Shade Annuals

Begonia  Many begonia classes have very succulent stems which means they are very easily overwatered, especially if they’re in ground beds with heavy clay. Plant so top of root mass is even with soil surface. A good generalization would be, “If you’re not sure if you should water or not, maybe let it go another day, particularly the tuberous types.” Like Impatiens, there are many new “varieties” that are distinctly different. They tend to be versatile as most can go from considerable shade to a lot of sun, with equal ease and success. Partial shade is always a good answer. Begonias are quitter frost sensitive.

• Wax The standard bedding begonias, with lettuce green or bronze leaves with flowers in shades of: white, scarlet, rose, bicolor and pink. 8” tall and wide. Need no deadheading, minimal watering and fertilization. Great for short front-of-border massing. Sun, partial shade or shade.
• “Baby Wing” The little version of the “Dragon Wing” series. Plants are compact, grow to 12-15” but with the beautiful pointed dragon wing leaf. Seed grown, great heat tolerance. Green leaf (white, pink, red, & bicolor flowers) and bronze leaf (white and pink flowers).
• “Dragon Wing” 18” tall, shrubby plants with big, bright lettuce green leaves and tons of red or pink flowers all season long. Heat tolerant, no deadheading necessary. Good in beds where you want to gobble up space and large containers. In a 10 or 12” hanging basket they’ll grow to the top of the hanger and be small bushel basket- size by fall. Easy to grow.
• “Big” The next series smaller than “Whopper”. “Bigs” are an interspecific hybrid between “Angel Wing” and wax begonias. The flowers are 2.5” dia. in clusters. Leaves are large with pointed tips, plants reach 20-24” tall and equally wide. Green leaf (pink, red, rose flowers) and bronze leaf (red, rose flowers).    
• “Whopper” This is the largest begonia series with plants topping out at nearly 3’ with a  2’ spread. This means they make a great show in beds or large containers even from a distance. Flowers are up to 3” in diameter (which was unheard of until they came along). Partial shade. Green leaf (rose & red flowers), bronze leaf (again, rose & red flowers). Remember- Dark colored foliage tends to “recede” in deep shade!     
• boliviensis ‘Bonfire’  A real flower producer-  slender, narrowly fluted flowers of strong red-orange cover the compact, 20” tall plant. Blooms consistently all summer in partial shade. Really likes a coarse soil that drains well. Also hope to have boliviensis in pink and white, too.
• Tuberous “Nonstop” The best large-flowered tuberous begonia series from seed. Produces a high percentage of double flowers from 3-4” in diameter. Pointed green foliage, sometimes bronzed in the red or orange flowered plants. 10” tall. Really need highly organic, but well-drained soil. Quick to rot or perform poorly if overly wet, so probably best in containers where drainage can be controlled. Heavy feeders. Flowers will always face the direction the leaves point, so they will have a backside.

Note: We will not carry “Riegers” outdoors anymore because of their poor rebloom performance.

• Rex Prized as a premiere shade foliage plant. Lobed, pointed leaves of green, silver, maroon-brown, rose-pink that don’t “wash” in shade. This is not a plant for even half a day of sun – shade, shade, shade only. Plants can grow to 10-18” tall and 8-12” wide. Flowers are insignificant. These begonias must have highly organic, but WELL-DRAINED soil. Constantly wet soil and/or high fertility are also not good.  We will also carry the “Jurassic Series”.                                

Browallia  Fine-textured, so probably best in containers or baskets where it can be viewed at close range. White, purple or lavender “bells” sprinkled over the 10” tall plant. Part to full shade preferred. Truly fine in full shade. Keep evenly moist and all will be well. Deadheading is unnecessary. No frost tolerance.

Caladium  When people ask for color in part to deep shade this should be one of your first suggestions. Grown for their arrowhead-shaped, multi-colored leaves these 18-24” tall plants will provide a show! In combinations of white, rose, pink, red, and shades of green, they’re hard to beat and detest temperatures below 65° F. So, they really perform in hot summers. Keep moist, but never soggy (they’re grown from bulbs). Don’t overfertilize. Great massed in shade: beds, containers or window boxes. Don’t put out too early in May.

