Brunnera macrophylla 'Jack Frost'

Brunnera macrophylla 'Jack Frost' is a very attractive perennial for shade.  The heart-shaped leaves are mostly a silvery-white, but with green veins.  It's eye-catching.  I think it's not gaudy, but probably too bright for some.  The small, bright-blue flowers come in May.  They are pretty, but bloom is usually not very dense.  The plant forms a mound about 2 feet wide fairly quickly, but does not seem to exceed that.  When in flower, it reaches 2 feet tall.  It disappears in winter.  Brunnera macrophylla is native to the Caucasus, Georgia & Turkey in forests & on grassy slopes.  The common name is Siberian Bugloss.  Brunnera macrophylla is better in part shade than deep shade.  It needs moderate water in summer & tolerates some wetness in winter.  Use it in a shaded perennial border, or between shrubs under trees.

Geranium phaeum

Geranium phaeum makes a great background plant & filler of space in lightly shaded areas.  It is fairly tolerant of dryness.  It's a pretty plant with a profusion of dark blue, purple or black flowers in April & May.  Black flowers suggest the common name Mourning Widow.  Geranium phaeum is taller than most  species.  It grows to a height of nearly 2 feet when in flower.  The flower spikes with seed pods are also attractive.  There is no need to cut them back after bloom has faded.  The leaves are pleasing in form.  Some have nice purple blotches, like the cultivar 'Samobor'.  Geranium phaeum is native to Europe in the Pyrenees & Alps in subalpine meadows & forests.  This is a good candidate for dry, light shade.  

Dicentra formosa

Dicentra formosa (Native Bleeding Heart)

Dicentra formosa is a perennial forest plant native to the Northwest Coast, from the Pacific Ocean to the Cascade Mountains in Washington & Oregon.  It is one of our most beautiful native plants.  The flowers are usually a pale pink, but darker individuals, like the one shown in this photo, can be found. In time, one plant will spread widely by its creeping rootstock & also by seed.  Over several years it may fill up a shaded area.  Dicentra formosa does not grow well in full sun, but will take some partly sunny locations.  This is primarily a plant of the forest floor with moderate water needs in summer.  The leaves have a pleasing, fern-like appearance.  They die to the ground in winter.  Dicentra formosa pairs nicely with Oxalis oregana, a native forest groundcover.  Find them in the native plant section of most nurseries in the Seattle area.

A Washington Native Formal Shade Garden

Washington Native Formal Shade Garden

Here is a formal shade garden, for Seattle & the Pacific Northwest Coast, using native plants.  The use of native plants has steadily increased in Seattle to the point where most nurseries now stock a fairly wide variety.  While it may be that I have been reading too many European garden blogs, it seems that formal gardens are also becoming more popular.  In any case, there is no need to use native plants only in wild gardens.  If your taste is for symmetry, you can achieve this with native plants.  

Both deciduous & evergreen plants are used in this garden.  Quercus garryana (Garry Oak) is the center of this garden.  It slowly grows to be a large & spreading deciduous tree.  Two sides of the garden are lined with the much smaller Acer circinatum (Vine Maple) which are very colorful in fall.  The most interesting feature of this garden is a double row of Sambucus racemosa (Red Elderberry).  Reaching 18 feet in height, the arching canes will meet over head at the center of the walks, forming a pleached allee.  Some lower branches may need to be removed for passage.  Vaccinium ovatum (Evergreen Huckleberry) can be pruned into relatively uniform hedges.  It is best not to clip them severely.  Blechnum spicant (Deer Fern) is an evergreen perennial lining the walks.  Space these about 18 inches apart.  You will need to choose at least 1 additional groundcover to spread throughout the area behind them.  Oxalis oregana (Redwood Sorrel) &/or Fragaria vesca (Woodland Strawberry) would give the most effective coverage.  Specific shrubs, perennials & groundcovers are indicated.  Use the additional perennials & groundcovers to fill empty spaces.  

The main entry walk is 4 feet wide.  Secondary walks are 3 feet wide.  You can pave these in brick, stone or concrete.  Use mortar, or the cracks will be invaded by plants.  The entire garden is 40 feet by 30 feet across.  Seattle lots are usually 40 or 50 feet wide.  If your lot is 50 feet wide, you can add 2 more rows of Acer circinatum (Vine Maple) along the sides.  Because this plan is symmetrical, solar orientation won’t matter.  This garden would be best in a shaded area.  The trees & shrubs are tolerant of sun & shade.  They will eventually grow to shade the woodland plants beneath them.  If you have room, you can add other gardens beyond this.  A bosque or thicket would work well, especially along property lines.  Remove the benches & continue the walks into adjacent spaces. 

Washington Native Formal Shade Garden Plan

Trees
AC = Acer circinatum (Vine Maple): total # 16
G = Quercus garryana (Garry Oak): total # 1
Shrubs
PH = Physocarpus capitatus (Ninebark): total # 4
R = Rhododendron macrophyllum: total # 12, evergreen
S = Sambucus racemosa (Red Elderberry): total # 8
V = Vaccinium ovatum (Evergreen Huckleberry): total # 12, evergreen
Perennials
AR = Aruncus dioicus (Goat’s Beard): total # 4
B = Blechnum spicant (Deer Fern): total # 72, evergreen
E = Erythronium oregonum (Fawn Lily): total # 8
P = Polystichum munitum (Sword Fern): total # 12, evergreen
TE = Tellima grandiflora (Fringecup): total # 16, evergreen
TR = Trillium ovatum (Wakerobin): total # 4
Groundcovers
A = Asarum caudatum (Wild Ginger): total # 8, evergreen
D = Dicentra formosa (Bleeding Heart): total # 12

Additional Perennials & Groundcovers
Achlys triphylla (Vanilla Leaf)
Cornus canadensis (Bunchberry): evergreen
Corydalis scouleri (Scouler's Corydalis)
Disporum hookeri (Hooker’s Fairybells)
Fragaria vesca (Woodland Strawberry): will spread throughout, evergreen
Heuchera glabra, Heuchera micrantha (Alum Root): evergreen
Maianthemum dilatatum (False Lily of the Valley): will spread throughout
Oxalis oregana (Redwood Sorrel): will spread throughout
Smilacina stellata (Starry False Solomon’s Seal): will spread throughout
Tiarella trifoliata (Foamflower): evergreen
Tolmiea menziesii (Piggyback Plant): evergreen
Vancouveria hexandra (Inside-out Flower)

To learn more about these plants read Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast by Pojar & MacKinnon, or visit the Washington Native Plant Society website.

Bloedel Reserve: The Moss Garden

The Moss Garden at Bloedel Reserve April 2011

In a series of coincidence, Rusty gave me the photographic book The Japanese Gardens: Kyoto for my birthday in March 2011.  The April 2011 issue of Garden Design included an article about moss in the gardens of Kyoto.  Rusty & I saw the Moss Garden at the Bloedel Reserve in Bainbridge Island, Washington near Seattle, also in April 2011.  In Garden Design: A World Apart, Susan Heeger wrote of the Moss Garden at Saiho-ji, “The Garden’s most celebrated aspect, the legion of mosses in different shades of green that swath hummocks & hills & mounds around the pond, almost certainly arose on its own in the humid climate.  The verdant carpet sprouted & spread on these shady slopes, suggesting a place much more natural than designed. ‘Mosses invited themselves into the gardens of Japan & thereby invented moss gardening,’ George Schenk wrote in Moss Gardening, his authorative book.”  The famous Moss Garden of Saiho-ji is found in a grove surrounding the Golden Pond, where the growth of more than 120 species of mosses is said to have started after a flood. ‘Outside of Japan, ground-covering mosses more extensive than a few square yards remain rare in gardens,’ writes George Schenk in Moss Gardening.  I was unable to find information about the origin of the Moss Garden at Bloedel Reserve.  But the entire Reserve lies in a very moist micro-climate.  There are many ponds, bogs & streams.  Moss is everywhere, clinging to trees & shrubs, covering areas of forest floor.  In the Moss Garden, moss carpets the ground in a large, boggy area drained by small channels of flowing water & shaded by native conifers. The Moss Garden is adjacent to the Japanese Garden. The path curves through on its way to the Reflection Pool.  Unlike the Japanese Garden, the Moss Garden looks very natural to western Washington, although unnaturally open & clear of debris.  700 species of mosses grow along the Pacific Northwest Coast.  The Bloedel Reserve website provides this short description, ‘In this hushed garden room, with its dense living carpet, wiry huckleberries spring from decaying stumps and huge skunk cabbages crowd the dampest places under a canopy of lacy angelica trees, creating a mysterious  landscape.’

