Liven up the shade with color

By Erica Glasener

For the AJC

Recently while walking in my neighborhood I noticed a colorful combination planted along the edge of a garden bordering the sidewalk that grabbed my attention. While the big blue mophead hydrangeas were not unusual the chartreuse foliage that surrounded them was a surprise. Masses of gold and green variegated sweet flag, Acorus 'Ogon,' golden yellow hostas and a selection of coralbells with chartreuse foliage made for a dynamic scene. But what added the real zing to this grouping were bright orange impatiens dotted throughout. There is nothing quiet about this shade garden which got me thinking about other plants that brighten the shade with their foliage or flowers or both. It's worth mentioning here that all blooming plants need at least a minimum of sun for good flower production. If you have dappled shade or a garden that is in shade for 1/2 the day, there is no reason that it can't be colorful too.

Acorus 'Ogon' hostas and Heuchera with impatiens.

Dicentra spectablilis 'Gold Heart'

Carex elata 'Aurea'

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There are a whole group of coralbells with fantastic colorful foliage that grow happily in part-shade and with lots of moisture some of them will also tolerate full sun. As a group these coralbells which are the result of crosses with our native Heuchera villosa are more robust and better adapted to growing in heat and humidity. For chartreuse foliage I like Heuchera 'Citronelle' or 'Pistache' which is more lime green and supposedly the most stable of the chartreuse types, holding its color even in the heat of summer. I have grown Heuchera 'Caramel' for several years and like its peachy caramel foliage with hints of yellow. But after talking with Tiffany Jones of McMahan's Nursery in Gainesville, Georgia, I am excited to try one they grow called Heuchera 'Southern Comfort.' This rugged selection from Terra Nova Nurseries has huge fuzzy leaves that start out cinnamon peach and turn to burnished copper and then amber. It grows 14 inches high and forms mounds 2 feet across.

A relative of coralbells, and a villosa hybrid Heucherella 'Alabama Sunrise,' also called foamy bells, has foliage that changes color with the seasons. In spring the leaves start out gold with red veins. Then in summer it greens up before turning shades of orange pink in the fall. Combine these coralbells and foamy bells with chartreuse hostas, ferns like the luminous ghost fern, Athyrium 'Ghost' and a few bright colored impatiens and your garden will be vibrant during the hot summer months. Other bright foliage for the shade garden includes the selection of giant bleeding heart Dicentra spectablilis 'Gold Heart' which puts on a show in spring and then like other bleeding hearts it goes dormant during the heat of summer. Combine it with hostas and ferns to help fill the void when it dies back. Other bright foliage comes in the form of the dainty columbine Aquilegia x 'Leprachaun Gold' with green and gold leaves and dark purple flowers. An old-fashioned plant with a new look, the spiderwort known as Tradescantia 'Sweet Kate' is a good doer that offers grassy chartreuse foliage and bright blue flowers for weeks.

I have always liked members of the genus Carex and grow a few including Carex 'Evergold' with green and white striped grass-like foliage. I use them as an evergreen groundcover under my hydrangeas. One with chartreuse foliage that is new to me and one I plan to add to my garden is Carex elata 'Aurea' or 'Bowles Golden' as it is sometimes listed.

These plants are among those that can help transform shady areas of your garden into vibrant scenes.