Dry shade

Brickman0430

Hi all, hopefully a simple question, I'm trying to brighten up a dry shady area and am wondering if either hardy fuchsias, or a brunnera would survive? The area in question is in shade most of the morning, then gets a couple of hours of sun in the afternoon.

Lou12

My garden is nearly all shade so I experiment with various things that perhaps shouldn't be grown in dry shade with varying success.

My best one this year is geranium wargrave pink, flowers prolifically all summer, lovely colour, shouldn't grow under a tree but does and after watering very carefully in it's first year has now really taken off in an area where only ferns grew before.

I didn't have any success with fuchias. Brunneras are good they seem to be bullet proof but again need a lot of water while they are establishing. Heuchera are good for shade. Annual begonias do really well under my holly tree for any gaps, I like the ones with really big flowers.

Ferns always look great. I can never have too many of those.

My rose flowering carpet has been prolific over the last few years under the ash tree but is the only rose that will grow in that much shade. I do keep it well watered though and feed it weekly in the flowering season. It's a good ground cover rose.

Fairygirl

They're both good plants for shade but they'll need watering well until established. A mulch will help prevent moisture loss too, and help them thrive initially.

Not sure how well the fuchsia will cope with dry shade though.  I don't grow them but others here will know better than me  

plant pauper

I checked my "Right plant, right place" book and came up with these.

Ribes

Liriope

Dryopteris

Dicentra

Epimedium

Polypodium

Cyclamen

Euphorbia

Lamium

Vinca major + minor

There's also the usual suspects...Ilex, hedera, lunaria, digitalis, wood anemone, bergenia for partial shade and hedera, aucuba, iris foetidissima, sarcococca, pachysandra, epimedium and vinca minor for semi/full shade.

There're loads more but the key phrase is "tolerant of" and no mention of fuchsia or brunnera. They might survive but I'm not sure about thrive. If you could improve the moisture levels they might do better.

Lou12

I love lamium, planted it under the tree and all of them were devoured by slugs in two days so that was a waste of money

Joyce21

Brunnera will thrive if well watered to begin with as will an evergreen geranium "St. Ola" which has white flowers.  Also .spring and autumn cyclamen   Not fuchsia.

plant pauper

I'll check the geranium out Joyce. How big does it get? I was delighted to find dicentra on that list. I was coveting a white one in someone's pics a while back (might have been FG's) and now when I get it, I know where it's going. 

Iamweedy

http://plantsforshade.co.uk/acatalog/Tellima-grandiflora--Forest-Frost.html

I have just been looking through this site for ideas, it's well worth a browse.

Stevedaylilly

Any Dryopteris fern will do well in dry shade as I have quite a few in that aspect. I also have black mondo grass in dry shade and they are multiply well to give a proved ground cover. Heuchera do fine in dry shade. But be mindful that all thses plants will need a deep watering each week untill they are well established

Joyce21

pp, the geranium is low growing and spreads a wee bit.

See Longacreplantsforshade.

plant pauper

Noooooo!!!!!! 

What did you do that for?!?!?!?!? 

Plant porn for shade!!!!!!!!!!!!