Chenille Plant  We’ll carry this in 10” HB only. Sun-loving, with aptly- named drooping deep rose-red furry, cascading blooms. Pretty much everblooming when given enough light, kept evenly moist and fed consistently. Can be taken in before fall frost to use as a houseplant.

Coleus   Tropical plants that tolerate full shade, but filtered sun or part shade brings out their best leaf color and keeps the plants stocky. The “Wizard” and “Stained Glassworks” series, in particular, were bred for full sun. Generally, darker varieties can take more sun while light-colored varieties need more shade, particularly in afternoon to prevent scorch. Keep the soil moist, neither overly wet or dry. The variety of leaf shapes, sizes and colors is mind-boggling. They will produce spikey bluish-purple flowers if you let them. Don’t let them! Pinch them out with your fingertips as soon as you see them forming at the ends of stems. Well suited for ground beds or in containers. In containers I keep them by themselves as they can get 3’ tall and wide by season’s end, swallowing neighbors whole. No frost tolerance!

Fuchsia  One of the most exotic shade annuals with dangling single or two-toned flowers. The flower colors range from: white, purple, rose, red, violet, purple and orange. It’s important to know there are two distinct forms – upright and trailing. The uprights could be used in containers or beds (I don’t see many people doing that- they’re brittle). The trailers are perfect for creating elegant hanging baskets and monoculture pots. They despise afternoon summer sun and extreme heat. This is a partial or even full shade plant. Allow to dry a bit between waterings. Fertilize frequently with a dilute strength “bloom formula” fertilizer. They produce tons of flowers so deadheading is tedious, but pays dividends with enhanced rebloom. No frost tolerance even though they like cool temperatures.

Impatiens  While “Bounce” and “Sunpatiens” series can handle sun or part shade, we’re showing NGI (New Guinea impatiens) as part to full shade solution. The 20-24” “Tamarinda” series we’re carrying (based on all the pics I’m seeing) is green-leafed with huge flowers in: orange, pink, purple, purple bicolor, red, red bicolor, soft pink, violet and white. If shaded and moist they stand up well to high humidity. Of course, IDM (Impatiens downy mildew) resistant. No frost tolerance whatsoever.

Lobelia  One of the best “blue” flowers and for partial shade, too! Primarily available in blue, purplish-blue, mauve, pink and white (some have white throats) they are available in two flavors: compact (4-8” wide) and trailing (12” wide) for gorgeous baskets. Like pansies, they’re happiest when it’s cool. So full sun in early spring is fine, then more shade as the season progresses. They like even moisture (not soaking wet) so the mix or the bed must be well-drained. Like petunias, they will definitely benefit from a mid-summer shear-back. Wonderful light, airy texture contrast to bolder leaves. Plant after last frost.

Streptocarpella  This looks like a fussy “grandmother” houseplant with its fuzzy African Violet-like leaves and diminutive little blue flowers that resemble miniature Gloxinias. Don’t be fooled. Given morning sun, and part or full shade by early afternoon, this is a great performer in a monoculture hanging basket. While it flowers well untended, the combination of deadheading and a little water soluble fertilizer when you think of it, it will never be without flowers. The stems are wiry so I cut with scissors rather than trying to snap off or tug. Soil surface can go dry between waterings. It’s hard to get great blue flowers for shade so this is definitely underused! Post-frost flower.      

Torenia (Wishbone Flower)  This is another lesser known shade charmer that should be used on a more regular basis than it is. The flowers resemble miniature gloxinias or open-mouthed snapdragons in shades of: dark and light blue, violet, burgundy, rose and white. They’re 6-8” tall and fairly upright. So, while they could go in a ground bed it should be where you see them up close (like seated from a patio) or in a raised container closer to eye level. They love cool temps (read no hot afternoon sun) and shade, with well-drained, but evenly moist soil. Deadheading, while tedious, pays big dividends. Poor frost tolerance.               

Shade Foliage

Ajuga (Carpet bugle)  Hardy perennial ground cover grown for its part shade/part sun proclivities. It is perfectly flat, in a container with large plants it could easily be overrun and hidden by mid-summer, so maintenance pruning is a consideration. The burgundy cultivars, ‘Chocolate Chip’ and ‘Black Scallop’, provide great color and texture contrast. The blue flower spikes are finished by late spring so it is grown in containers almost exclusively for foliage. Will hang over the side of a container.  

