Topic: Dry shade suggestions please.

[Deeds]

I thought I'd ask you lot as you always come up with great suggestions. 

Having just spent the afternoon dismantling an old rockery, digging out crocosmia (Yeuch) ivy, I am now over the next few days going to be reusing the granite to build a raised bed in the same area, which will eventually link up to a seating area, the whole top of the bed and the seating area will be gravelled

The site only small, about 15' x 8', and is shaded by the house on one side and a trees and shrubs (windbreak) on the other.

I am looking for some suggestions as to planting for the bed, almost perment shade and even though I'm going to add lots od organic matter it will still be dry because of the house and the hedge.  Lots of slugs and snails too because of all the granite walls surrounding the garden, do something they don't like would be great.

The only thing I have come up with so far is pulmonaria, ???

Thanks all.

[undercarriage plan]

Hey Deeds! Checked my bible and come up with these, pretty slug tolerant too - Ajuga (bugle flower), Alchemilla Mollis (but green flowers.....!),Bergenia, Epimedium (love these, dainty flowers),Lamium, Box, Santolina (cotton lavender). All slug proof, I think.  Have fun. Lottie  Oo yes, ferns!

[jennym]

I have a dry shady border and find these do well:
Aucuba japonica 'Crotonifolia'
Anemone x hybrida 'Honorine Jobert'
Epimedium x warleyense
Vinca minor
Hedera helix 'Pedata'
Parthenocissus quinquefolia
Ceanothus thyrsiflorus
Escallonia rubra
Lonicera nitida 'Baggesens Gold'

[Mrs Ava]

Hey Deeds  :-*, Under our weeping willow we have a woodland garden, which is bone dry thanks to the tree, and in constant late spring, summer, autumn shade, thanks to the trees.  Here is what I have happily doing it's thing....ajuga, pulmanaria, ferns a plenty, grasses, azalia, aquilegias, then annuals like nigella and cerithes all do really well.  In the dappled shade I have an apple and cherry tree on dwarfing rootstock and they thrive for some unknown reason.  I also have a spirea in the dappled shade (thanks to everyone who named it for me) and a mahonia.

[Icyberjunkie]

Not sure if any of the 'posh' names include this but hellibores should also do well as they naturally live under hedges.  Lots of different foliage and nice early green flowers rimmed in purple - got two varieties in the garden in a dry shady spot. 

Also not sure if they are supposed to be grown in such conditions but another one I abuse is Japanese Anemone (is that spelled correctly??) which is under a Silver Birch tree.

[Palustris]

Bear bane, both red and white? Actea spicata alba and rubra, poisonous berries though.

[Robert_Brenchley]

Cyclamens, Trilliums, spring bulbs.

[HeartOfWales]

heuchera - purple palace will do well, and it's evergreen ... well ever purple lol

[wardy]

Lilies, lily of the valley, dogwood, hebe, iris, eunymous, eleagnus, aquilegia, photinus, sweet rocket, primulas, holly, helebores, choisya, aster, aucuba, laurel, ilex, osmanthus, hardy geranium (white ones seem to do well), forget me not, paeony (i'm doing a mental tour of my garden), ferns

My garden is in very deep shade and bone dry from the massive mature trees so getting things to grow is not easy.  Fuchsias and roses don't grow and funnily enough I've had no luck with skimmia and viburnum davidii

Happy gardening  :)

[Deeds]

Thanks all, some brilliant suggestions there.
I have some cyclamen and epimediums on order now, plus some hardy geraniums from a friend for starters and just found Heucera 'Black Beauty' and a couple of Tiarella's.  Off next weekend to get some more, then seeing what I can find at the Taunton Show (been talked into helping on a stand again - doesn't take much persuasion for me to get out of Cornwall during the holiday period!)

I've almost completed the bed, just got to dig in masses of compost and well rotted manure to give the soil a bit of substance.

Wardy - I wish with the lily of the valley, I've tried it half a dozen times here in different places and it will not grow for me at all :(.  My Dad had a front garden full of it and he always used to pick the first bunch of it for me, I love the scent, always reminds me of Dad.

I can't grow roses either, the climate here is just too damp and mild, they always get completely defoliated by blackspot, still the things I can grow make up for that, I just have Clethera arborescens coming into flower and the scent on that is just glorious.

[wardy]

Tiarella is very good but I don't have one yet but they relish dry shade and look good with your heuchera and also with ajuga.  Ajuga is a good value for money plant and is in flower for months on end.  I have dug up some Lily of the Valley and planted it in the driest bit and it's taken ok.  I wanted it where I would walk as before it was all under the hedge and the scent was lost  :)  I forgot to mention I have a sambucus too (yellow feathery foliage) and that's doing well. 

[Rosa_Mundi]

Yellow corydalis will flower in dry shade if you want some quick cover for a year - seeds itself like fury, but easy to pull up. Blue corydalis will grow well once established, too, but needs water in the first year.