Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Let’s color up that shady area
I love hosta but there are some other great plants including a flowering option! If you have an area with moist soil, then astilbe is a great option.
Hardy to zone 3, Astilbes are slow-growing and produce plume-like flowers on stalks above the foliage in the spring and summer. They do best in partial shade but also can tolerate heavier shade. You’ll find flowers in shades of white, red, pink and lavender. Their foliage is fernlike and usually green. More on Growing and Caring for Astilbes
Another zone 3 you won’t forget is commonly called Forget-me-not! It’s latin name is Brunnera macrophylla.
It’s an adorable long-lived, low-growing sweetie with tiny blue flowers that show up very early in the season amidst lovely foliage. Heart-shaped leaves are frosted, almost looks like cracked porcelain.
Heuchera, also known as Coral Bells, are one of my favorites. They’re not always easy to grow, I’ve lost a few but my best luck has been with the darker shades.
There are dozens of choices from green to orange to red to purple and all the shades in between! Click on the link above.
Heights vary from 9 inches to almost 2 ft. tall with most around 15 inches. The lighter shades actually do better in more shade.
One of my favorites is ‘Berry Smoothie’.
