Hi I have an unusual garden (I think) which is s long strip about 30 feet long (a side yard ) and 5.5 feet in width. The 5.5 feet is also split down the center with the shadow of the next house over nearly all day except a few hours in the morning. The "sun" side is sunny most of the day, with light shade in the morning and later evening. I have mostly iris and daylily's in the sunny area, but so far nothing really has grown well in the shady area so I thought I would try hostas. I went down to the local "Lowes" hardware store and found they had a few hosta varieties. My telephone internet was not working for some reason (it is now) and I could not get information so I chose 2 hostas of the same size based on their appearance. This hosta was Abiqua Drinking Gourd. Now I see they will grow to be huge, but it may be 2 to 4 years before they do. In the meantime, I still want background plants. I was wondering if I could get some recommendations for annuals that grow in the shade that will die each year, not seed, and be at least 2 feet tall.
Thanks for any replies
Katy

Some coleus can get between 2 and 3 feet. They do get seeds but I have never had any popping up.

impatiens, coleus, caladiums (die if you don't dig them up for the winter)

Hi everyone. I guess I got on a hosta binge. I just bought a few more and I am going back and exchanging one of the Abiqua for a striped one they have there (hoping it is not large size.) The hostas I bought (at a shop on etsy) are 3 small size (about 1 foot tall full-grown, and one medium about 22 inches tall). Maybe having different plants will be better. I hope having smaller plants might make more sense in the smaller garden.

It usually takes about 5 years for Hostas to reach their mature size, plus you can always divide them. Hostas like a lot of moisture

crawgarden said:It usually takes about 5 years for Hostas to reach their mature size, plus you can always divide them. Hostas like a lot of moisture

Hi Crawgarden, Yes, I thought about the moisture issues. I am putting in a drip system so I can water without so much waste. I have nearly everything I need right now, and will start putting the hoses out pretty soon.

I bought medium, and small hostas so that they will fit into the smaller landscape. So there are no super-sized hostas that need to fill a large area as some do. The mediums are the 2 Abiqua Drinking Gourd, one Patriot, and the three smalls are June, Brim Cup, and Sunset Groves. I am interested in getting some curly edge hostas at some point.

I looked at the recommendations for the filler plants, and really like the caladiums, However, I have started to become interested in Heuchera also (which would last longer). I will most likely get a few caladiums until next year because I have gone over budget on my garden purchases yet again!

Thanks for the responses!
Katy

Nice choices, Wheee might fit your ticket for a curly edged hosta.

I have a lot of heuchera as companion plants in my gardens. Nice splashes of color in amongst the hosta foliage.

I have also (now) am thinking of some bleeding hearts or solomon's seal since the area will be shady and moist. I've seem bleeding hearts around here so they are easy to find. I think I like them and they can poke out behind the other plants.
Katy

Those are both great choices.

Well, yesterday after posting about the bleeding hearts, I ordered 3 bare roots of "old fashioned" white dicentra spectibilis which is the larger type of bleeding heart. I should get those shortly. Saturday I will get the chosen hostas in the mail. Now all I have to do is wait until the heuchera are ready at a greenhouse/nursery that I know carries a ton of beautiful heucheras. These are the gallon-sized pots and I don't want to pay postage for a gallon of dirt. They have a huge selection every time I have gone there.

I have some of the variegated Solomon's seal. It's a little invasive. I moved mine to a spot that has plenty of room for it to spread.

How hot do your summers get, Katy?

LorettaNJ said:How hot do your summers get, Katy?

at least 100 for maybe 2-3 days in a row. The planted area in question is in a bit of a sheltered microclimate.

Averages:
June 89/64 F
July 91/64 F
Aug 89/63 F

Ok, I only ask because the Bleeding Hearts will go dormant as the weather heats up. I wasn't sure if you knew that or not.

Hoe ga je ze beschermen tegen slakken ,Dat vind ik een groter probleem

how are you going to protect them against slugs and snails

Katy, from your description, it sounds like your side yard runs east/west. Yes? If so, that shadow from the house next door will gradually diminish in width as we approach the solstice. Between roughly mid-May and mid-July it will be in full sun all day. If it runs on a diagonal there will be a different sun dynamic.

LorettaNJ said:Ok, I only ask because the Bleeding Hearts will go dormant as the weather heats up. I wasn't sure if you knew that or not.

The way I understood it, they die back during the hottest part of summer then when it gets cooler again start growing.

I buy plants on sale until I know I can deal with them.

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