The Moss Garden at Saiho-ji from The Japanese Gardens: Kyoto

Bloedel Reserve: The Glen in April

 Eythronium & Primula April 2011

 

Oxalis April 2011

Pulmonaria April 2011

Trillium April 2011

Trillium April 2011

On the third weekend in April 2011, the Bloedel Reserve in Bainbridge Island, Washington near Seattle, hosted it's very first Premier Plant Sale & Open House.  Admission was free both days.  Much of the Reserve's 150 acres is forested.  The floor of the shaded Glen is covered with woodland perennials.  In April this was an amazing sight.  Great numbers of Anemone, Brunnera, Dicentra, Erythronium, Omphalodes, Primula, Pulmonaria & Trillium bloomed amid a carpet of Oxalis.  According to the website, 'Dozens of rhododendron species thrive in the Glen under the protection of second-growth forest. Thousands of perennials, bulbs and wildflowers bloom among the rhododendrons, including one of the largest cyclamen plantings in the world. The Bloedel Reserve was created by Prentice Bloedel and his wife, Virginia, who resided on the property from 1951 until 1986.'

Shrubs for Shade

Pieris japonica 'Bisbee Dwarf' July 2010

Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Somerset' December 2008

Hypericum androsaemum 'Albury Purple' September 2010

Ribes x gordonianum March 2010

Hydrangea quercifolia September 2008

Here are shade-tolerant & shade-loving shrubs selected for beauty, utility & availability in Seattle, the Pacific Northwest & other areas in USDA zone 8.  Most do better in light shade than deep shade.  Camellia, Rhododendron & Pieris benefit from afternoon shade.  I’ve had success with Chamaecyparis obtusa (Hinoki Cypress) & Chamaecyparis lawsoniana (Port Orford Cedar) in light shade.  Mahonia, Sarcococca & Vaccinium ovatum (Evergreen Huckleberry) do fairly well in deep shade.  Give Mahonia bealei plenty of shade, other Mahonia tolerate more sun.  Arbutus unedo ‘Compacta’ (Compact Strawberry Tree) Gaultheria shallon (Salal) & Ribes sanguineum (Flowering Currant) are good for dry shade.  Enkianthus, Fuchsia & Sarcococca should not be allowed to dry out in summer.  More shade requires less water.  Most of these should be fairly easy to find.  When local nurseries fail, try mail-order nurseries.  Forest Farm is a good source for uncommon plants.  This list is not meant to provide detailed information on shrubs, but to introduce you to some you may not know, or remind you of those you have forgotten.  Be sure you know how large these shrubs grow before you plant them.  Many shrubs do not look good when sheared or heavily pruned.  An abundance of detailed information is available on the web.  Good reference books on shrubs are The Hillier Gardener's Guide to Trees & Shrubs edited by John Kelly, Shrubs by Roger Phillips & Martyn Rix, Sunset Western Garden Book.

