My "Top 10" Perennials for the Shade Garden

It’s not too far away.  Spring.  The time when the outdoor world awakens from its deep slumber, broadcasting to all that it’s time to revel in its glory. 

We oblige by taking in the clear, crisp, fragrant air that signifies springs arrival.  Like everyone, you’re dying to get out in the flowerbeds and plant some new perennials, but you have mostly shady spots that need filling. 

Is there anything out there that is interesting, pretty when not in bloom and (mostly!) deer resistant?  Of course there is! Possibilities abound just like the new season. 

Spend a little time perusing my top picks for the perennial shade garden, then head to the nursery and make sure you drive the SUV- you’re going to fill it up with one stunning perennial after another! 

By the way- if you’d like to see these plants in person before you buy them, most can be found in the gardens at Longview Farm Park.  If they survive the deer at , they’ll survive the deer in your own garden!

Here’s my list for the best perennials for shade.  Most of them are deer-resistant, but please know that nothing is truly deer resistant.  Well, Cacti, Agave, Yucca and most Succulents are deer resistant.  But, they’re NOT shade plants.

Lenten Rose- The very first perennial to bloom is the Lenten rose, also known as Helleborus.    They are available in many colors and each year brings about more new introductions.  They are deer-resistant and self-seeding.  This winter all of my Lenten rose plants kept their green foliage and are “this close” to blooming.  The name “Lenten rose” makes gardeners smile because it blooms during Lent!  I never cut the faded flowers- I love that they resemble paper flowers as summer progresses.  The foliage is sturdy and strong, a great addition to any garden!  You’ll need to go to a nursery for your Lenten rose.  I have never seen them in the “big box” stores, but check out Fahr’s, Sugar Creek, Greenscape gardens and Summer Winds.

Solomon’s seal-  Absolutely, positively my number one  “must have”  shade perennials.  Solomon’s seal is available in in a plain and variegated form.  Buy the one with a variegated leaf.  In spring, small bell-shaped flowers appear under the arching foliage of the Solomon seal.  It can be slow to take off, but once it’s been growing in your garden for a few years, you’ll have enough to move to other spots in the shade and still have some to give away to friends.  I have never seen this plant nibbled by the deer.  At about 18” tall, they’re perfect for mass plantings in front of your favorite trees.  Dauster’s, Greenscape Gardens and Sugar Creek Nursery regularly stock Solomon’s seal.

Ostrich fern- Ostrich ferns form a thick carpet, producing a lovely shade of green in the garden.  They propagate via runners and fill an empty spot in the garden.  They are about a foot tall, transplant well and are truly deer resistant.  Additionally, they’re great in cut flower arrangements.  You’ll find these ferns at most any retail outlet.

Bleeding heart- Bleeding heart is one of the old-fashioned, charming perennials that continues to grow in popularity.  The foliage is arching, fernlike and about 18” tall.  The blooms are set under the foliage, revealing heart-shaped, pink to red  flowers.  Some varieties of Bleeding heart keep their foliage all season long, others decompose after the spring bloom.  Most varieties are on the tall side, about 18”- 24”, but the new cultivar ‘Burning heart’ is only 10” tall.  They’re deer resistant as well.  Greenscape Garden,  Dausters and Theis Farms (Creve Coeur Mill Road) carry lovely varieties of Bleeding heart.

Russian comfrey- This plant is an amazing workhorse in the garden.  Deer, rodent and pest resistant, few people who visit the Longview gardens know what the plant is.  The foliage is fuzzy and low to the ground; in spring it has the most beautiful sky-blue blooms that continue for up to 2 months.  They resemble bluebells and you can get them to rebloom if you remove the spent bloom stalks. In bloom, they’re about a foot tall.  When not in bloom, they’re a low groundcover.   If you buy just one plant this year, make it Russian comfrey.  I purchased a variegated variety last year at Sugar Creek Gardens in Kirkwood.  By the way: this plant will be available for purchase at the yearly plant sale at Longview Farm Park.

