Dry shade. Those two words are enough to frustrate any gardener. The culprit could be a wall, an overhanging roof, a fence, a hedge, or a towering tree, but the result is usually the same—dusty soil and lack of direct sunlight—two growing conditions that make life difficult for many plants.

It doesn’t have to be that way. There are fabulous plants that can tolerate these conditions if you can improve the soil and give transplants sufficient water until they are established. One of my favorites is the hellebore, which includes a wide range of relatively carefree plants that bloom in late winter and early spring. Neither deer nor insects seem to bother them. Their leaves stay green into early winter. But it’s the flowers that are lovely, especially the newer cultivars that feature upward-facing blossoms. Hellebores look lovely paired with hostas, epimedium, Japanese forest grass, painted fern, Solomon’s Seal, and with smaller daffodils, such as Jack Snipe, Ice Wings and Thalia.  



Tom Cooper, the long-time editor of Horticulture magazine, compiled his Editor’s letters in a book called “Odd Lots,” a collection of great essays. Here’s how he summarized the shade garden. 

“A garden in shade is a different kind of garden from one soaked in sun. There’s little that’s grand and much that’s fleeting. You won’t find the brilliant colors of a rose bed, but you will find rich, dark shadows and a sense of coolness and calm. You won’t often hear visitors gasp with awe; you may hear a contented murmur. And you may find the gardener just standing there, admiring a lone shaft of sunlight come to rest on the lawn.”

A sense of coolness and calm. That is what a good shade garden offers.

Learn more in a class this coming weekend, “Successful Shade Gardens,” Saturday, Oct. 22 from 1-3 p.m. at the Chicago Botanic Garden.

— Nina Koziol
www.thisgardencooks.com