perennial advice for north facing pot

Ynnead

Hi Im trying to figure out what kind of perennial would do well in an exposed north facing area in a pot. Ideally with blue flowers and attractive to bumblebees etc. I did buy an eryngium blue hobbit from sarah raven last year but it seems to be dying. It arrived very small as it was late in the year, but I thought it would be ok.

I might get another bigger more established plant but not sure if its an ideal spot. From what I read it should have done ok. Anyone have any recommendations? Would aquilegia be a beeter option?

I think I have an obsession with eryngiums lol as I always fail to germinate the seeds.

didyw

Some ideas here: https://www.gardenersworld.com/plants/container-plants-for-shade/
 

JennyJ

The eryngium would be happier in a sunny spot. For shade you could try a blue-flowered hardy geranium.

dappledshade

If the pot is large, you could put in more than one herbaceous perennial, that is blue flowered, like pulmonaria for early spring colour, windflowers (blue anemone blanda) coming through March/April, closely followed by brunnera (forget me not those flowers). As Jenny says, a long flowering blue hardy geranium, like Rozanne, would flower for many months through it all. Try adding a nice evergreen, to act as a foil to the flowers too. Sarcococca can grow in pots until they get larger, they like north facing, have intensely perfumed, tiny white flowers in the depth of winter and nice black berries following.

Loxley

Geranium 'Rozanne' is a bee magnet.

Persicaria amplexicaulis 'Alba' and Thalictrum delavayi are others I have noticed the bees love in my garden, and can take semi-shade.

Dinnerplatedahlias🌸

Jack Frost Brunnera...blue flowers in spring and gorgeous foliage. 

Hostafan1

HOSTAS

Ynnead

Thanks for all the advice. Thinking monkshood aconitum napellus. Would that do ok?

didyw

My first thought was monkshood - don't know why I didn't mention it!

JennyJ

Ynnead said:

Thanks for all the advice. Thinking monkshood aconitum napellus. Would that do ok?

I have one in a NE-facing border (with some morning sun) and it's fine there, but I don't think it would do well in a pot unless it's a very large one. It is tall and needs staking here. Also it's one of the few garden plants that is very toxic, so you might want to keep it out of reach of pets or children if they're the type who eat things they shouldn't.

WildFlower_UK

I have two containers (either end of a bench) is a shady spot and planted up with a mix of vinca minor, ferns and sarcoccoca. All are evergreen and the vincas give a lovely splash of colour.