cheery yellow ( & pink) in the shade
I decided to look around and see what is flowering in the shade at my place.
Hypericum patulum 'Variegata' and H. 'Rowallane" are shrubby
hypericums with large bright yellow flowers with centres filled with
stamens. They are in fairly deep shade most of the day. A couple of
big Leylandii cypress block all light from one side and have large
overhanging branches which cut off light above. A large cherry tree
and a number of rhododendrons fill in the other sides. Yet there
they are - full of bright yellow blooms, leaning towards the light
which is only available along the pathway.
Yellow and orange are also provided by Welsh poppies (Meconopsis
cambrica) which blooms (and SEEDS) for a very long time, though the
flowers are rather sparse at the moment. They take a midsummer
pause, though they are never completely without flowers.
There are also geraniums in various shades of pink and white veined
pink all over the yard. I planted them in one spot, and suppose that
all these volunteers came from seeds dropped as I carried old plants
towards the compost. Many of them are in very shady places, and
flower gracefully.
Fuchsias also bloom for a long time in shade. I prefer the
small-flowered ones which form bushes about as tall as me.
Diane Whitehead Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
zone 8 Sunset zone 5 cool mediterranean climate (mild dry summer,
mild wet winter)