Dianthus-  Dianthus is a plant that, in my mind, is underutilized.  If you purchase them in flats in the spring, they’ll give you months and months of blooms.  During the heat of summer they’ll take a rest, only to resume blooming their white, pink and red heads off in fall and into the next spring.  Plant them en masse in the front of your shade border and you’ll never regret it!  Dianthus can be found almost everywhere- from Wal Mart to Fahr’s in St. Albans.

Pansies and Johnny Jump Ups- Spring isn’t spring unless I have pots of Pansies and Johnny-jump-ups at the front door and in my window boxes.  Yes, the deer and bunnies love them: that’s why I grow them in pots!  Few plants cheer the gardeners’ soul after a long winter better than these stunners!  Wiethops has the best Pansies and Johnny-jump-ups, by far, in the entire West County area!

Creeping Jenny- Lysmachia…people love it or hate it.  I love it for the bright kiwi-green color and the way it meanders around a stone walkway.  It spreads rapidly, allowing you to move it to other sections of your garden or share the bounty with friends.  Have you ever tried it in containers?  It’s fabulous!  The plant will creep down a tall container, adding color and whimsy as it grows.

Hostas- Hostas.  The deer love them.   But, so do we.  What’s a gardener to do?  By choosing Hostas that deer find unappetizing, spraying Liquid Fence on them, or covering them with Deer netting.  Shade gardens and Hostas just belong together.  Hostas, such as ‘Krossa Regal,’ have a “rubberyness” to the leaf that deer find difficult to chew.  Others, like ‘Frances Williams’ has puckery foliage that the deer don’t find palatable.  Many Hostas, such as ‘Honeybells’ Albo-Marginatia’ ‘Golden Tiara’ are just the perfect food for deer.  If you love them, have them, but realize that you MUST either spray them (every 10 days to 2 weeks) or fence them off with deer netting.  I wrote a blog last year about .  Check it out.  If you want your Hostas, it’s an inexpensive, easy and relatively unobtrusive way to keep them.  We have some Hosta in the Longview gardens that came from a member who moved.  I know she smiles when she sees some of her favorite plants at the park. We spray them all season and have had pretty good luck.  I won’t say perfect, I’ll say “pretty good.”  Hostas come in all different sizes, colors, textures and prices.  I love them, regardless of the deer!  Wine Country Gardens in Defiance has a great selection of Hostas all year long.

Coral bells- The Coral bell market has been exploding for years now.  So many color combinations are available; it’s hard to keep up with the next, new introduction.  For some crazy reason, most of the Coral bell varieties are given names of food.  ‘Plum pudding,’ ‘Key Lime Pie,’ ‘Georgia peach,’ are just a few of the crazy names these plants have been introduced as.  Regardless of the name, the plant is a nice, tidy and deer resistant addition to your garden.  Coral bells are a mounding plant, setting off spires of blooms in early summer.  The blooms are relatively insignifagnt, it’s the color of the plant that makes it a winner in the shade garden.  It’s perfect as an edging plant, but my personal favorite place to plant Coral bells is along a stone path.  The shade garden is truly enhanced with multiple plantings of Coral bells.  There’s one that’s nearly black, called ‘Obsidian.’  Another introduction called, ‘Golden zebra’ is a mix of burgundy and bright yellow and would be stupendous planted next to a big, red Coleus as a backdrop.  Coral bells are readily available and can be found at the “big box” stores or local nurseries such as Summer Winds or Dausters.

As you can see, there is no end to finding great perennials for the shade garden.  My mind was working overload, I have many, many more suggestions than I have room for in my blog. 

While you’re shopping, check out my list of  “More Perennials for the Shade Garden” -Celandine poppy, Japanese Painted fern, Forget me not, Trillium, Toad lily, Virginia bluebells, Astilbe, Japanese Anemone, Vinca vine, Lily of the Valley and Pachysandra.

Stay tuned!  Look for my “Top 10” perennial picks for the sun garden and my “Top 10” best annuals for St. Louis!  Coming soon!