Best Perennials For Shade

There are many perennials that will tolerate shade, yet gardeners often seem to be at odds as to what to grow in shady locations. Read on to learn more about this group of woodlanders.

Feed your gerbera daisy with a water-soluble, 24-8-16 fertilizer diluted at a rate of 1 tablespoon per 1 gallon of water, which feeds 10 square feet of plants. Aphids are small insects that cluster at shoot tips and on the undersides of leaves.

X lipsiensis.I would like to thank the following people for the use of their pictures: The richest blue colour is found on ‘Royal Blue' but its flowers are a little smaller than the previous selections.Shown above is 'Allenii' (top left), 'Robinsoniana'...

Although I do not have any plans to grow a large hosta garden in the near future, I now am equipped with the knowledge that it will take to add a few hosta to the base of a tree I have been thinking about.

Irises need to be divided every three or four years. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the 5-10-5 fertilizer around each iris clump, about 6 inches from the base of the plant, and water it in immediately after application.Overcrowded iris plants compete for moisture,...

Over time, worms and other soil organisms will break the mulch down and enrich the soil.day lilies when the soil surface is dry. Plump roots mean day lilies can survive dry soil and drought, but the plants often lose their flower buds in these conditions.Moist...

Use a product safe for use on Cordyline fruticosa and apply according to the product's instructions.Snip off dead foliage. Fill a plastic spray bottle with water and mist indoor-grown Cordyline fruticosa plants weekly to create humidity.Situate outdoor...

Photo of bowman's root used with permission at Wikimedia (GFDL) These plants will probably be varieties that you'll need to order (or special order from your local nursery), but the ones covered in this series over the next several articles will bring...

These vigorous plants can grow up to 8 feet tall in one growing season in ideal conditions and produce tubers that weigh 1 to 2 pounds.Dig a hole as deep as an elephant ear's root ball and twice as wide.

Hostas are shade-loving plants that grow from bulbs (or tubers). Hosta plants (also known as plantain lilies) are herbaceous perennials that die down in the winter months and reemerge in the spring with new growth.

This is best done in early spring. Dianthus are not fussy plants and it takes very little to keep them happy. There are approximately 300 species of dianthus to choose from, in biennial, annual and perennial varieties.

Use pruning shears to remove any dead or unhealthy-looking roots. Avoid pulling leaves out using your hands as this can tear into the living tissue at the base of the plant, leaving a wound which is open to fungal infection.Divide hostas in spring when...

Plant bluebells at least 12 inches apart. These flowers grow in clusters and are usually, but not always, blue as the name implies. Bluebells are useful for keeping the pest nematodes under control.Bluebells are rapidly spreading perennials.

Keep them well watered until established. Remove any yellowed or dead leaves that occur through the year.Divide large clumps of bird of paradise by separating the root ball early in the growth season.

Yarrow blooms April to July in the south and west and from mid-July through September in the north.Butterfly weed, butterfly milkweed, orange milkweed and pleurisy root are the common names for this showy, abundant-blooming native perennial.

Where not hardy, foxtail fern may be grown as ain front of a bright, sunny windowsill with temperatures between 60 and 75 degrees F. Fertilize indoor plants monthly during the growing season with 7 drops of a liquid 10-10-10 fertilizer per 1 quart of...

Apply the fertilizer once per season in the spring, when the plant's stems are about 3 inches tall, working it carefully into the ground. Planting peonies too deeply can also inhibit flowering, so position new plants or divisions so buds are no more than...

Unfortunately, there is no cure for this disease. Although hostas prefer moist, cool soils, heavy and wet soil in spring and winter can lead to root rot -- a fungal disease that rots away the roots.

Depending on variety, they grow from U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 2 through 9. Keep soil damp, but never soggy.Eastern and Western bleeding hearts generally grow 6 to 18 inches tall and 12 to 18 inches wide.

Fill in the hole, water the plant well and add a layer of mulch to help maintain moisture and deter weeds. Garden phlox can mature to 2 feet in width at its base, so when planting, give them plenty of room to spread.

Eventually, all of the leaves will become desiccated and drop over. The old-fashioned August lily () grows in USDA zones 3 through 9 and Siebold's hostas (to prevent crown rot and to discourage rodents and slugs from adopting the pile for winter shelter.

Don't fertilize sedum; fertilizer contributes to rich soil, which can cause floppiness and weak growth. Division is a good opportunity to move the sedum to a spot in full sunlight and to discard old, woody sections.

With close to 160 different species, chrysanthemums, or mums, give you plenty of choices for color, sizes and growth habits. If prevention doesn't work, apply the pesticide Bt or Bacillus thuringiensis with a garden sprayer to cover the leaves and stems...

Light fertilization once a month during the spring and summer growing season helps keep the plants healthy. Wipe the shears with a rubbing alcohol-soaked cloth before making a cut to disinfect them.

With such a range, this is a very versatile plant for many spots in your garden. The popular cultivarThough all Astilbe look fairly similar, cultivars tend to differ in several categories:Almost without exception, Astilbes fall somewhere in the range...

Reaching heights of up to 6 feet tall and producing curling, feathery fronds, ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris) is a perennial species that thrives in cool, shaded areas. Use a controlled-release, granular, 14-14-14 fertilizer, spreading 1/8 cup...

If you have a mass planting of sage, cut plants at different levels to keep a natural look. Salvia (Salvia spp.), commonly known as sage, is a plant group that ranges from annuals to woody perennials hardy from U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness...