I have been working hard on getting my flower beds planted. I have two flower beds on the side of the house which are very shaded, as well as the side deck which also needs shade-loving plants. It is very difficult every year to find flowers to plant in these gardens, especially since I am somewhat obsessed with blue in the garden. When I say blue I really mean a blue-purple because it is very difficult to find a true blue in flowers, especially shade plants. However, there is a plant called browellia that I love to use in this shade garden. By mid-summer, these plants are 12-14 inches tall and have little starlike blue flowers all over the plant. It adds that touch of "blue" I love!
This is how the garden started. It has been weeded. Three plants of Lady's Mantle, three Jacob's Ladder, two Foxglove and two little plants of Fever Few have all miraculously survived the tough winter.
Here I have added two more Jacob's Ladder, four Foxglove and two Lady's Mantle to the perennials in the garden. As for annuals, the front row consists of red begonias. The second row is blue Lobelia. The third row is made up of red and yellow Snapdragons. Mixed in with the perennials are six deep purple Cleome. I know, I know. Cleome needs sun but I am going to try it anyway. I've tried the Snapdragons before in this garden and they seem to manage in the shade.
At this point, I hadn't found Browallia yet. I am so obsessed with it I had to travel to an Agway store on Cape Cod, which is two hours away from my house, to find Browallia in six-plant flats. I was visiting my mother at the time and I knew this Agway carried my favorite shade-loving "blue" plant. (I later found some flats of it at a local nursery in my area. I hope I remember this next year! Of course, I love visiting my mother and that Agway! I may make the trip anyway!)
I planted the Browallia in between the blue Lobelias. I am not sure how long into the summer the Lobelia will last. Most of the time it has died on me by the Fourth of July. Let's see how long they last this year. I love the dantiness and blue color of Lobelia but, as I said, it has been hard for me to keep going. I may be looking for a new filler in a month. We'll see.
The garden doesn't look very colorful at this point but give it a few weeks and it should be thriving and filling in nicely.
Oh, and yes, that is dreaded bittersweet on the fence. I have it all over my yard and I have been trying to pull and cut it out all over the place. It's a monumental task. I decided to cry "Uncle" and let the bittersweet stay on the fence. I should paint the fence but haven't yet, so, I'll let the bittersweet cover the fence...for now. I am going to try to train it and trim any stragglers. I hope I haven't made a huge mistake by letting it stay!
I'll let you know how my shade garden looks in a few weeks!
