Colorado summers include marathon stretches of hot, dry, sunny days, but there is relief to be found wherever a tree, fence or building casts a shadow. And in those patches are the sullen spots that defy gardeners’ best efforts for planting.
Our shaded spots, often considered “dry shade,” offer little hospitality to plants. They fall between buildings and directly adjacent to foundations where building overhangs prevent rainfall from reaching the soil.
Dry shade also exists in areas where the roots of mature trees have become so aggressive in their quest for nutrition and moisture that they threaten the existence of any smaller plants.
There’s no need to despair, however, because numerous hardy groundcovers will offer interest to problem areas if the soil has been amended with lots of organic compost to create a nutrient-rich climate for your plants.
Plants require light, moisture and nutrients to grow; by amending the soil, you are compensating slightly for the lack of light.
Shallow-rooted, undemanding groundcovers are a natural choice for shady spots.
Shade gardening is subtle, requiring attention to variations of texture and form. Adding white or silver will offer striking contrast and softness to the predominant use of shade greens you will be using.
Several plants offer both colors in one plant. One with an interesting texture in the form of lacelike leaves and a profusion of white blossoms in early summer is Sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum). A bonus is the sweet fragrance that emanates from the leaves even long after the perfumed blossoms fade.
Lamium maculatum “White Nancy” is a low-growing foliage groundcover whose silver leaves are bordered with deep green. The silver is so intense it almost glows in the dark.
The very invasive bishop’s weed (Aegopodium) will grow where everything else fails. Variegated leaves of green and white grow from stems that may reach 6 to 8 inches, depending on conditions.
Another hardy, but often overlooked, groundcover is vinca (often called periwinkle). Kathy Land of Englewood’s Land Services says the durable plant’s small blue flowers give some life to shady areas.
Vinca moves rapidly and can reach a height of 8 inches, but it can be mowed back without any ill effects. But because of its aggressive nature, “it should be in a contained area and not planted near other plants.” Land says.
Although spring flowering lily-of-the- valley is not strictly a groundcover, it serves this purpose well, and its glossy, upright leaves offer visual interest against foundations or fences.
Several silver-foliaged plants with insignificant flowers are partridge feather (Tanacetum), a well-mannered ground-hugging plant with tiny serrated leaves, and the more robust lamb’s ear (Stachys).
The gold-flowered moneywort (Lysimachia ) works well near deciduous shrubs and presents a nice splash of color.
A plant whose moment comes in late summer when landscapes become lackluster is hardy plumbago (Ceratostigma). It produces deep blue flowers from it mat of shining green leaves that turn to a deep eye-catching mahogany red in the fall.
If you can provide moist, rich soil, David Salman, chief horticulturist of High Country Gardens, recommends a new dwarf golden spur columbine, “Little Treasure,” flush with bright yellow flowers emanating from “very attractive foliage resembling that of a maiden-hair fern.”
Although not strictly groundcovers, several other plants also thrive — or at least grow — in the shade. These include violets, violas, forget-me-not (myosotis sylvatica), Solomon’s seal (Polygonatum), and various artemisias.
Shade gardening is neither impossible nor boring. It just requires ingenuity and patience.
Once groundcovers establish themselves, they require limited care but offer continued visual interest.
Joan Hinkemeyer is a garden writer and perennial specialist. She has used all of the above mentioned shade plants in landscapes designed for clients and for herself.
