Shady Shenanigans

I have fallen in love with shady gardens, I think it's a novelty thing - the vast majority of our garden is open and sunny but recently I've developed a few shady areas. Any excuse for new plants, although mostly I have pinched bits and pieces from elsewhere - sweet woodruff, aquilegia, foxgloves, ladys mantle, japanese anemones, ferns and some bulbs that I had in pots. I also want to move some lily of the valley. 

I have three epimediums in the garden - Sulphureum, warleyense and rubrum - they are all beautiful - you have to get close to the flowers to really appreciate them...they are low maintenance - cut the old leaves away in late winter, don't feed them, just lightly mulch with leaf mould and wait....day by day I can't help but check on their progress - the flowers emerge from the base of the plant and unfurl as they open....so delicate. Plants For Shade is a great website to inspire you when planting a shady area.

This lovely photo is from Edrom Nurseries who also specialise in shady plants and post to Northern Ireland.