Coral Bells – How Does Your Garden Grow?

(Photo: Coral Bells 'Peppermint Spice'/My Shady Garden)

One of the most versatile shade perennials that have beautiful and interesting leaves is Coral Bells.  It is sometimes known as Alum Root or by the Latin name of Heuchera.

(Photo: Heucher 'Pewter Veil'/MyShadyGarden)

As a shade gardener I have learned that it isn’t just the flowers that are important to the garden.  The structure and shape of the plant, as well as the shape and color of the leaves play a very important role in plant selection. Coral Bells mounding form make them great plants for edging bed lines, as ground covers, or for use in camouflaging height transitions such as a concrete step.

These plants grow best in light or partial shade. If Coral Bells are planted in too sunny a spot, the foliage bleaches out.  If they are in too much shade, the plants become leggy.  They also prefer neutral to alkaline soil that is well-drained with good air circulation.

These preferred growing conditions make it a perfect plant for my yard that is in transition to shade.  I also know my soil runs alkaline  – probably due to residual stucco construction materials left in the dirt.

(Photo: Heucher 'Palace Purple'/MyShadyGarden)

Coral Bells have a strange habit of pushing themselves out of the dirt so it is good to mulch these plants especially in the fall so as not to sustain winter damage.  In early January when we get rid of our Christmas tree, I cut the branches and loosely cover the Coral Bells as well to serve as further protection for this pretty plant.

Also after a few years you can divide the side clumps and plant them other places or give them away as friendship plants.  This best done in spring and fall.

I started out with ‘Palace Purple’.  It has fairly large leaves and is a brownish-purple color that blends in with the mulch.  But quite frankly, I think there are so many prettier varieties.  I have ‘Pewter Veil’ (2nd photo) by my front door softening the transition of the stoop.

(Photo: 'Electra' and Burgundy Coral Bells/My Shady Garden)

I like the chartreuse leaves with dark red veining ‘Electra’ and I planted them near my chartreuse ‘Sum and Substance’ hosta along with dark burgundy leafed Coral Bells. Honestly I don’t know that variety.  (I really am getting better about keeping records of my plants, but I got these a few years ago.  I think just having a container in your garage as a place to put the tags is a good thing to do.  Then if or when you want to, you can record your plantings in a journal but at least you have a place to put the tags  when you are dirty and out planting).

Last fall I was the very lucky recipient of “Peppermint Spice” Heuchera from my very accomplished gardening friend Natalie.  See the beauty of the leaves and the wiry flowers poking above the leaves (top photo).  I use these wiry flowers in bouquets throughout the growing season.  They just bring a bit of unexpected interest to a flower arrangement.

(Photo: Burgundy Heuchera/MyShadyGarden)

Have fun with these plants – plant different colors next to one another.  Or pair them with plants that have different shapes such as ferns or frilly astillbes.  Let me know what your favorites are.

Goat’s Beard – and I’m not talking facial hair

If you are looking for a tall shade perennial to fill a large space or dark corner, look no further – Goat’s Beard (Aruncus dioicus), sometimes known as Bride’s Feathers, is what you want.  Reaching a stately height of six feet tall and three feet wide this impressive native perennial easily fit the bill for what I needed.

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I have a dark, damp corner next to my house and was looking to camouflage a downspout while providing a backdrop for a stone bench.  Moisture loving Goat’s Beard grows rapidly because it is a late spring/early summer shade perennial – these shade plants don’t mess around waiting to grow.  They jump out of the starting gate before the leaves on trees block the sun.

Scented Geraniums – ‘Macrorhizome’

(Photo:Macrorhizome Clump/My Shady Garden)

The garden plays to all your senses.  The visual is obvious.  The scent is another.  The ‘Macrorhizome’ hardy geranium delights both of these senses exceptionally well.

