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lysimachia ephemerum

Campanula UK Z8
9 years ago

Summer is a prime time for ordering seeds and, given the radical change from a sunny allotment to a poplar wood, I am looking at stuff which is utterly unfamilar to me. My (vague) theory consists of planting things which increase in height as summer wears on, in an attempt to outrun the grasses (and weeds).....so, early spring is easy (lots of little treasures) but towards July, I am looking for much taller, vigorous perennials which can tolerate shade. Although the soil is dry, the water table is high (practically on top of the Yare river) and plants grow lush and tall here. So, anyone for this lysimachia? Or L.atropurpurea? Epilobium angustifolium album? I expect my queries will arrive with tedious regularity.....but then again, I find gardeners love talking about plants almost as much as growing them.....so please indulge this (opinionated despite knowing bugger-all )woodland novice.
From seed - easy? long? failure and attrition rates (mine seem to hover around 30% in good years but can creep up to 50% at times) ? disease prone? delicate or tough?........all those vital issues......

Comments (8)

  • shadeyplace
    9 years ago

    Keringoshima, Dienanthe, Hakone grass, trycirtis, polygonatum, ferns and ferns, cimicifuga, all easy. geranium maccrorihszom, SP?

  • TexasRanger10
    9 years ago

    Keeping in mind that even a broken clock is right twice a day I will offer my few humble suggestions which probably aren't real spectacular & won't be agreed with but then I'm not a know-all, just a rude, flat land hick Okie with bad manners who prefers sunny gardens. A bonfide shade expert seems to have already beat me to the punch, if anyone knows shade, I believe S.P. is probably the gal.

    Rheum palmatum 'Atrosanguineum' aka Chinese Rhubarb. That sucker gets 8ft tall flowering stems. Don't know anything about except its easy & will grow in shade.

    Mahonias come to mind, but thats COMMON.

    Bowle's Golden Grass for brightness but its not tall.

    Would any of the taller Rush type plants do there? I just love them but cannot grow them here but would if I could.

    Brunneria? Don't they like shade? See, I'm not real good at this shade business but its big.

    Hamamelis mollis, another COMMON one but I did see a picture of a flattish spread out one blooming among some trees that was very nice and I do like witch Hazel.

    I once read that Prunus subhirtella 'Autumnalis' flowers with every spell of mild weather between November and April. Just something I read that stuck with me because thats one long blooming period. Had to go back and look it up but I found it.

    Next to the shed where you keep the tools I suggest Colletia armata. Interesting plant armed with thorns that also has nice winter interest.

    See, I had to resort to shrubs. Tall plants in shade, thats a hard one. I'm interested myself in suggestions.

  • morz8 - Washington Coast
    9 years ago

    As for the lysimachia ephemerum, mine was reliably perennial many years, no fuss, no pests, and no hint of running, a definite clumper. Self sowed only lightly.

    I say was because that one didn't come with me when I moved, for no other reason than I just didn't think of it. We bought spur of the moment and hadn't been looking, I dug up my absolute favs that I knew would be hard to replace - in late October. I've since bought another plant still waiting to be planted.

    It will sometimes germinate in approx. 3 weeks with fresh seed, but a moist chill of about a month will improve germination - and it doesn't hurt to begin with that.

    Lysimachia atropurpurea - red form of goose neck, like 'Beaujolais' behaved as a biennial for me. Bloomed second year, went from looking vigorous to dead immediately after flowers faded. I didn't replace it.

    Lysimachia ciliata atropurpurea - was a garden thug, going every which way and even next door. It took about 5 years to really get it out of the beds, if its even still gone since I don't garden there now.

    I'm not a big fan epilobium and the angustifolium can be found in many wild places here. In gardens, I find it messy with the tall stems falling all over late in the season, and the fluffy lighter than air bits of seed going which direction a bit of a puff of wind blows, it can spread itself around a little too well.

  • Marie Tulin
    9 years ago

    I'm developing my own woodland garden. I'm filling it with divisions of plants that are already successful in other parts of the garden. Add my vote for many hardy geraniums. I'm sure you know this: the macrorrizum group are wonderful groundcovers. They spread to cover a very large area. They give you plenty of notice as they spread and can be pulled up and replanted where you have another blank spot. Look at the website Geraniaceae.com
    Epimedium, polygonatum, the thicker hostas that aren't slugbait.
    Kiregeshoma is lovely, but it needed water regularly in my garden. I don't think of it as a tough it out plant.

  • TexasRanger10
    9 years ago

    I'm dealing with an area on a much smaller scale but I did think of others I'm trying or have been looking at while coating boards.

    Cowpen Daisy is an easy annual that I planted because it will grow and bloom in shade. It looks like a thick bushy sunflower about 4ft high with lots of yellow flowers and I am liking it. I sowed seed in early spring. I expect it would naturalize quite easily. Native American Seed offers it.

    Wantanamara sent me seeds of Salvia regla. Time will tell if its hardy. I sowed them last fall and have plants that are about 10" tall. She posted a photo of a gorgeous one on her property in full bloom on another thread. Don't know where she's been, but maybe she'll show up and talk about it. Its a shade loving perennial that blooms in fall, bright orange.

    Orange Mountain Daisy aka Hymenoxys hoopesii has big orange flowers, 3ft tall perennial. My native seed catalog says its popular in English gardens but neglected here in the US so you're probably familiar with it. Sow anytime. Have you ever grown it? I'm curious about it. Plants of the Southwest offers seed

    Philadelphus microphyllus aka Little Leaf Mockorange is a native shrub I'm thinking of ordering seed. Sow in fall for 1-2 months cold. Its good for part shade, fine texture, small silvery leaves. PoSW offers seed of this one too.

    Ageratina havanensis or perennial mist flower is shrublike with white ageratum type flowers. Great for attracting butterflies in the fall. There is also the more common blue mist flower but its more like a ground cover. Texas native.

    Turk's Cap aka Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii will grow in sun, part shade or the deepest darkest shade you've got, the plant does not care, it will take poor soil or dry. Its a great hummingbird attractor. I planted seeds all over from a single plant I purchased last year. This is a great shade plant which gets pretty big. There are also pink or white versions but I like the red the best myself. Native American Seed offers seed.

    Symphotrichum praeltum var praealtum aka Tall Aster. Native American Seed sells live roots, its an aster that "spreads readily in sun, shade, wet or dry areas, butterflies flock to this great nectar source in fall migration". Don't know how tall, but it sounds tall. I've been tempted to order some roots @ $19/handfull.

  • Campanula UK Z8
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Ho Tex, this is hopeless - I am filled with surging lust for FAR TOO MANY PLANTS. Dunno if it is a result of having been robbed....but I find myself sitting at the PC positively salivating over all those plants I must have (cannot afford, not even sure whether to buy seed). Did get an.e.mail from Mara - hoping to set up some transatlantic swapping sessions. Plus, am feeling utterly fed up with my own spotty garden and trapped betweern two competing desires - woodland (vague, far away, but gorgeous....and mine) or sunny nearby allotment (but days are numbered, developers closing). Stretched out too thin......must get a grip.
    Yeah, did have hymenoxis (although I always referred to it as helenium hoopesii) - a bit tatty and fell over a lot. Am mad for the Turkscap though - a positive sucker for all things mallow (although I often get dubious germination rates).

  • wantonamara Z8 CenTex
    9 years ago

    I agree on the ones that TX said. Salvia regla would be great for the part shade situation. Your winters are mild and sandy feet is what they like.. American beauty berry or any beauty berry. The Mexicans have a turks cap that is much larger and very interesting . also known as Sleeping Hibiscus, Malvaviscus arbors var mexicanus. It is less hardy that the regular turkscap and the larger flowers are pendulous.. . I think it is hardy toZ8b ( -9C- -6C). But I see other people on DG that say they grow it in places colder than Z8b. I also have a pink Turkscap of the hardier variety that is beautiful in the shade. The paler color really pops in the shade and I think the flower is larger. I will look to see if I get seed off of it this summer. I do have salvia regal ,Eupatorum havenense (or whatever they changed it to lately) seed and cow pen daisy (this fall). I didn't know Cowpen was a shade plant. I have it in brutal sun. The E havanense grows here in part shade to brutal sun. In England, It would probably need more sun than shade.

    There is a person on the Salvia forum that grows an amazing collection and sells salvia seed in England. He/She is really free with his/her knowledge and I bet he/she would know the best salvias for that situation. There are other growers that know a bunch about the different varieties over there. I have a lot of salvia gregii , salvia romeriana seeds that I can collect for you. They do part shade.

    One perennial that would be great in there would be hydrangea quercifolia. An east Texas native, I think but it is gorgeous with foot long flowers that turn a several colors and great fall color. It also needs sun and shade.I love this plant.

    Lorepetalum chinense var rub rum AKA Chinese fringe plant.. Many varieties, many sizes. I grew it wit a bit of morning sun. Mine grew to 12' before I sold the house. I was expecting 3'. So much for labels. How do witch hazels do in your neck of the woods.. Chionanthus virginicus ( Fringe tree) might need more sun than what you are asking for but I just love this tree and which I could grow it. It is an understory tree but can grow in shade to full sun in a landscape.

    A shadeplant I like was Bear's britches, Greek Pattern plant or Acanthus mollis. I understand that it can become a thug in some conditions. I did not find this so.
    Mahonia ,
    We grow Aesculus pavia var flavesens here ( Texas yellow Buckeye) but any of the Buckeyes would do well in part shade. It likes our "moist" (everything is relative) canyons. There are some gorgeous ones. I love the californian white one. I can get seed for a the Texas one. It is a small multi trunk tree, large bushy shrub. I would not mind getting my hands on a A. glabra var arguta (Texas Buckeye).It can do a dryer brighter hotter situation.

  • princessgrace79
    9 years ago

    Climbing hydrangea and regular hydrangea (can propagate easily from cuttings), foxglove (seeds like a maniac) are two that immediately came to mind :)

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