Winners and Losers in the Battle of Dry Shade
My back garden raised bed has been something of a permanent work in progress. I was in my Raised Bed Period when I created it. Somewhere, I really can’t remember where, I had read about the virtues of raised beds. Over the next couple of years I created four of them in the garden.
Anyway, the conditions in this raised bed must have been more difficult than I realized, because many plants didn’t last more than a season or two. As a result, I have always been trying to get something to fill open spaces here or there.
The raised bed is in part sun/dappled shade. It’s just a few feet from a silver maple (Acer saccharinum). The silver maple has greedy feeder roots which have not been shy about pushing into the raised bed. At the same time, this bed receives supplemental watering very rarely.
In the hope that you can benefit from my misadventures, I provide below a list of the plants that did not make it in this bed, as well as those that have succeeded and others for whom the jury is still out.
First, the ones that didn’t make it. I can only assume that it was the dryness and root competition that did them in.
- Peach leaf bellflower (Campanula persicifolia). Hasn’t lasted more than a season or two.
- Snowdrop windflower (Anemone sylvestris). Completely disappeared within three years.
- Ladybells (Adenophera lilifolia). I like the flowers, but the plant overall is kind of weedy and had thin stems that would lean all over. It lasted several years, and there are still a few stems, but it is not a major presence in this bed.
- Yellow foxglove (Digitalis ambigua). I really thought yellow foxglove would be well-adapted to this site, but most of the plants have been shortlived. There are still a couple hanging on.
- Silky wild rye (Elymus villosus). It should be named silky wild rabbit food. Feh. Same thing for Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra).
Now for the success stories.
- Amsonia ‘Blue Ice’. ‘Blue Ice’ feels absolutely at home in this raised bed. Every plant has established itself and set about growing into its own large clump. I cut back the foliage when the flowers are done and the new growth comes up yellow.
- Short’s Aster (Symphyotrichum shortii). The rabbits chew, but do not demolish. Clouds of little blue flowers in fall on shrubby plants.
- Purple milkweed (Asclepias purpureum). The one Asclepias that tolerates shade. I’ve learned that it doesn’t like to be crowded by other tall plants, so you have to give it some space.
- Brown eyed susan (Rudbeckia triloba). A profusion of flowers smaller than most Rudbeckias. Short lived but it self-sows determinedly so it is always popping up somewhere.
The jury is out.
Since last year I have been adding plants at every opportunity. Along the west side of the bed I have put dwarf goatsbeard (Dioicus aethusifolius) and yellow corydalis (Corydalis lutea). On the shadier east side I planted Lenten rose (Helleborus x hybridus).
I’ve also got Indian pinks (Spigelia marilandica), and an Arkansas bluestar (Amsonia hubrichtii). Oh, and for drama and height, one spikenard (Arelia racemosa).
Sounds overcrowded, you say? Probably. But some stuff won’t make it, and I can always transplant. Experimenting with different plants under different conditions is half the fun of gardening.
gardeninacity 
I would agree! It is the fun of gardening! I like the list you have up there and find it very useful to many areas of my back garden which has similar conditions. Beautiful photos Jason and that purple milkweed is one that I need to get!! A wonderful week to you!
I’d be happy to mail you some of the purple milkweed seeds.
I have loads of dry shade and am amazed you have purple milkweed in the shade! Here are a few dry shade suggestions: hellebore, Bowman’s Root (gillenia trifoliata), hosta (not too dry), snowberry ‘Blades of Sun’ (subshrub), euphorbia corollata, ‘Autumn Charm’ sedum, iris tectorum, columbine, ‘Serenade’ anemones, salvia koyamea, bigroot geraniums, Northern Sea Oats, solidago caesia, kalimeris, polygonatum (Solomon’s Seal), scutellaria incana (Hoary skullcap), heart leaf asters (eurybia divarcata), dwarf deschampsia, diervilla (subshrub), heuchera, epimediums, pulmonaria, golden alexanders, and ‘Deam’s rudbeckia.
I just added Short’s asters to my garden this spring, along with the scutellaria and both have been big winners. ‘Hyperion’ daylilies might do well there, too. They’re an old cultivar that is tough as nails. I have every plant listed in this comment thriving in my garden, along with spigellia – my favorite!
I have Solidago caesia growing in some other beds, I like it but I am looking for something a little more compact. I never heard of ‘Blades of Sun’, that sounds interesting. I would also love to try ‘Bowman’s Root’, do you know any mail order places that sell it?
Lazy S’s Farm Nursery has Bowman’s Root as well as some cool, short solidago’s.There’s a dwarf one called Little Lemon I have my eye on.
Precisely – it’s just one ongoing experiment in my garden! My first thought for shade was Epimediums, but they are a bit boring after they have finished flowering. I recently saw a photo of a Salvia glutinosa – for dry shady spots, flowers late in the season and gets to about a metre high. The flowers are lemony yellow and would look lovely near your asters! I’ll be trying it in my border under an evergreen next year.
I just looked up Salvia glutinosa, which sounds very interesting. Unfortunately it is hardy only to USDA zone 7, I am in zone 5. Oh, well. I’m warming to Epimediums, may give those a try.
