorry for the double post...I don't know how that happened but I've seen several other cases of it this morning in other posts. May be a glitch in the system?
* * * * Rosie z7a Plants: 745 | From: Tulsa OK | Registered: Oct 2005
| Seeded: 68.14.167.179
posted
Rosie, I have a lot of shady areas that need to be filled. What sun lovers do you recommend for the shadier spots? We have everything from bright shade to deep shade and I hope to wintersow enough plants to get them at least partially filled.
Merrill and Patches, your beds look fantastic! How much shade do your beds get and what are the plants in your picture Patches? Merrill listed hers above and it has been a help in deciding which plants I want to use for my own shade beds. Thanks!!
Joanne
Plants: 302 | From: York, PA | Registered: Apr 2006
| Seeded: 71.207.48.40
posted
Joanne, just off the top of my head, I can think of quite a few. They are in heavy shade from 10am on.
Sedum Autumn Joy, a variety of Four O'clocks, Malva Zebrina, Solidaster Lemore (Goldenrod), Purple and White Coneflowers, Spiderwort, Lantana, Hardy Ageratum...
Don't be afraid to experiment with sunlovers in the shade. If they don't seem to thrive that season, move them to a sunnier spot in the fall.
I know I'm forgetting some but that will give you an idea for a little variety. Shoot, I even have some Daylilies in the shade that bloom beautifully. Granted, they are the old type "Ditch Lily" Hemerocallis fulva, but they have done very well. Due to the cross-polination there are singles, doubles and a few triples now. You have to LOVE orange to appreciate these lilies. Toss them in with a bunch of Mexican Petunias (purple blooming) and gold or yellow Lantana and you have a great combo.
* * * * Rosie z7a Plants: 745 | From: Tulsa OK | Registered: Oct 2005
| Seeded: 68.14.167.179
posted
Thanks Rosie! My seed list for winter sowing has just doubled. I've been afraid to experiment with expensive nursery plants so home grown should do the trick. This is going to be lots of fun!
Joanne
Plants: 302 | From: York, PA | Registered: Apr 2006
| Seeded: 71.207.48.40
posted
Beautiful garden patti; I love your choice of sculpture as a focal point! I want to see how the plants do before I decide on something. The Bearded Iris is something I planted 3years ago and if I had thought it out more I would have planted them in a circle much closer to the center. Ah just one of many planting mistakes Plants: 102 | From: North Aurora,IL USA | Registered: Jul 2006
| Seeded: 205.188.116.9
posted
I seem to be having a gender problem; Merrillzone5 is a male. Plants: 102 | From: North Aurora,IL USA | Registered: Jul 2006
| Seeded: 205.188.116.9
posted
Joanne, in that bed I have about 8 varieties of hosta, 6 ferns, 5 Astilbe, 2 Coral Bells, some Lily of the Valley, Sweet Woodruff, and 2 Bleeding Hearts. The bed gets some dappled sun, off and on, throughout the day, so it's really never in full shade! I do plant a few Impatiens to add some color but that picture was taken in the spring and I add those later. I hope this helps.
* * * * "Lord, I love you and I need you, come into my heart, and bless me, my family, my home, and my friends, in Jesus' name. Amen!" Plants: 6492 | From: Illinois | Registered: Feb 2006
| Seeded: 199.217.139.120
posted
To Joanne From this view looking east; I would say that plants on the right side of the tree get about 50% more sun than the plants on the left side. During a typical "now" summer day the right side could see a 40% exposure to direct sun. The point being is that I would try to plant the more sun tolerant plants to a southern exposure and the more sensitive to the northern side. Doe's that make sense? Good luck Plants: 102 | From: North Aurora,IL USA | Registered: Jul 2006
| Seeded: 205.188.116.9
Thanks for the list Patches. Most of the plants were on my list and I'm glad to see how nice they look together.
Merrill, I hadn't considered which side of the shade areas might get more light. I'll have to start taking notice and place the plants accordingly. Great tip!
Joanne
Plants: 302 | From: York, PA | Registered: Apr 2006
| Seeded: 71.207.48.40
posted
To Joanne As an example; I planted 2 groups of 3 each of Astible;one group on the North side and one group on the South side of the tree. During the heat spell the north side faired better than the south side as you could see the sunlight bearing down more on everything on the South side of the tree. I've also noticed that my lawn is more stressed outside the tree dripline on the South side.HMMM!
