There are a number of shade-tolerant large perennials that are comfortable in cool, moist locations. Some of them still thrive where almost nothing else grows. However, sufficient irrigation is particularly important in summer.
- Record sheet (Rodgersiapodophylla) and panel sheet (Astilboides tabularis) establish themselves in shady places.
- Feather poppy (Macleaya cordata), ligularia (Liu1aria), mammoth leaf (Gunnera manicata), butterbur (Petasites hybridus) and ornamental rhubarb (Rheum palmatum) thrive in partial shade and sun.
- Hostas love a place with morning sun and shade from noon.
Control snails
Hostas in particular are often plagued by snails. In the spring, sprinkle a thick layer of wood ash, sawdust, sharp sand, or grit around the plants and renew them frequently.
The decorative leaves of the record sheet (Rodgersia) resemble giant chestnut leaves. The plant needs sufficient soil and humidity. Sheltered from the wind under deciduous trees and bushes, it feels most comfortable. Never let the soil dry out completely. Spray the foliage over in hot weather.
Imposing mammoth leaf
The mammoth leaf (Gunnera) is a work of art in itself. The leaves can be 1-2 m wide and the stems up to 2.5 m. Only plant the mammoth leaf in spring. A place on the sunny edge of the pond is ideal. Other locations require regular watering.
- Place the plants 3-4 m apart. The mammoth leaf takes root quite slowly and does not tolerate transplanting.
- Protect the mammoth leaf with a thick cover made of leaves and brushwood during the winter months. In addition, you can cover the plant with its own leaves in autumn.
Keeping giants in check
In small to medium-sized gardens, you can plant large perennials in the tub and sink them into the ground. That slows their growth. In stolon-forming species such as butterbur, the rhizomes can be dug up and removed regularly. In self-seeding plants such as the field chervil (Anthriscus sylvestris), cut off the wilting inflorescences before sowing.
Colored leaves
Beautiful ground cover Plant creeping ground cover perennials with light leaf colors and variegated leaves under trees. Golden nettle (Lamiastrum galeobdolon), Günsel (Ajuga reptans) and dead nettle (Lamium maculatum) cover the soil in a short time with the help of runners. In principle, about 6 plants per square meter are sufficient, but with 8-12 weed competition is suppressed more quickly.
Beware of sunburn
Plants with yellow or white patterned leaves are more sensitive to light than green-leaved ones. They are often burned in the sun. Perennials with blue-gray, silvery or reddish foliage, on the other hand, often thrive even in full sun.
Liven up your discounts
Bergenia are attractive, tolerate both shade and sun, and tolerate all garden soils. Their reddish leaf colors are even more pronounced on poor soil.
- Bergenia spread with a creeping rhizome. Divide them every 2-3 years after flowering or in the fall. Only plant the younger parts back in.
In addition to hostas, which are ideally suited as potted plants, many other leafy plants also thrive in the shade without any problems, as the light is optimally used through the large leaf surface. Arrangements of contrasting leaf plants produce interesting effects. Try a combination of broad-leaved hostas and filigree ferns and bamboos. You can also use climbing hydrangeas and hydrangeas under a tree or on a shady wall Ivy, whose white, golden-yellow and cream-colored speckled leaves draw even the dark nooks and crannies lighten.
Foliage plants usually do better than flowering plants in locations without sun. Bergenia, indoor aralia (Fatsia), holly (Ilex) and ivy (Hedera) or even golden yellow variegated shrubs such as olive (Eleagnus) and spindle bush (Euonymus) are worth a try. Plants in shady locations must not be watered too heavily, as excess water hardly evaporates due to the lack of sun. Fungal infections can be avoided by regularly removing the dead flowers and leaves.
Foliage plants for shady places
- Buntgiersch (Aegopodium podagraria "Variegata")
- Ivy (hedera)
- Hostas (hosta)
- European oat (Arrhenatherum elatius ssp. Bulbosum "Variegata")
- Japanese aukube (AUcuba japonica "Variegata")
- Lungwort (pulmonaria)
- Purple bells (Heuchera)
- Rainbow fern (Athyrium niponicum)