*Really*. I always assumed it was a "moist loam" plant that would quickly croak in my "dry carp" soil....

Your experience is encouraging dahlianut. I'm looking for any shade lovers for under a spruce where little rain penetrates. The soil's been amended quite a bit over the last couple of years but it's a tough spot to water regularly.

Have you tried ajuga?

No I haven't Lucy. I'll check them out, thanks. Some I've seen at nurseries are much more impressiive than I'm used to.

I like blue, although ajuga is more of a blue-violet.

Me too.

Evan, I know that epimediums love dry shade. Don't know about under pines, but I do know that they do well in dry shade.

The woman who gave me my variegated Solomon's Seal had a LOT of them, and she dug them under big pines where she had epimedium, painted ferns and a few other things that I cannot remember.

Juli, I actually have one Epimedium under a white pine, Epimedium x youngianum 'Roseum', which gets more water because the pines are far less dense. I'll check it out tomorrow as I haven't watered there at all this year. I'll also look into the Solomon's Seal. Thanks for the heads up.

It took my epimedium a handful of years to get going -- but it's almost a thug now. Mine are not under pines... but they are in full shade. I'm planning on moving them around the back of the house under some dense trees where they will be in dry shade. My neighbor worked at a big well known perennial nursery for nearly 20 years, and she told me instead of yanking out the epimediums and tossing them, move them under those trees where nothing else wants to grow and they will be perfect there.

I have been pulling out the Sol. Seal because it's spread so much near my house foundation where it gets nearly no water and no light.

Tiarella does well in dry shade once established. Carex Ice Dance grass is anther one that does well.

Man, Jules - wish you were my neighbor!

Bob, I have one Tiarella, 3 years old I think, Is this a good time to divide? Will check out the Carex.

Sheryl, if you could see my neighbor's flower beds, both shade and sun.... you would wish you were HER neighbor! After you see these photos you will see why I trust anything she says about perennials. She and her husband have a business where they install perennial beds and then care for them. They don't do ponds or grass or snow removal. Just perennials. Their home garden is where they bring clients to show them plants and what can be done. I am happy that I see a couple of the big sun beds every time I pull out of my driveway. They are busy ALL the time from just before the ground thaws in the spring till after the ground freezes in the fall. I often see them out at 11 PM with flashlight hats that look like coal miner helmets weeding and deadheading their own beds. They work harder than any two people I have ever seen. They have had their own business perhaps 7 or 8 years now. Even in this economy, they are swamped with clients.

Part of one of her shade gardens -- she was so embarrassed there was a hose out when I happened to come over. Like having a hose out in a garden was a bad thing! LOL



another one... shade with some sunny area, leading into shade again...



and, for the heck of it, a little garden art... she doesn't have a lot of garden art, just a few things here and there...



she has a few hosta.... (hundreds of them!)



and knows her way around planting containers



And, she has some pretty awesome big beds in the sun too.

I love Tirellas and Epimediums.
Tirellas grow in dappled shade here.
I have them with Dicentra


Epimedium in part shade sorry I dont know the name


This is Froelenten (sp)


A better view



This is Niveum


All of the above plants grow under scochpines and spruces that have been trimmed high.I would call that part of the border "woodsie" I also have hellebores thete.

I prefer to divide in the spring.

Great tip Bob

irisarian said:How are the TX gardens doing in the drought? Shade cloth can be used to start shady loving plants?

Ours are dying.

There's no pretty way to say it.

Looks like we have to start over (again) next year.

That's why I'm enjoying all of your gardens!!

Wish I could send you some of the rain , this has been about the wettest summer I can ever remember. Seems to rain a least twice a week.

I wish you could too.

We had an extremely dry spring. I don't know the measurements from before May, but I do remember Dave and I walking through the pastures in March and April and everything was crunchy. We wondered how we were going to have hay if we didn't get rain.

From May until today, we've had just over 1/2" of rain. I was looking at a video last night of last summer when we bailed a big lot of hay in July (second cutting). We haven't had a first cutting- no one here has. It was strange to see our pastures green and lush from last July. There's hardly anything alive out there now.

We've irrigated the veggie gardens, but still lost just about everything that we planted after June. The flower gardens were all new this spring, and were just too small to survive the stress. I have about half of everything that was planted. Even the cactus garden has lost about half!

It hasn't been a good year for the gardeners or farmers. I'm going to take pictures here soon and post them to my blog. I haven't until now because I hate even looking at it.

One thing about gardeners, though...we're always optimistic!

Oh, Trish, so sorry to hear of the relentless drought. Hopefull next year will be better. Juli, your neighbor's gardens are just stunning! Better get her over here on ATP!