shade darlings
Walking through the garden I realized I seem to have more luck with the shaded areas than those with full sun exposure. The logical reason for this quirky occurrence is that for years I’ve looked at the dead dirt on the north side of the foundation wall and thought I needed to do something about it, especially since it is the first thing I see every time I pass through the front door.
After study and research, trial and error, and insisting on perennials I really liked but didn’t seem to adjust well to my garden, in time the impossible shaded corner came to life. There is fresh lily of the valley scenting the humid air around the sumptuous hostas, and bright green sweet woodruff fills the spaces between the purple spires of bugleweed and the lace of foamflower.
Solomon’s seal sprouted with renewed vigor as soon as the weather turned and since this is its second year in the garden, it bides well for its long term prospects.
Toad lilies thrive in their sheltered location with sweet violets laying gracefully at their feet. The coral bells and bleeding hearts are already in bloom, projected against the fresh green leaves of creeping Jenny and blue flowered vinca.
Everything is neat and tidy, thriving but not crowding its neighbors, all of a sudden looking a lot more orderly than the mess of my sunny borders. Weeds don’t covet this location and the dirt holds on to its water, allowing the shade loving plants to go longer without watering.
Of course the blooms can’t compare to their full sun counterparts, at least not until it’s time for the fragrant hostas to bloom, but I’m not going to begrudge my shade darlings this small fault. After all, nothing in this world is perfect.
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