Alocasia (Elephant’s Ear)  Lumping this together (with Colocasia) as it’s hard to even get horticultural experts to come up with easy, distinctive ways to tell them apart. So, read the signs. Alocasia has huge deep-green (usually) arrow-shaped, veined leaves- often with spotting or variegation. Some new hybrids can grow robustly to 12’ tall. Sun or partial shade, keep quite moist. Very heavy feeders so keep the nitrogen coming all summer long if you want to realize their full potential. Spring frost tender.   

Carex (Sedges)  Like the Ajuga above, these are overwhelmingly hardy perennials, so when we talk about them as annuals I think of them as container texture and (often) color accents. They prefer part sun/part shade and thrive in a range from wet to dry. They’re tough, that’s as in “hardy”. Their arching grassy foliage is a wonderful contrast to broadleaf annuals. They could, of course, be taken out of the container in fall and planted in the garden as future permanent garden residents. Don’t particularly require fertilization and are not frost tender.

Colocasia ( Elephant’s Ear or Taro)  Smaller, generally not more than 5’ tall, but also with arrowhead-shaped leaves. Leaves may arch and droop. Partial shade, very moist, even wet and also lots of fertilizer. Love heat and humidity. Spring frost tender.

Fern  As hanging basket or container annuals the ferns listed below will be happiest with partial to full shade. Partial shade would ideally = morning sun/afternoon shade. The asparagus and plumosa ferns can tolerate longer periods of sun if they’re moist on the hottest afternoons. Mild, organic fertilizers (low nitrogen) are best.                                                                           

• Asparagus Not a fern! Dark green “needles” on arching stems. May produce tiny pale flowers that become red berries. Berries are toxic to humans and animals, as is the sap when in contact with skin. Wash carefully after being in contact with the plant. Can grow 2’ tall.
• Boston and ‘Kimberly’ Great for east or even full north exposure. Keep evenly moist, especially in warm weather. Thrive in high humidity. ‘Kimberly’ is actually a different species than Boston, and more upright and vase-shaped.
• Foxtail Not a fern! Beautiful bottlebrush-like, cascading fronds. Like asparagus “fern” pale flowers develop red berries that are toxic to humans and pets.  
• Maidenhair Very elegant with its dark, slender, wiry stems and delicate lime-green foliage. Minimal sun preferred, they will burn easily enough if hot and dry!
• Plumosa Actually not a fern at all, but an evergreen African vine.  Flattened, layered fronds lend an interesting texture to any container or basket. Shade site is better than a sunny position. Can be toxic to humans and pets.

Persian Shield (Strobilanthes)  A gorgeous foliage mixture of wine-purple, silver and green. This can be a little long-legged if you let her. Don’t let her get that way. Pinch early in the season to encourage strong basal branching and a more compact plant for the rest of the season. Plants generally don’t flower until late in the season, so it is grown in partial shade strictly for its foliage. Full shade dulls the intensity of the leaf colors, so full morning sun, then PM shade is recommended. 18-36” tall and slightly narrower. Even moisture produces the best plants. Looks great combined with white and other soft colored flowers.   

Plectranthus ‘Mona Lavender’ ( Plectranthus is Swedish ivy)  Unlike standard Swedish ivy grown for its shiny green foliage, ‘Mona Lavender’ is a hybrid that is grown for its 6” long showy lavender flower spikes that are produced over a long period of time! 12-18” tall and equally wide, making it a great hanging basket or monoculture container subject. The leaves on this wonderful hybrid are also dark green but with a strong purplish underside. Partial shade is best. That means shade during the afternoon. Even moisture, deadhead flowers and pinch back tips to keep compact and tight. Frost susceptible.

Wandering Jew (Tradescantia)  Almost iridescent green/silver/ purple leaves on a gently trailing plant. Again, like so many in this “shade foliage” category morning sun, afternoon shade would be advisable. The AM sun will intensify the maroon-purple, but the afternoon shade when it gets really hot, will keep the leaves from bleaching out, or even burning. Allow surface to dry slightly between waterings. This “wanderer” needs its tips pinched periodically to keep it compact, otherwise it tends to “stringiness”. Can be used in hanging baskets or mixed pots as a trailer.