07 February 2019

10 cool plants for shade areas!

  1. Columbine - I had to mention this one first because it is Colorado's state flower.
  2. Hosta - Great foliage plant some have real nice flowers to, some have flowers that you don't notice much. Use the darker leaf Hosta in heavy shade. Use the lighter greens, golds and variegated in lighter shade, part sun and a few can even go in the Sun. Watch out for slugs and hail damage. (Pasta Hosta - Hosta shredafoilia) yet another corny joke.
  3. Euonymus - some of these have evergreen leaves, great for winter interest. Many verities from tall shrubs to ground covers.
  4. Lilac - the big old fashioned - Common Lilac to the dwarf Korean Lilac. Great Spring color in the shade.
  5. Viburnum - some of these are leafy evergreens. Some are partial evergreen, they hold leaves into the Winter but drop them at some point. Common Viburnums include Snowball Bush, both American & European Cranberry Bush, Nannyberry and Wayfaring Tree. Many sizes and leaf textures to chose from. They bloom on old wood like Lilacs (prune lightly after bloom.) They also provide fruit for birds - not Snowball Bush its a sterile hybrid.
  6. Kinnikinnick - I love this ground cover plant because it reminds me of camping in the Colorado mountains. Leafy Evergreen ground cover. Native of Colorado Mountains.
  7. Oregon Grape Holly - leafy evergreen shrub also, Creeping Oregon Grape Holly is a ground cover. Looks similar to Holly but not a true Holly at all. Its actually a Mahonia, it has other commonly used names - Mahonia or Mahony.
  8. Dwarf Alberta Spruce - cool little spruce. These guys get damaged by the Sun in the Winter time. If the Sun hits it, shade it in the Winter.
  9. White Fir - Large evergreen tree. Also called the Concolor Fir. This one has really neat soft thick needles, pale green in color.
  10. Arborvitae - many verities and colors to chose from, ranging from blue needles to dark green. These are the softer version of an upright juniper. They are not junipers they just resemble them.
Longmont Niwot Landscape & Gardening Ideas

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