Abelia x grandiflora: for part shade, flowering evergreen

Arbutus unedo ‘Compacta’ (Compact Strawberry Tree): evergreen with flowers & fruit in fall

Aucuba japonica: colorful evergreen foliage
Buxus microphylla (Japanese Boxwood) Buxus sempervirens (Common Boxwood): evergreen, often used for hedges & topiary

Calycanthus floridus (Carolina Allspice) Calycanthus occidentalis (Spice Bush): needs moisture, fragrant

Camellia japonica, Camellia sasanqua

Chamaecyparis lawsoniana ‘Ellwoodii’ (Dwarf Port Orford Cedar): & other cultivars, Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Nana Gracilis’, Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Nana Lutea’ (Dwarf Hinoki Cypress): & other cultivars (note: while these tolerate dry shade, they are probably better with moisture in sun)
Choisya ternata 'Aztec Pearl', Choisya ternata 'Sundance' (Mexican Orange): for part or light shade, tolerates some dryness, fragrant bloom, evergreen

Clethra alnifolia (Summersweet) Clethra barbinervis (Japanese Sweet Shrub) Clethra delavayi, Clethra fargesii: all need moisture, fragrant bloom, fall color
Corylopsis glabrescens: large shrub, Corylopsis pauciflora, Corylopsis sinensis: large shrub, Corylopsis spicata (Winter Hazel): all need moisture, good from, early bloom
Daphne x burkwoodii: for light shade, needs moisture, easier to grow than other Daphne
Disanthus cercidifolius: for light shade, needs moisture, excellent fall color

Enkianthus campanulatus, Enkianthus cernuus rubens, Enkianthus perulatus: all need moisture, showy bloom, good fall color

Euonymus japonicus: many cultivars, good foliage color

Fuchsia magellanica (Hardy Fuchsia): showy bloom, low temperatures can cause damage

Fatsia japonica: large shrub, evergreen
Fothergilla gardenii, Fothergilla major: both need moisture, with fragrant flowers & colorful fall foliage

Gaultheria shallon (Salal): tolerates dryness, spreads widely by stolons, edible fruit

Hamamelis vernalis (Ozark Witch Hazel): fragrant flowers, colorful fall foliage

Holodiscus discolor (Oceanspray): for part shade, tolerates dryness, showy bloom Hydrangea aspera, Hydrangea quercifolia (Oakleaf Hydrangea): for light shade, tolerates dryness, showy bloom

Hypericum androsaemum (St John’s Wort): some cultivars with colorful foliage

Ilex cornuta (Chinese Holly): evergreen, Ilex crenata (Japanese Holly): evergreen, Ilex verticillata (Winterberry): needs moisture, colorful fall foliage & fruit

Illicium anisatum (Japanese Anise) Illicium floridanum (Florida Anise): evergreen, uncommon
Itea ilicifolia: showy bloom, evergreen, uncommon, large shrub, Itea virginica (Sweetspire): fragrant flowers, good fall color, uncommon

Kalmia latifolia (Mountain Laurel): needs moisture, showy bloom

Leucothoe axillaris, Leucothoe walteri: needs moisture, several cultivars with colorful foliage

Mahonia aquifolium (Oregon Grape): tolerates dryness, Mahonia bealei: needs moisture Mahonia repens: tolerates dryness
Myrica californica (California Wax Myrtle): tolerates dryness, large shrub, also grows in sun

Nandina domestica (Heavenly Bamboo): tolerates dryness, 'Plum Passion' has colorful foliage

Oemleria cerasiformis (Indian Plum): tolerates dryness, native plant

Physocarpus capitatus, Physocarpus opulifolius (Ninebark): tolerates dryness, for part shade

Pieris japonica (Lily of the Valley Shrub): tolerates dryness, showy fragrant bloom

Rhododendron: tolerate sun, but better in shade, very many species & cultivars

Ribes sanguineum (Flowering Currant) Ribes odoratum, Ribes x gordonianum: all tolerate dryness, better in light shade

Skimmia japonica: needs moisture, evergreen, female plants have red fruit

Sarcococca confusa, Sarcococca hookeriana, Sarcococca humilis, Sarcococca ruscifolia (Sweet Box): needs moisture, evergreen, very fragrant bloom

Symphoricarpos albus (Snowberry): tolerates dryness, white fruit

Taxus x media (Yew): for part shade, evergreen conifer

Thuja koraiensis (Korean Arborvitae) Thuja occidentalis ‘Hetz Midget’ (Dwarf Arborvitae): for part shade, evergreen conifer

Vaccinium ovatum (Evergreen Huckleberry): edible fruit

Viburnum davidii: for part shade, evergreen, blue fruit, Viburnum tinus ‘Spring Bouquet’: for part shade, showy bloom, evergreen

Pacific Northwest Dry Forest Garden

Arbutus unedo October 2010

Pinus monticola August 2008

Mahonia repens July 2010

Trillium ovatum March 2010

 Ribes sanguineum March 2010

Unless you have very many acres, this garden would more accurately be called a bosque, than a forest.  A bosque is a grove of trees, either in nature, or in landscape design.  I’m not sure how the word crept into landscaping.  It is a Spanish word meaning forest in the larger sense, as in the bosque amazonico, the Amazon Rain Forest.  In American landscape design, the word is pronounced ‘bosk,’ while in Spanish it has 2 syllables.  The French use the word ‘bosquet’ to describe a grove, usually contrived.  There are famous bosquets at the château de Versailles. 

This garden (or bosque) is designed entirely with plants from dry forests of the coastal Pacific Northwest, although some also grow in moist forests.  Plant this garden in sun with some slope (so that is sure to drain) or on ground that is already known to be dry.  The understory (everything but the trees) will grow in shade.  The trees want sun.  This is intended to be a garden of light, dappled shade.  Don’t plant the trees too close together.  Arbutus menziesii (Madrona) does not form a dense canopy.  Pinus ponderosa (Ponderosa Pine) is an open & slender tree.  Thuja plicata ‘Fastigiata’ (Hogan Cedar) is a columnar form of Western Red Cedar.  Pinus monticola (Western White Pine) & Quercus garryana (Garry Oak) are more spreading.  Use fewer of them, spaced widely apart.   This garden won’t need irrigation beyond the 1st few summers.  

To read more about these plants, get a copy of Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast by Jim Pojar & Andy MacKinnon.

Pacific Northwest Dry Forest Garden Plant List
Trees
Acer circinatum (Vine Maple)
Amelanchier alnifolia (Saskatoon)
Arbutus menziesii (Madrona)
Pinus monticola (Western White Pine) Pinus ponderosa (Ponderosa Pine)
Quercus garryana (Garry Oak)
Thuja plicata ‘Fastigiata’ (Hogan Cedar)

Shrubs
Gaultheria shallon (Salal)
Mahonia aquifolium (Oregon Grape) Mahonia nervosa, Mahonia repens
Holodiscus discolor (Oceanspray)
Juniperus communis (Common Juniper)
Oemleria cerasiformis (Indian Plum)
Philadelphus lewisii (Mock Orange)
Rhododendron macrophyllum (Pacific Rhododendron)
Ribes sanguineum (Flowering Currant)
Rosa gymnocarpa (Dwarf Rose)
Symphoricarpos albus (Snowberry)

Vaccinium ovatum (Evergreen Currant)

Perennials

Achlys triphylla (Vanilla Leaf)

Allium cernuum (Nodding Onion)

Erythronium oregonum (Fawn Lily)

Festuca idahoensis (Idaho Fescue)

Lilium columbianum (Tiger Lily)

Polystichum munitum (Western Sword Fern)

Tellima grandiflora (Fringecup)

