Beauty flourishes in dry shade

The redwing blackbirds are back, the grass is greening where the snow has begun to melt off and it's time to think about gardening in tricky situations. Let us consider shade.

The truth is, there are plants for every spot on the planet and some of our great garden performers don't care for sun and rich humusy soil. So shade can be wonderful.

Let's assume your shade, like that of most of us, comes with dry ordinary soil and has some dappled light. While many of the plants I am listing here may prefer moisture, they all do fine in dry conditions.

This is not a comprehensive list. It includes some I will have for sale, marked with an asterix (more may be marked in the coming weeks as I see what emerges from cold-treatment germination, so check back). Then there are those that are generally available at mainstream garden centres; they are are marked with a double asterix. The rest, I can source, if you wish to order.

NB: My spring plant sale is on Saturday May 31, 9-5 - but visitors are welcome at any time, just call ahead (705-322-2545).

Groundcover for shade: low-growing spreaders
*Bloodroot (Sanguinara canadensis): Striking white flowers in April-May, pleasing large round leaves.
*Foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia): Delicate white spikes in May-June, good foliage.
*Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum): Umbrella-like leaves concealing a white bloom in May-June, and then a yellow 'apple.'
*Virginia Waterleaf (Hydrophyllum virginianum): Clusters of blue flowers in April-May.
*Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense): Grown for its satiny round leaves – an inconspicuous maroon flower appears in May.

Low-growing (less than 2 feet)
**Eastern Red Columbine (Aquilegia Canadensis): Red and yellow tubular flowers in May-June, needs the dappled shade of deciduous trees (oaks, maples, beech, birch).
Large-flowered Bellwort (Uvularia grandiflora): Drooping yellow bells in May.
**Pasque Flower (Pulsatilla patens): Lavender flowers in April, hairy stems.
*Shooting Star (Dodecathion): There are many varieties of this early-blooming charmer with flared-back petals and long yellow stamens. All worthwhile.
*Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginiana): Magical blue bells in April-May, self-seeds readily.

Taller 2-5 feet
**Black Snakeroot (Cimicifuga or Actea racemosa): Beautiful long white flower spikes in September-October, dark deeply divided foliage.
*Bugbane (Cimicifuga or Actea simplex): Similar to Black Snakeroot, shorter, with green foliage and more of a clumping habit. 
*Foxglove Beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis): White flower spikes in June-August, more of an edge species, does need some sun.
Tall Anemone (Anemone virginiana): Finely dissected foliage, interesting seedheads in fall.
Showy Tick Trefoil (Desmodim canadense): Small purple flowers, pea family (fixes nitrogen), good colonizer.
**Solomon's Seal (Polygonatum biflorum): Bell-shaped flowers on arching stems. Spreads through rhizomes.
False Solomon's Seal (Maianthemum racemosum syn. Smilacena racemosa): Similar foliage to Solomon's Seal, but creamy flowers are clustered at the end of the stem.
Starry False Solomon's Seal (Maianthemum stellatum syn Smilacena stellate): Very similar to False Solomon's Seal but has striped berries.
White Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum): This is usually recommended for full sun, but does well and looks great in full shade. White umbels, nice foliage.
*White Wood Aster (Euribia divaricata): White stars in August-September on dark, almost black stems, a good spreader.

Bulb
Camas or Indian Hyacinth: Beautiful blue spikes in April-May. Several varieties are available commercially, most are from the west coast and not native to this area. They like moisture and sun, but I have a Camassia leichtlinii in dry shade and it is wonderful. Camassia scilloides is the one that's native to the eastern half of the continent - seed is available from Gardens North. 

Ferns
Most ferns like moist conditions but some will accommodate to dry, and if they settle in, are good spreaders and wonderfully decorative:
Bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum)
**Christmas fern (Polystychum acrostychoides)
**Hayscented fern (Dennstaedtia punctilobula)
*Ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris)
*Sensitive fern (Omaclea sensibilis)

Vine
*Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia): Will climb trees, buildings, a fence. Fall colour, wildlife habitat and food.

A possibility
Bunchberry (Cornus alba): Low-growing shrub, large white flowers in summer, red berries in fall. Generally said to require moisture, but Andy's Northern Wildflowers lists it for dry rocky sites and pine forest floor. I haven't tried it but it's a pleasing groundcover and worth considering.

Soil amendment
Tha natural amendment for a shade garden is leaf litter - or in the case of coniferous trees, needle litter. Let it build up and the plants best adapted to the situation will flourish and spread.