shade plants?

dejavu

we have a giant beech tree so it's all shade underneath, no sun except for when the tree isn't in bloom yet like now when the leaves are coming in.  it just seems so boring and lacking color on the ground under the tree.  is there any shade plant what-so-ever that could grow there?

kylara111

I have deep, dry shade in a good part of my yard. I only put tough plants in those areas because the mosquitoes in the shade will eat me alive when I go back there to water. Hostas and ferns are great for those areas. I don't care for groundcovers, but pachysandra, ivy, dead nettle and lily of the valley will grow in these areas as well. Huechera has grown okay for me in shade too (you can get yellow varieties that brighten up shade) but it does better for me in part shade.

TarHeels&Rebels

Hostas are wonderful and you can choose from a couple foliage colors.  Cast iron plant may grow where you are - it's a good option for deep shade as well.  Try wax begonias or impatiens for annuals.

smbckr2

I live in Illinois, so it's kind of hard for me since the winter is cold. The front of our house is the shadiest part, so I have trouble planting stuff there. Which sucks for making the front of our house look nice. Some things I have found... azaleas, rhododendron, evergreen shrubs. That's about it. I shop on Michigan Bulb a lot. You can do a search for shade plants in your area.

pugznploons

front of our house is all shade, we plant hosta, columbine, hydrangea, phlox, and will add in some impatiens in a few weeks.

MisN

I second the Hosta suggestion.  They are so easy to transplant too especially at this time of year.  If you have hostas in another part of your garden or a neighbour who doesn't mind you splitting their hostas, then you can easily split and transplant a hosta. 

 I would also add in some impatiens or begonias for colour around the hostas.  If you have decent soil under the tree - all of these should do very well.  If not, top up the soil.

Ground covers are another options (e.g. periwinkle) but they can take over and be hard to get rid off.

 Good luck!

shammy79

I love my hostas, they're  tried and true. However, I wanted to add a little more color this year so I think I'll try coleus.

geminiye

For really 'different' leaves, you could look for varieties of heuchera - coral bells.  They come in red/purple leaf varieties as well as green, and are even easier to maintain than hosta, I don't have to cut back the leaves each year (though you can).