Trillium ovatum (Wake Robin)

Viola adunca (Early Blue Violet)

Groundcovers & Trailers

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (Kinnikinnick)

Dicentra formosa (Bleeding Heart)

Fragaria vesca (Woodland Strawberry)

Lonicera hispidula (Hairy Honeysuckle)

Maianthemum dilatatum (False Lily of the Valley)

Smilacina stellata (aka Maianthemum stellatum)

Pacific Northwest Dry Forest Garden Plan

Trees

ACE = Acer circinatum (Vine Maple)

AME = Amelanchier alnifolia (Saskatoon)

ARB = Arbutus menziesii (Madrona)

PINE = Pinus ponderosa (Ponderosa Pine)

Shrubs

GAU = Gaultheria shallon (Salal)

MAH = Mahonia aquifolium (Oregon Grape)

HOL = Holodiscus discolor (Oceanspray)

PHI = Philadelphus lewisii (Mock Orange)

RHO = Rhododendron macrophyllum (Pacific Rhododendron)

RIB = Ribes sanguineum (Flowering Currant)

VAC = Vaccinium ovatum (Evergreen Currant)

Perennials

ACH = Achlys triphylla (Vanilla Leaf)

ALL = Allium cernuum (Nodding Onion)

ERY = Erythronium oregonum (Fawn Lily)

LIL = Lilium columbianum (Tiger Lily)

POL = Polystichum munitum (Western Sword Fern)

TEL = Tellima grandiflora (Fringecup)

TRI = Trillium ovatum (Wake Robin)

VIO = Viola adunca (Early Blue Violet)

Groundcovers & Trailers

ARC = Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (Kinnikinnick)

DIC = Dicentra formosa (Bleeding Heart)

SMI = Smilacina stellata (aka Maianthemum stellatum)

On the Shady Side

Design for a Portland Garden

Little sunlight makes its way into this corridor beside a Portland home, yet plenty of color appears in Spring, when an assortment of shade-loving perennials & flowering shrubs burst into bloom. A flagstone path lined by an evergreen groundcover leads onto the low deck with a built-in bench that doubles as a storage bin. A glazed pot of Sarcocca ruscifolia wafts its perfume inside & out. --text from Low-Maintenance Gardening.

Plant List
A. Aconitum napellus (4) Monkshood
B. Ajuga reptans (24) Carpet Bugle
C. Astilbe 'Rheinland' (5) Ostrich Plume
D. Camellia japonica (2)
E. Actaea racemosa (2) Bugbane
F. Dicentra spectabilis (1) Bleeding Heart
G. Fatsia japonica (1) Japanese Aralia
H. Helleborus x hybridus (6) Lenten Rose
I. Mahonia aquifolium (9) Oregon Grape
J. Pieris japonica 'White Cascade' (4) Lily of the Valley Shrub
K. Polystichum munitum (1) Western Swordfern
L. Rhododendron 'Cinnamon Bear' (3)
M. Sarcococca ruscifolia (1) Sweet Box
N. Thuja occidentalis 'Fastigiata' (6) American Arborvitae

I designed this garden which appeared in the 1998 Sunset publication, Low-Maintenance Gardening. It is appropriate for USDA Zone 8.

Groundcovers for Shade

 Dicentra formosa April 2009

 Achlys triphylla May 2009

Smilacina stellata May 2009

Oxalis oregana April 2009

Here is a list of groundcovers  that grow in shade for garden in Seattle, the Pacific Northwest & USDA Zone 8.  Generally, groundcovers are perennials that spread over the ground by one means or another. Groundcovers are very helpful to control weeds. They give depth & richness to a garden. They make plantings look more natural. Choose several groundcovers if your garden is small, many if your garden is large. A single groundcover will spread throughout, looking a bit weedy. As in business, it is better to give groundcovers competition than to let them monopolize your garden. You will also get better coverage & weed-suppression by using a variety of groundcovers.  The groundcovers pictured above are all Pacific Northwest native plants.  Many sources of information will tell you they require moist shade.  But these will all survive the summer with very little irrigation.  I've seen Achlys triphylla growing luxuriantly in dry Ponderosa Pine forest on the eastern slopes of the Cascade Mountains.  Although they grow in shade, do not use Hedera helix (English Ivy) or Euphorbia amygdaloides robbiae (Mrs. Robb’s Bonnet). They are too aggressive, will overwhelm other plants & grow out of control. English Ivy is considered a noxious weed by the State of Washington.

