Q: Years ago, my yard was full sun, but now the trees around my house have grown so tall I have part-shade to shade almost everywhere and I have to change my plants. What plants do I grow now? —J.H., Florence
A: You are in good company, J.H.! Many yards around Florence and the surrounding towns are carved out of the woods. Trees grow quietly and steadily over the years while we are busy looking at the ground and yard around us, oblivious to their increasingly tall stature until one day we look up and — surprise! How they have grown.
Fortunately, there are many worthy part-shade and shade plants to swap for your sun-loving ones. Part-shade means the plants receive 2- 4 hours of direct sun each day. Remember native plants are always a terrific option as they are predisposed to succeed in our climate after growing in our region for many years.
One part-shade/shade plant I own and love grows in a protected corner by my mudroom porch. It is native Actaea racemosa sp., formerly Cimicifuga racemosa, otherwise known as bugbane or black cohosh (the nomenclature gets a bit murky). Known mostly for their deeply cut, astilbe-like foliage and 4- to 6-foot tall spikes of small round (non-edible) fruit, they are resilient and grow in either dry, acidic soil such as you find under pine trees or in rich, pH neutral soils.
Alternatively, the related deep purple, finely cut-leaved Actaea simplex ‘Hillside Black Beauty’ with its late summer-blooming pale pink flower wands is stunning paired with brightly chartreuse-leaved Dicentra (technically now called Lamprocapnos) spectablis ‘Gold Heart’(Bleeding Heart)and its spring-blooming deep pink heart-shaped flowers.
Other attractive shade perennials include Tiarella spp. (Foamflower) — lobed leaves in many colors with short white or pink flower spikes, Polygonatum odoratum ‘Varigatum’ (Variegated Solomon Seal) – graceful, arching stems, white-edged green oval leaves, and a row of small, droplet-like white flowers, and Pulmonaria spp. (Lungwort) — bespeckled leaves and cheerful funnel-shaped pink, blue or white flowers.
Brunnera macrophylla (False Forget-Me-Not) with its blue, forget-me-not type flowers and bold, heart-shaped leaves is another good option. Variety B. ‘Jack Frost’ offers especially attractive luminescent silver leaves. Epimedium, Heuchera, Hosta, and Astilbeare also appealing part-shade/shade options. Erythronium pagoda (Trout Lilies) and Lily of the Valley (Convallaria majalis) are lovely, too. I could go on!
Other shade-friendly plant types include ferns, grasses, and shrubs. Ferns are lovely and easy-care. Athyrium niponicum’s (Japanese painted fern) dramatic silvery-purple, deeply cut leaves and dark purple stems offer a lovely counterpoint to thick-leaved, green-dominant hosta. Many beautiful native options are also available.
Hakonechloa macra (Japanese Forest Grass) is an elegant, lance-leaved grass whose bright, yellow-green color is another tool for brightening the shade and complementing greenery.
Shrubs for shade include the graceful Hydrangea quercifolia (Oak-leaved hydrangea), handsome Aesculus parviflora (Bottlebrush buckeye) and lovely native Lindera benzoin (Spicebush), among others. The latter is a host plant for the spicebush swallowtail butterfly. Hope this helps, J.H. Good luck with your garden transformation and thanks for asking a (local) master gardener.
Have a gardening dilemma? Please send questions, along with your name/initials and community, to the Western Massachusetts Master Gardener Association at AskAMasterGardener@wmmga.org. One question will be answered per week. wmmga.org