Climbers: Climbing Hydrangea and Scarlet Runner Bean Fragrant: Lonicera(honeysuckle)and maybe Gardenias, Lilies, and Jasmines if it's outdoors. Misc. ornamentals and plants: Common Hydrangea, Fuchsia, Bleeding Heart, Japanese Maple, Bamboo, Sago Palm, Dwarf Rhododendrons, and Begonias. Also, don't rule out planting a low-growing shady plant on a stand or in a hanging planter if these options are doable and fit in with your plan. You can also train or purchase daisies and fuchsias, for example, as a standard to get the 3'+ minimum height you want. In the beginning, the easiest way to get to know plants that may interest you that will serve your purpose and also be in season or available to you locally is to window shop your local garden centers or the places where you most likely will be making your purchase. Make a list of the varieties that are available to you locally or fit your garden plan and then look up the plant to see how to take care of it properly in your local climate. Check out the Shade Garden Forum for more ideas. Good luck!

Based on my experience (a lot of dappled shade from tall, limbed-up oaks here) you would be quite disappointed in the performance of rudbeckia, shasta daisy and echinacea. Mine exhibited spindly/leggy growth, sparse bloom and low reistance to disease. There are plants that will give you good color in partial to full shade, but I'm drawing a complete blank right now ... spent too much time out in the sunshine cleaning up and re-edging on the beds. What do you want along the fence line - shrubs, vines, herbaceous perennials, evergreens? Are you looking for privacy, color or something else? If you have room for it, hydrangea gives a great early summer display, even in partial shade. Deutzia blooms well in shade; there are several varieties from dwarf "Nikko" to the old fashioned fuzzy deutzia that can get over 6'. Tiarella (foam flower) is subtle, but long lasting. I have several daylilies that do well with good morning sun, but then dappled to full shade from about 11:00 on. Astilbe, hosta, forget-me-not, bleeding heart (either spectabilis or eximia), columbine, anemone, hardy cyclamen, heuchera, sweet autumn clematis, climbing hydrangea. (Brain's finally kicking in, but I know I'm still leaving out a lot). When dealing with shade, I like to stick with cool colors to maintain that cool, calming atmosphere. Don't overlook the value of leaf shapes, variegations, colors, textures, especially in a shade garden. Ah ... incarvillea (hardy gloxinia) ... late spring to early summer. Chelone (turtlehead) for dappled/partial shade. I also find perennial candytuft (iberis sempervirens), hardy geranium, some irises, clematis, spiderwort to be quite adaptable to shade if it isn't too heavy or if they get a good dose of early sun. Not winter hardy, you'd have to lift the corms and store indoors, but tuberous begonias are prolific and colorful, some bearing flowers that rival roses and peonies; they're fantastic in containers with coleus, dichondra and ornamental sweet potato. For many years I had to push the envelope, as I was determined to grow perennials, even in this dappled shade, and none of the nurseries had anything for shade except hosta/begonia/impatiens ... and it was BI (before internet). I started out experimenting with adaptable and generally disease-free sun-lovers and some mail-order plants, which were quite pricey at the time. I'm sure I've still left out a lot of plants, I'll try to get back later with a list, but maybe someone else will fill in. There's also a forum on Shade Gardening, isn't there? You can really create a lush, relaxing garden in the shade. Almost four years ago we added a 1500-gallon koi pond to ours and it transports us to another place, especially in the evenings. Diane

I'll transfer the pics over here for you. Those appear to be mature Willows to me. You can see in the first picture that the roots are visible at the surface level and that the grass is having a difficult time growing in that area. Planting small unestablished Hosta in that area is going to be very difficult. You can't just raise the soil level. Firstly, you need to continue to be able to see the "flare" of the trunk at the soil level. If you cover that part of the trunk in soil you will eventually kill those trees. Also any amended soil you add will just attract the willow roots. They go for the good stuff. BTW, the moss merely means that your pH is low. If this were my yard, here is what I would do. 1. Take a close look at the shade/sun situation with these trees. 2. Reshape the bed making the area that gets morning sun/afternoon shade larger than the side that gets the opposite. 3. When planting closer to the trunks of the trees use either pots above ground, or root control grow bags. Link below. 4. Amend the soil in the areas I am going to plant in the ground. 5. Use the biggest Hostas I can find from Hosta specialty nurseries. 6. Water, water, water. Water by sprinkler over a large area that includes areas beyond the garden, so that the willows can get what they need without strangling your Hostas to get it. 7. Put down a thick mulch of wood chips over even a larger area than the garden. The grass is competing with the Willows for moisture also. Do you see in that pic where the grass is greener? That's where you might be able to plant in the ground. What you are planning to do, can be done, but it's difficult. In the battle of the roots, the Willows have an enormous advantage because they are so well established, while the Hostas will be just babies. It will take lots of care and water to achieve what you want with the garden and not damage/kill those trees. Steve Here is a link that might be useful: Planting using spin out bags

It's always amazing to me how old threads pop up years later! If you look at the dates I started the thread 9 years ago..lol. I don't even remember what culvers root is anymore. However, my gardens are way more extensive than they were 9 years! I don't even need any more plants....except maybe a few peonies, and a few.......