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Plants that grow in the shade

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Hi all

 

I'm not at all green fingered but would like to make the front garden a bit more colourful. We have some medium size containers that will be in the shade and also some that will be in the shade most of the day until early evening.

 

Could someone please advise what would grow well in these conditions? Was looking for something with a bit of colour or something practical like herbs.

 

Thanks!!

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Hellebores hostas geranium berginia acer mahonia(shrub) few off the top of my head

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Guest sibon
Hellebores hostas geranium berginia acer mahonia(shrub) few off the top of my head

 

Strange place to keep your plants:)

 

OP. Here is some good advice from the RHS.

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Most herbs don't like shade but mint will do fine as long as it's kept damp. Sweet cicily and Lemon balm will also do well but none of those are very useful culinary herbs.

http://www.plantsforshade.co.uk/ is a good place to look. I've used them before and they send out great quality plants. I'd particularly recommend alchemilla, brunnera, campanula, geranium, pulmonaria, primula, saxafraga and tiarella for pots. All easy and won't need too much watering.

Zantedeschia look fantastic but need plenty of water.

I'd un-recommend hostas because they also need extra water and are magnets for slugs. I don't like risking poisoning wildlife with slug pellets.

 

There are some things you can sow as seeds and will just look after themselves, if you want to keep costs down. Honesty (Lunaria annua), foxgloves (Digitalis), Sweet cicily (Myrrhis odorata) and Welsh poppy (Meconopsis cambrica) all self seed easily in the UK. You could sprinkle some seeds in a pot and be reasonably sure of getting some flowers next year.

If you're near Nether Edge at all I'd be happy to give you some plants which are spreading rather too well in my shady back garden but would be fine in pots.

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