Groundcovers for Shade

Achlys triphylla (Vanilla Leaf): tolerates dryness,spreads widely, but not densely by rhizomes
Ajuga reptans (Carpet Bugle): tolerates some dryness, many cultivars, spreads by stolons & seed, also grows in sun

Alchemilla mollis (Lady’s Mantle): tolerates dryness, forms large clumps

Asarum caudatum (Wild Ginger): needs moisture, spreads by rhizomes, but not quickly

Blechnum penna-marina (Sea Plume): needs moisture, forms mats

Campanula poscharskyana (Serbian Bellflower): tolerates dryness, trails & spreads by seed

Dicentra formosa (Native Bleeding Heart): spreads widely by creeping & by seed

Fragaria vesca (Woodland Strawberry): tolerates dryness, spreads widely by runners but will share space, tasty fruits, also grows in sun

Galium odoratum (Sweet Woodruff): tolerates dryness but better with moisture, can spread widely  
Gaultheria nummularioides (Gaultheria): forms mats, needs moisture, Gaultheria procumbens (Wintergreen): spreads modestly, needs moisture

Geranium himalayense (Himalayan Cranesbill): forms spreading mats, not aggressive
Gymnocarpium dryopteris (Oak Fern): needs moisture, forms small spreading mats

Lamium maculatum 'Beacon Silver' (Dead Nettle): despite the ugly common name, a beautiful plant, forms creeping mats with limited seeding

Liriope spicata (Creeping Lily Turf): spreads widely & densely by rhizomes, will overpower other groundcovers & perennials, use under shrubs or in contained spaces

Maianthemum dilatatum (False Lily of the Valley): tolerates some dryness, spreads by rhizomes to form large patches, but will mix with other perennials
Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Nigrescens' (Black Mondo Grass): not a grass, needs moisture, spreads modestly by stolons

Oxalis oregana (Redwood Sorrel): tolerates some dryness, spreads very widely by rhizomes but willing to share space, not difficult to remove

Pachysandra terminalis: needs moisture
Phlox divaricata, Phlox stolonifera (Creeping Phlox): forms mats, needs moisture
Pleioblastus fortunei 'Variegatus' (Dwarf Whitestripe Bamboo) Pleioblastus viridistriatus (Dwarf Greenstripe Bamboo): spreads aggressively, keep in enclosed area
Polypodium glycyrrhiza (Licorice Fern): forms slowly spreading mats, also grows in trees
Sanguinaria canadensis (Bloodroot): tolerates some dryness, spreads slowly by rhizomes

Sedum forsterianum (Forster's Stonecrop): for light shade, spreads slowly

Smilacina stellata (Starry False Solomon's Seal): tolerates some dryness, spreads by rhizome to form large patches, but will mix with other perennials

Soleirolia soleirolii (Baby’s Tears): needs moisture

Tellima grandiflora (Fringecup)

Vinca minor (Dwarf Periwinkle): spreads aggressively by creeping & rooting stems, not for small gardens

