Planting Perennials in Shady Spots

Judging from many gardening books and magazines, a beautiful garden is full of sunshine and flowers, and those of us with shade are doomed to a dull and boring display. Not so! Many perennials prefer shade, prospering in a range of conditions ranging from deepest woodland gloom to areas of dappled or filtered light to those that get morning sun and afternoon shade. Not only that, but many plants appropriate for shade have beautiful leaves —you can find amazing variety in shape, texture, and even color. And you may be pleasantly surprised to hear that plenty of shade plants produce attractive flowers.
Shade is actually a benefit to many plants. Lack of direct sun means their leaves look healthy and lush, without burned edges or tips, without drying out or wilting. Sunlight also tends to bleach out the beauty of variegated leaves (leaves that are marked or rimmed in white, cream, or gold), whereas in shade, such foliage thrives and lights up the scene. Shelter from the sun’s hot rays also preserves flower color.
Favorite shade perennials include ajuga, astilbe, bergenia, bleeding heart, brunnera, coral bells, corydalis, many ferns, goatsbeard, hellebore, hosta, lady’s mantle, lamium, lily-of-the-valley, lungwort, Solomon’s seal, and sweet woodruff.

Planting Perennials in Sunny Locations

Lots of perennials adore sunshine. They grow more compactly when they get enough sun (as opposed to becoming lanky or leaning towards the light source), and they produce more and better flowers. Full sun means six or more hours per day. If you have to choose between a spot with morning sun and a spot with afternoon sun, most sun-loving perennials seem to do better with the afternoon site. This situation varies somewhat on your climate. If you live in the deep South, a plant that grows best in full sun in a Northern climate may perform better in a spot protected from hot, late afternoon sun.
Because sun can be drying, either choose dryland natives or help out the plants with regular watering and a moisture-conserving mulch around their root systems.
Favorite sun perennials include artemisia, armeria, basket-of-gold, blanket flower, coneflower, coreopsis, delphinium, gaura, lavender, penstemon, peony, sea holly, and yarrow.

Planting Perennials

Perennials are probably the hottest topic these days among garden enthusiasts and plant suppliers. As a result, information about how to select and plant them abounds. Reputable garden centers have knowledgeable salespeople, and universities, garden centers, and public libraries sponsor various workshops and lecture programs about them. If you need more information than you find in the sections ahead, check out these sources and the books in your public library or local bookstore.
Good news — there’s a perennial for almost any growing situation your yard can dish up. Make a match between the conditions you have to offer and the known characteristics of a plant, and you’re halfway there. A little care from you on planting day and beyond, and your perennials are sure to thrive.

Their roots are showing: Dormant, bareroot perennials

Bareroot perennials are the typical mail-order product. Selling perennials this way is simply more practical for some plants for a variety of reasons. For instance, baby’s breath and baptisia have root systems that are sensitive to being moved in and out of the ground and various pots too many times. Other perennials, like daylilies and peonies, have large roots systems that don’t fit well in smaller pots. These bareroot plants are also dormant and lightweight, which makes shipping cheaper and less risky. Like potted mail-order plants, bareroot ones are usually 2-year-old, field harvested plants. They were probably dug up the previous fall, just as they became dormant, and kept in climate-controlled cold storage until spring shipping season. Bareroot plants consist of a hearty root system and some trimmed-down stems; little or no leaf growth should be evident.

Potted plants, ready for action

Some mail-order nurseries ship small perennials in small pots. If you get a live-plant shipment, open it immediately upon arrival, even if you’re not going to plant anything that very day. Inspect the plants as I describe in the preceding section, and quarantine any plants of questionable quality. Call the nursery immediately if you see a problem so you can work out a refund, merchandise credit, or replacement.
Small potted plants aren’t necessarily baby perennials. Such young plants take too long to grow, and mail-order nurseries want you to jump right in and enjoy your garden. So the small plants nurseries ship out tend to be 2-yearold, field-grown plants that have simply had a “haircut” of the top growth prior to shipping. A good, strong root system is just what you want. Don’t worry: Fresh, new top growth will soon follow!

Buying perennials through mail-order

Buying through mail-order can be very convenient. You can shop from a catalog or on a Web site in the dead of winter or in the middle of the night in your jammies. Also, you can spend plenty of time thinking over your plans. After all, mail-order companies often carry a broader range of varieties than local providers do. And after you order your plants, you get them delivered to your door at the right time to be planted — all without standing in line!
Just make sure you pick out a company that’s been in business for a while, that’s able to answer your phone or e-mail questions, and that your gardening friends have had good experiences with.

Getting perennials in containers

You can usually purchase partially grown perennial in pots, and they come in a variety of pot sizes, from a mere 2 inches on up to 5 gallons. Both mailorder nurseries and local retailers sell perennials in. The larger the plant is, the more mature — and expensive — it is, and the more immediate your gratification; however, a smaller plant can catch up quickly if you plant it in an appropriate site and give it good care. Consider also how big of a hole you want to dig. Here are some important ideas to remember so you can be sure of getting a good potted plant:

• Buy a healthy plant. Examine the entire plant:
• Look above and below the leaves as well as along the stems for signs of insect or disease damage. A few yellowing leaves are fine.
• Examine the crown for signs of rot (no good, obviously) and fresh new shoots (very good).
• Pop the plant out of its pot and examine the roots. They should be crisp and viable, often white or brown, not wiry, wry, limp, or black. Avoid pot-bound plants.
• Choose a plant that’s not yet in bloom. Some growers force plants into early bloom so they’ll look good at the stores, but don’t be seduced! The trip home in your car or adjusting to the transplanting process often causes blossoming perennials to jettison expendable growth; in other words, they ditch petals and unfurling buds. If your new plant sheds its flowers on the way home, make sure you plant the perennial well and care for it; it may bloom again soon enough. However, many perennials don’t rebloom, so the show may be over until next year. You’re best off choosing a plant that’s conserving its energy.
• Don’t buy out of season. Bargain perennials aren’t always a bargain. Those plants for sale in midsummer have a stressful time of establishing themselves; fall-planted ones may do just fine or may succumb to winter’s cold.
• Have a few alternatives in mind. You can’t always get what you want, but with all your options, you should be able to find something that works.