(Photo: Magenta Flowers Macrorhizome/My Shady Garden)

These scented hardy geraniums (not to be confused with the annual geraniums) do best in partial shade though tolerate full sun.  They are placed right by my front door because of their sweet, tangy fragrance is so welcoming.  Magenta flowers poke out above the mounded leaves and the bees pay a call.  When you brush the fuzzy leaves, their scent is released too.

The name ‘Macrorhizome’ is very descriptive of its root system, which ‘floats’ along the surface.  It sends out horizontal stems that sends out roots and shoots that barely seem attached to the earth.  This mass becomes weed smothering, though ‘Macrorhizome’ is non-invasive and drought resistant.  If they grow beyond their boundaries, it is really easy to rip out the plants you don’t want – since they are barely rooted.

(Photo: Macrorhizome Root System/My Shady Garden)

Though many of my gardening friends have received ‘Macrorhizome’ as a friendship plant, I always caution them to make sure it is kept good and moist during the initial transplant – otherwise they wilt and will die.  But once ‘Macrorhizome’ takes, they will have friendship plants of their own in a few years.

A surprising benefit of this scented geranium, is that they have great fall color and never completely go away during winter – so they provide some winter interest.  Try this shade loving perennial near your door. It will provide you with a welcoming scent as you and your guests pass by.

Size matters … especially for these Hostas

Empress Wu - still small in the front

Even non-gardeners seem to know about hostas – the ever-present shade perennial that is found near most homes – at least in the mid-West!  But in committing myself to shade gardening earlier this year, I wanted to make a statement with them.  I wanted hostas that couldn’t be ignored.

So in early May I got myself to a nursery that has the largest selections of plants, shrubs, trees, and garden décor near me and asked “What are the largest hostas you have?”  After all size matters – at least in getting noticed in the garden.  The answer came back ‘Empress Wu’ and ‘Sum and Substance’.

Lady’s Mantle – Shade Perennial MVP

Lady's Mantle with Water 'Pearls'/ MyShadyGarden

In my book, Lady’s Mantle (Alchemilla mollis) is a shade perennial MVP.  It is a terrific border plant – providing elegance to bed lines.

The light gray green leaves are ruffled and of different sizes reflecting when the leaves last emerged.  Besides the pretty shape of the leaves, the best part of the plant is the tiny hairs on the surface.  Not only do the leaves feel velvety, but when water collects on the leaves pearlescent drops roll along the surface.  This holds true throughout the growing season even after the flowers have stopped blooming.

Clematis – a vine for shade

Clematis - newly planted on right

I recently discovered that some clematis vines are shade lovers.  Clematis is my favorite flowering vine because it often blooms twice and puts on quite a show high above the rest of the garden.

Much to my dismay this spring, I realized that one of my clematis vines died over the course of the winter.  Truth be told, it was a bit sickly last fall, but I thought it would perk up this spring.

In hindsight, the real problem may have been that I selected a sun-loving clematis instead of a shade lover.  Our garden is in transition from sun to shade and if there are enough stresses on a plant – it will croak! 

Bleeding Hearts

(photo: Bleeding Hearts/My Shady Garden)

Bleeding Hearts – My Favorite Early Spring Shade Perennial

Bleeding Heart (Dicentra) is one of my favorite early spring shade perennials.  It is a fast grower especially if temperatures warm up.  In the right conditions, the plant literally grows inches per day.

With a break in the rain and temperatures warming – finally! – Chicagoans finally feel like spring is here.  There is no doubt that the plants know it is spring – and they are growing like gangbusters.  There seems to be a race for what can grow the biggest before the other plants catch up and mature.

Ostrich Ferns

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This spring in the Chicago area we have had an abundance of rain, but luckily Ostrich Ferns (and most ferns) enjoy being wet.  The rain has kept me from getting out into the yard like I want do.

However, I have been able to monitor the fern growth really well. We have a window on our stairs going down into the basement.  I can look out of the window and watch the Ostrich ferns grow.  From fiddle heads as they emerge, to almost 3 feet tall, the ferns are fun to watch because they grow so quickly.