Dry Shade

Trillium ovatum & Dicentra formosa March 2010

 Ribes sanguineum March 2010

Gaultheria shallon August 2008

Heuchera americana 'Dale's Strain' May 2009

Ajuga reptans & Fragaria vesca April 2009

It can be difficult to find plants for Seattle gardens that will grow well in dry shade. Most shade plants prefer moisture. Plants that tolerate dry shade often grow better in part sun. Most of the plants listed below do better in light or partial shade than in deep shade.  Shade can be lightened by pruning the lower branches off overhanging trees.  It is always wise to plan for dry shade to limit supplemental water use. But it is more realistic to water sparingly during summer, than to expect shade plants to do entirely without water. Many of the plants listed below are Washington native plants.  Gaultheria shallon, Mahonia repens & Vaccinium ovatum are Washington native shrubs that do well in dry shade with no supplemental water. Helleborus x hybridus, Maianthemum dilatatum & Polystichum munitum are plants that grow well in shade with little supplemental water.

Shrubs

Aucuba japonica

Arbutus unedo ‘Compacta’ (Strawberry Tree)

Berberis darwinii (Barberry)

Buxus (Boxwood)

Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Nana Gracilis’ (Dwarf Hinoki Cypress)

Corylus (Hazel)

Elaeagnus pungens (Silverberry)

Euonymus fortunei

Garrya issaquahensis (Silk Tassel)

Gaultheria shallon (Salal)

Ilex cornuta (Chinese Holly)

Kalmia latifolia (Mountain Laurel)

Ligustrum japonicum (Privet)

Mahonia aquifolium (Oregon Grape)

Mahonia nervosa

Mahonia repens

Nandina domestica (Heavenly Bamboo)

Osmanthus delavayi

Paeonia delavayi (Tree Peony)

Paeonia lutea (Tree Peony)

Philadelphus lewisii (Mock Orange)

Prunus ilicifolia (Hollyleaf Cherry)

Rhamnus californica (Coffeeberry)

Rhaphiolepis umbellata (Yeddo Hawthorne)

Ribes sanguineum (Flowering Currant)

Sarcococca ruscifolia (Sweet Box)

Skimmia japonica

Vaccinium ovatum (Evergreen Huckleberry)

Viburnum davidii

Perennials

Achlys triphylla (Vanilla Leaf)

Anemone x hybrida (Japanese Anemone)

Campanula latifolia (Bellflower)

Corydalis lutea

Dicentra formosa (Bleeding Heart)

Digitalis purpurea (Foxglove)

Euphorbia amygdaloides ‘Purpurea’ (Woodspurge)
Euphorbia x martinii

Francoa ramosa (Maiden’s Wreath)

Francoa sonchifolia

Geranium himalayense (Cranesbill)
Geranium 'Johnson's Blue'

Geranium macrorrhizum

Geranium pratense

Helleborus argutifolius (Corsican Hellebore)

Helleborus lividus

Helleborus x hybridus

Helleborus x sternii

Heuchera americana

Heuchera micrantha

Hosta sieboldiana

Iris foetidissima

Iris douglasiana

Liriope muscari (Lily Turf)

Luzula sylvatica (Woodrush)

Muscari (Grape Hyacinth)

Narcissus jonquilla (Jonquil)

Paeonia peregrina (Peony)

Polygonatum commutatum (Solomon’s Seal)

Polygonatum odoratum

Polystichum munitum (Sword Fern)

Smilacina racemosa (False Solomon’s Seal)

Smilacina stellata

Stachys byzantina (Lamb’s Ears)

Tellima grandiflora (Fringe Cup)

Tolmiea menziesii (Piggyback Plant)

Trillium ovatum (Wakerobin)

Vancouveria hexandra

Groundcovers & Trailers

Aegopodium podagraria (Bishop’s Weed)

Ajuga reptans (Carpet Bugle)

Campanula poscharskyana (Serbian Bellflower)

Fragaria vesca (Woodland Strawberry)

Galium odoratum (Sweet Woodruff)

Maianthemum dilatatum (False Lily of the Valley)

Microbiota decussata (Carpet Cypress)

Sedum forsterianum

Sedum spathulifolium

Vinca minor (Dwarf Periwinkle)