Ferns are often overlooked as shade plants in the landscape because they do tend to need a fair amount of water. But plenty of us with shady yards have soggy sections that struggle, and ferns like cinnamon fern are a perfect fit.
August: Panicle Hydrangea
There are many kinds of hydrangeas, and we love all of them for the landscape. Yet it seems like the blue and pink mopheads and the dramatic Annabelle hydrangeas seem to take the spotlight when we think of hydrangeas. Possibly the least well-known, but still very widely used, is the panicle hydrangea, known for its excellent winter hardiness, strong branches, and mid-to-late summer cone-shaped flowers.
July: Cranesbill
If you're looking for an adaptable, colorful, varied, and space-filling family of plant, cranesbill (also known as geranium or hardy geranium) may be what you're looking for. There are cranesbills adapted to sun or partial shade, ones that form tidy little mounds or sweeping masses, bright and vibrant flowers or cool shades. Some are even semi-evergreen! Read on to learn more.
June: Japanese Forest Grass
Most grasses do not do well in shade, as anyone who has tried to grow a dense lawn on a wooded lot can confirm. There are, however, a few ornamental grasses and relatives of grasses that love the low light conditions of a wood edge or an airy forest. Japanese forest grass is one of these. It doesn't like dense shade, but in filtered light conditions it brings gorgeous texture and movement to the landscape.
May: Solomon's Seal
April: Redbud
February: Groundcover Junipers
December: Boxwood
Evergreen plants are the backbone of designs built to stun in all seasons. They provide the reliable structure to keep things from looking bare and help highlight the spots of color and texture that other plants like beautyberry and paperbark maple provide. We love to use boxwoods for this purpose. They do much better in our soils than a lot of other evergreens, and their ability to be sheared or grown naturally allow us to make all kinds of interesting artistic decisions with them.
November: Ginkgo
The Ginkgo tree is a unique and fascinating tree. The species has been around since the time of the dinosaurs, so it is truly a living fossil. Ginkgo trees keep their leaves longer than most, but at some point (usually in November) the entire tree will turn a rich golden yellow practically overnight, and all its leaves will drop within a day or two in a beautiful golden shower. It is valued as a street tree and for home yards because it is long-lived, tolerant of harsh conditions, and it has a beautiful form.