Plants: 102 | From: North Aurora,IL USA | Registered: Jul 2006
| Seeded: 205.188.116.9
posted
Joanne, I also have some Japanesse Iris planted at the back along the fence in the shade garden. They do need sun, but since they are one of the first things to bloom in the spring they get all the sun they need because the leaves on the tree have not come out yet. I didn't put them on the list since they are not a shade plant.
* * * * "Lord, I love you and I need you, come into my heart, and bless me, my family, my home, and my friends, in Jesus' name. Amen!" Plants: 6492 | From: Illinois | Registered: Feb 2006
| Seeded: 199.217.139.136
posted
I hadn't considered putting spring flowers in the shady areas. I need to look into purchasing spring bulbs and see how they do next season. Can you plant things on top of bulbs or do you have to mark them and keep them unobstructed?
You both must be getting tired of all my questions!
Joanne
Plants: 302 | From: York, PA | Registered: Apr 2006
| Seeded: 71.207.48.40
posted
Not at all I made the mistake of planting an assortment of Spring bulbs around the South side of my house in an area about 2 by 50 feet. They did Ok the first Spring but not so well the next year and were short lived and left a mess to clean up. So I yanked up every thing I saw and put in 10 Magu Pines instead. The next Spring the bulb plants arrived again and came up thru the Magu's. I just accept it now and clean up the mess each year. Plants: 102 | From: North Aurora,IL USA | Registered: Jul 2006
| Seeded: 205.188.116.9
posted
I've never heard of a magu pine. Are they mini shrubs? Your border looks very well kept, a far cry from what mine looks like so far. We have vinca growing in every bed and it is very hard to get rid of. I'm just trying to get through one at a time and try not to stress about the rest.
Joanne
Plants: 302 | From: York, PA | Registered: Apr 2006
| Seeded: 71.207.48.40
posted
Yes sort of. I think their only supposed to eventually get to about 3 feet tall by 3 feet wide. They are supposed to be a hardy shrub enjoying full sun. I have them on the South side of the house and they get direct sunlight all day. Except when I first planted them; I never water them. I did have to replace one of them 3 times though; I'm blaming myself for improperly planting right to begin with. They were relatively cheap too; about $90 for ten one gallon plants at Home Depot. Plants: 102 | From: North Aurora,IL USA | Registered: Jul 2006
| Seeded: 205.188.116.9
posted
Correction not Magu but Mugo Pine. Sorry for the confusion Plants: 102 | From: North Aurora,IL USA | Registered: Jul 2006
| Seeded: 205.188.116.9
posted
Oh Merrill, that bed really looks really nice! I forgot to mention that the sculpture in my shaded bed is actually a bird bath!
* * * * "Lord, I love you and I need you, come into my heart, and bless me, my family, my home, and my friends, in Jesus' name. Amen!" Plants: 6492 | From: Illinois | Registered: Feb 2006
| Seeded: 199.217.139.127
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![[Frown]](frown.gif)
so the soil needs to drain well. ![[Wink]](wink.gif)
My Astilbes are planted under the shade of trees with dappled sun peeking in, off and on, throughout the day.
![[wavey]](graemlins/wavey.gif)
![[thumb]](graemlins/thumb.gif)
![[clappy]](graemlins/claps.gif)
All my flowers and even my tomatoes are looking stressed because of the heat. ![[Eek!]](eek.gif)
Geesh, just trying to keep everything watered is becoming a full time job! ![[dunno]](graemlins/dunno.gif)
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
Toss them in with a bunch of Mexican Petunias (purple blooming) and gold or yellow Lantana and you have a great combo.
![[shocked]](graemlins/shock.gif)
I've been afraid to experiment with expensive nursery plants so home grown should do the trick. This is going to be lots of fun!
![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
![[Embarrassed]](redface.gif)
![[flower]](graemlins/flower.gif)
but that picture was taken in the spring and I add those later. I hope this helps.![[Smile]](smile.gif)
![[grin]](graemlins/grinnnn.gif)
![[gabby]](graemlins/gabby.gif)
I made the mistake of planting an assortment of Spring bulbs around the South side of my house in an area about 2 by 50 feet. They did Ok the first Spring but not so well the next year and were short lived and left a mess to clean up. So I yanked up every thing I saw and put in 10 Magu Pines instead. The next Spring the bulb plants arrived again and came up thru the Magu's. I just accept it now and clean up the mess each year. 
Printer-friendly view of this garden