Shade Loving Perennials

Shade loving perennials are described as a hardy plant that persists for several years in little to no sunlight areas. These plants will grow bigger and bigger every year and some even until you can divide and split them to plant more. Shade loving perennials will take the cold a lot better and won’t need as much water compared to sun loving perennials. These perennials can be planted under trees or along a house where it is cool and moist.

Ferns have stems, leaves, and roots but do not produce seeds. On the underside of the leaves are spores that contain the genetics needed to grow a new fern. They may be green, yellow, black, brown, orange, or red in color. Ferns are very beautiful, green, and lush plants. They have deep fibrous roots and love wet woodland type areas. Ferns will go dormant in hot, dry weather however will perk back up in the late summer to fall rain.

Hostas can bring lots of color and texture to your flower bed. They are low growing and clump forming which means they can be divided and planted. They have large leaf coverage, and some varieties even produce flowers that are very pleasing to the eye as well as fragrant. Leaf tips of hostas will become sun scalded and scorched in full sun. They will develop deep, rich colored leaves in cool, dark areas. Leaf lengths can range from inches to feet. Their leaves can also have many well as shapes. Textures include smooth, veined, or kinds of textures as puckered. Shapes include heart shaped, cupped, or lance like. 

Ferns and hostas will be a great addition to your flower bed. Bringing in a variety of colorful leaves are well as fragrant flowers. It will be very easy to maintain as well since you won’t have to water as much or worry about deadheading as you do most flowers. Another perk is you will save money on having to buy more plants since hostas will multiply and ferns can reproduce with their spores! Other shade perennials [see link for list] include bleeding hearts, hellebores, columbine, coral bells.

5 Reasons to Add Hummingbird Groundcover to your Yard

Who doesn’t want to find late-season bloomers for their garden? Let’s face it, most of our favorite blooms fade out by August. I discovered Creeping Hummingbird Trumpet Zauscherhneria garrettii (Fire Chalice)® or (Orange Carpet)® or Z. latifolia (Woody's Peach Surprise)® as a way to add color, then discovered it has many other benefits.

1. As a late season evergreen perennial, Creeping Hummingbird Trumpet Fire Chalice, blooms year after year. It is adaptive to low water conditions. This superb plant spreads to form a loose mat of low growing, bright green foliage. Starting late July, it lights up the garden with a profusion of bright red or orange flowers. With a drooping habit, it looks great in containers, rock walls, and hanging over raised beds. Regular watering when in bloom keeps the flowers popping for 4 to 8 weeks.

2. The plant's continuous bloom is key to bringing back birds year after year. The crimson color inch-long blooms attract hummingbirds and provide much-needed nectar forage.

3. Creeping Hummingbird Trumpet Zauschneria garrettii

Orange Carpet ®  is a native plant. It originated from the mountains of southern Idaho and thrives in our climate. 

4. You can use it in a lot of ways - not only as ground cover, but also in containers, rock garden, and mass-plantings. You can plant it anytime during the spring or summer.

5. My personal favorite: deadheading is not required! (!!)
Other late season bloomers that attract hummingbirds: Hummingbird Mint (Agastache), Scarlet Hedge Nettle, Beard Tongue Penstemon, Salvia, Columbine, Coral Bells, Red Birds in a Tree, Texas Red Yucca, Bee Balm.

Where to buy Creeping Hummingbird Trumpet: Look for a seedling at nurseries that sell native plants.
I have found it at:

• Adams Gardens & Nursery-Nampa,
• Edwards Greenhouse,
• Draggin' Wing High Desert Nursery-Boise.
• It is available online at High Country Gardens.

Gardening to attract hummingbirds requires nectar-rich flowers as well as water and shelter because not all birds will visit feeders. Adding Creeping Hummingbird Trumpet to your bird buffet can help insure the future for the birds, replacing food lost due to human activities like agriculture and urbanization.