Oh, my internet supplier says zone 5… must check that!
OK, I double-checked. According to Plant Delights Nursery, you are correct it is hardy to zone 5.
Helpful post, dry shade can be the most difficult situation can I add to your list Acanthus mollis or spinosa, may even be evergreen for you and is wonderfully dramatic.
I have never grown Acanthus, I didn’t know it liked shade. I’ll check that out.
Jason, lovely bunch of plants in these. Why do you think some plants don’t survive? The raised bed doesn’t look TOO high in the photo, so high that the first would do it?!
Honestly, I’m not sure. I think the root competition may be pretty fierce from the silver maple.
I’m here to sing my same old song…you need to consider colored foliage for a few open pockets. Is ‘Ascot Rainbow’ euphorbia hardy for you?
Nope, hardy to zone 7 and I am in 5. I TRIED to get some colorful foliage with Hakonechloa but that turned out to be very expensive rabbit chow. I could try some annuals, maybe some caladiums.
We have tried so many of the same plants. I love Amsonia. That and perennial salvias were the only plants that held up in the drought we had a few summers ago. Salvia ‘reference’ and ‘May nights’ are the most reliable for me and bloom all summer although they probably had a little more sun.
I have May Nights but it blooms for maybe 3-4 weeks, not all summer.
I have a couple of dry shade areas. I do have a goatsbeard that has flourished there but I am looking to add more natives especially. Of course hostas flourish in dry shade and epimediums. I will have to try amsonia there too.
I have planted some epimediums elsewhere and I am warming to them. Hostas I am not fond of for reasons I cannot explain.
Bless you. Always seeking dry shade winners ….
Me too! I still am!
I see Donna had suggested Epimediums, that was going to be a suggestion of mine.
Thankfully I don’t have many areas of dry shade to cater for but do grow the dwarf goatsbeard, it’s a wee beauty but in my garden it gets shade but also a fair bit of moisture. Wishing all your new additions well Jason!
The dwarf goatsbeard seems to be adaptable when it comes to moisture, at least that’s what I’m banking on.
You just gave me a great idea of raising beds around my walkway in my woodland garden. Thanks! Yours look great btw.
Thank you. Raised beds along a walkway sounds nice.
It certainly doesn’t look overcrowded to me! I love the goatsbeard, how cute is that!
I struggle to get anything to grow in dry shade, only christmas box is happy in the really dry bits!xxx
I guess a lot depends on just how dry and how shady.
I have a similar situation in my lasagna garden, up under big trees getting a combination of dappled and deep shade, with one corner getting a half day of sun. I find myself wondering whether all that lovely organic soil I created up there drains TOO well! Heucheras and astilbe seem to be doing well up there, along with Turtlehead and a hellebore. The lamium is doing very well in front, with interesting light green leaves that show up well in the shade, and pretty little purple flowers. One Heuchera I particularly like is ‘Paris.’ It’s bloomed heavily this year with deep pink flowers that I can easily see from the kitchen window, about a hundred feet away.
I’ve thought about Amsonia for that space; now your review leads me to believe I definitely should try it!
Your lasagna garden sounds lovely. I would think it is not too dry if turtlehead is doing well there – I thought they like a lot of moisture.
I’ll be surprised if the goatsbeard doesn’t make it. It’s interesting how some plants can stand the completion from tree roots and other fold up in no time.
True, and so often our expectations what will do well in a given spot are wrong.
I also thing the dwarf goatsbeard will make it. Mine does not get any sun shide at all and is happy.
Yes it seems like it will take a lot of shade.
Hmmm. Amsonia for part shade, I never thought of that and have a potful of homeless seedlings that will appreciate this post!
I like your ‘raised bed phase’ all great artists go through these things!
Yes! And I had a Blue Period, just like Picasso!
a work in progress, with great lessons learned. I had a garden bed that suffered from hungry feeder roots from nearby trees too, and I appreciate that you’ve shared your lessons with what grows and what doesn’t.
Your garden looks lovely, by the way!
Thank you! Experimentation is essential, especially because conditions vary so from garden to garden.
A good portion of my garden is dry shade, and I agree it can be challenging! I’ve tried Foxglove several times, too, and while it looks great for one season, it doesn’t seem to seed very well in the shade. Since it’s a biennial, that limits it. I’m glad to hear Amsonia has been successful for you. Maybe I’ll try it!
Interesting to read about your experimentations. I don’t have much area that could be called dry shade, but I find your post encouraging. I have had so many plans that just didn’t pan out but we keep trying.
When they die it’s an excuse to buy a new one!
Hi Jason, I don’t really have any experience with dry shade but you should get in touch with Tammy at Casa Mariposa, http://ts-casamariposa.blogspot.co.uk/. She battles dry shade and usually wins (though she would argue), she’ll have a lot of advice and names of plants that will or wont work that you could try in your bed.
I planted three Amsonia hubrichtii under my dogwood, so I’m glad to hear they do so well!
The hubrichtii have really nice fall color, I think.
Hmm. I’m going to be looking for that purple milkweed. I hadn’t heard of it before, and it turns out that it’s native in Maine.