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emcd124

Best shade or part sun flowers for WS?

emcd124
11 years ago

I'm working on a project for my son's school where the kids are going to winter sow the veggies for their garden and the flowers to decorate their play area this summer. The only issue for the flowers is that the play area is dominated by a large tree, and so is mostly shade or part sun.

What flowers have you all WS with lots of success in the past that would do well under those conditions? I'd love to give the kids seeds that are the most likely to be successful and to flourish after planting too!

Thanks for sharing your expertise!

Comments (16)

  • terrene
    11 years ago

    Do you want annuals or perennials? I haven't winter-sown many annuals that do well in shade, but Impatiens would work. Petunias and Rudbeckia hirta are easy and will do okay in part shade but need at least half sun.

    As for perennials, Heuchera and Columbine are easy to WS and will do well in mostly shade. These won't bloom until the 2nd year though.

  • ladyrose65
    11 years ago

    Bellis perennis works well in the shade.

  • kimka
    11 years ago

    Cardinal flower and monkshood would make good perennials for this situation and would bloom as the kids come back to school in the fall.

  • oliveoyl3
    11 years ago

    Will the kids be playing under the tree? Will your area be tended over summer, too?

    The day care kids & I have planted near the ramp of our school's daycare portable near the playgroun. During recess the kids can go over there, too, so they trample them, pick the flowers, etc. We planted bulbs & English primrose for interest during the school year with rocks as edging, but they've moved all of the rocks. Having a wire or wood edging might work better. At least the kids have fun with the blooms. I just get sad when I see the emerging bulbs with broken tops.

    Maybe bleeding heart (late spring blooming) would work because it would go dormant in summer. Some fall bloomers would be nice, but without water in summer they won't make it. Hopefully, you have enough summer rain. We don't.

    Corrine

  • diggerdee zone 6 CT
    11 years ago

    I have foxgloves in shade that do well, and some bloom the first year. And there's the yellow perennial foxglove that grows very well in shade. Snaps may do well in part sun, although they won't grow as tall, IME. Ditto on terrene's suggestion of rudbeckia for part sun, as well as the columbine, and monkshood for perennials (monkshood is poisonous - don't know if this would factor in, although many plants we have in our gardens are poisonous...)

    And I've got lots of feverfew that, while originally planted in sun, has spread and seems to do just as well in bright shade.

    Another annual for shade is mimulus, or monkey flower. Easy to ws, as well.

    Good luck and have fun!
    Dee

  • kqcrna
    11 years ago

    Some perennial geraniums will do well in part shade, though they need a few hours/day of sun I think.

    Balsam, a reseeding annual, does well for me in part sun/shade.

    Karen

  • emcd124
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Yes the kids will be there over the summer and yes the garden will be tended. Most of the garden area is in the back play area (potential trample) but some of it is along a walkway.

    It would be important that none of the above ground parts are poisonous, though bulbs or roots (eg I think daffodils are poisonous bulbs, arent they?) would be less of an issue. I thought foxglove was poisonous as well.

  • rbrady
    11 years ago

    Maybe wintersow some small shrubs or groundcover shrubs that will be more tolerant of being stepped on? Or some shrubs with edible berries? Highbush cranberry, blueberry, gooseberry or currants would be candidates.

    Rhonda

  • caryltoo Z7/SE PA
    11 years ago

    Foxglove is poisonous, too, as well as being pretty and colorful. I wouldn't plant it where kids would have access to it. I love it, but won't plant it because the dogs sometimes browse in the garden and have been known to "sample."

    Caryl

  • kimka
    11 years ago

    Many, many plants are poisonous. Azaleas, laurel, lily of the valley, larkspur, bleeding heart, daffodils, the foliage of cherry and apple trees, leaves of tomatoes and potatoes, lantana, mayapple, baneberry,, all parts of the horse chestnut, columbine, jack in the pulpit, hellebore, elephant ears, iris bulbs,ivy, passion flower leaves, and calla lilies as well as monkshood, and foxglove to list just a few.

    The deal is that the poisonous parts also taste terrible. And a single bite, even if swallowed, is not going to hurt a child, cat or dog.

    It takes eating 100 to 200 grams of azalea leaves to poison a 55 lb child. A whole salad of them. And remember those leaves taste awful.

    And think about how many houses have a row of azalea and/or rhododendren bushes.

    Perhaps just put in plastic flowers and rubber mulch. Oops, rubber mulch is toxic and pine needles can act like fis bones. Better use a sand mulch.

  • emcd124
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    @kimka: there's no need to be snarky and condescending here. I'm reasonably new to gardening, having owned my home for only a year and a half, and I havent had to garden for children before, let alone a host of children who are not my own, so perhaps you can put aside your judgement and find some understanding for why someone might be concerned about planting poisonous plants where children have unrestrained access to them.

    Your point about HOW poisonous a plant is, and how much would have to be consumed to be dangerous (which varies from plant to plant as I understand it) is an important piece of good information, I only wish it were constructed as helpful instead of condescending.

  • terrene
    11 years ago

    The foxglove discussion reminds me of a funny story when my son was younger. He was about 11 or so (likely older than these kids?) and I had purchased a couple pots of Foxglove in the fall. I was reading about how poisonous Foxglove is, and so I showed him a photo and said "Be careful of this plant, it's growing out in the front garden and it's very poisonous!" He looked at me like I was crazy, said "Mom, why would I go out into the garden and start eating your plants?"

    Well, he wouldn't. He was always a very picky eater, but honestly I can't imagine even a non-picky child eating leaves on a random plant. Now pretty purple or red berries, that may be attractive to a curious child (not my picky eater) but I think as Kimka says, they don't taste very good so a child is not likely to eat much.

  • kqcrna
    11 years ago

    Let's play nice.

    Another shade/part shade possibility is heuchera. Their flowers attract hummingbirds, and they wintersow well.

    I don't know if it's poisonous? It's not something I've ever considered in my gardening.

    Karen

  • Lynda Waldrep
    11 years ago

    Here is a link I found when researching this years ago for someone. She was also going to plant at a school. It is a huge list! Also has a few links to other areas.

    I recommend being cautious as some very small children and many dogs aren't discriminating in taste. I think this list helps you know what parts are poisonous and how potent. Interesting reading, if nothing else.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Poisonous Plants of NC

  • terrene
    11 years ago

    KQ - "let's place nice"? I think the OP already expressed that sentiment quite nicely.

  • pdsavage
    11 years ago

    Forget-me-not and Daylily

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