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Plant notes!
Here is more information about some plants mentioned in this newsletter.
Shade plants:
Asian lace fern
Microlepia strigosa
Bright, dappled and deep shade.2-3 ft. tall. Tolerates drier conditions than most ferns.
baby’s tears
Soleirolia soleirolii
Evergreen mat, perennial. Will die back with sun or hard frost, but regrows. Bright to deep shade.
bergenia, pigsqueak
Bergenia
Evergreen About 18 in. tall. Pink flowers in winter. Bright, dappled and deep shade. Wonderful with ferns.
bloody dock
Rumex sanguineus
Dappled to bright shade, some sun.1-2 ft. tall. Edible sorrel.
calla
Zantedeschia aethiopica
Perennial rhizome may go dormant insummer with lots of sun or lack of moisture. Flowers white, 2-4 ft.Bright to dappled shade, some sun.
cast-iron plant
Aspidistra elatior
Evergreen perennial, 2-3 ft. tall.Bright to deep shade. The reddish flowers are only 3 inches tall.
Chinese foxglove
Rehmannia elata
Dappled to bright shade. 2 ft. tall.
clivia
Clivia miniata
Perennial from tuberous rhizomes, mostly orangeflowers. 2 ft. tall. Dappled, bright and deep shade.
dead nettle
Lamium maculatum
Evergreen groundcover. Bright todappled shade, some sun. Many wonderful cultivars.
flowering maple
Abutilon hybrids
Woody shrub 3-10 ft. tall. Bright todappled shade, some sun. Semi-evergreen, almost always in flower.Properly stake newly planted shrubs. Scale can be a problem.
hellebore
Helleborus
Evergreen perennial, blooms late winter. Brightto dappled shade. Unusual flowers last a long time on plant.
Helleborusorientalis
, Lenten rose does well here.
Japanese anemone
Anemone
x
hybrida
2-5 ft. tall, fibrous root.Flowers pink or white, cut back after bloom. Takes awhile to establish plants, then spreads. Bright and dappled shade, some sun.
Japanese aucuba
Aucuba japonica
Evergreen woody shrub 6-10 ft.Direct sun will burn leaves. ‘Variegata’ usually called gold dust plant.
Myers asparagus
Asparagus densiflorus
‘Myers’ Evergreen, 2 ft. tall.Bright to deep shade. Upright green tufts can be trimmed to ground toreplenish.
rose campion
Lychnis coronaria
Perennial, white or magenta flowers,self-sows. 2-3 ft. tall. Gray foliage. Bright to dappled shade or sun.
southern sword fern
Nephrolepis cordifolia
Evergreen, tolerates poor soil, spreads by runners. Bright to dappled shade.
spider plant
Chlorophytum comosum
Common indoor plant can beused as a groundcover or specimen plant. White flowers and variegatedfoliage lighten up a bright, dappled or deep shade area.
Succulents:
Aeonium
(ay-OH-nee-um) Mediterranean islands and western part of N.Africa. Rosettes, prefer afternoon shade. Will tolerate regular gardenWatering, are somewhat frost sensitive. Propagate by stem cuttings
Aloe
(AL-lo) From drier regions of Africa and Madagascar. Some willgrow 30 ft. tall. Well drained soil and low water, but tolerates regular garden watering. Propagate by offsets. Some prefer full sun and others part shade.
Aloe vera
(
Aloe barbadensis)
used for burns.
Crassula
(KRASS-yuh-lah) From southeastern Africa. May die back ina cold winter. Propagate by stem cuttings. The Jade plant,
C. ovata
iscommon in Davis
Dudleya
(DUD-lee-yuh) Native to California, Arizona and Oregon. Theyneed well drained soil.
Echeveria
(etch-a-VER-ya) From Mexico to Venezuela. Propagate by planting offsets or leaf cuttings. These benefit from more water, morefertilizer and a richer soil than most succulents.
Sempervivum
(semm-pur-VEE-vuhm)
From the mountains of Europe,Asia and Africa. Winter hardy.
S. Tectorum
is the common houseleek,often called hen and chicks. Propagate by cuttings and offsets. Flowersare green, white, yellow, pink and red. Prefers afternoon shade.
Sedum
(SEE-duhm) Stonecrop is from northern temperate regions, partsof Africa and South America. Many colors and forms and among theeasiest succulents to grow, cold hardy. Propagate from cuttings. Manysedums benefit from cutting back to new growth after flowering.Flowers white to red, yellow.
Cool season vegetables:
Seeds can be sown directly in the garden in the summer for a fall crop.Shade seedlings and keep them well watered until established. Seeds can also be started in trays or pots and the plants will be transplanted into the garden in Sept. and Oct.
Dead nettle ‘Orchid Frost’ Rose campion
Shade - So Welcome in the Summer
In the heat of the summer, a shade garden soundslike a wonderful idea. Getting plants to grow in shadehowever can be difficult. They grow slower than insun, if planted under trees they have roots to contendwith and water needs vary depending on the amount of shade. There are many types of shade including deepshade, shade with bright light and dappled shade.Knowing the type of shade in your garden will helpwith plant selection.Shade refers to an area that receives less than 5-6hours of sun. Plants in shady areas may get a bit of direct sun in the morning or afternoon. Direct sun inthe morning is ideal, being that it is not as harsh. Justabout any shade plant will be happy in this location. If the direct sun occurs in the late afternoon, this is amore difficult spot. This can be a western exposurewhere sun is blocked most of the day or a northernexposure with hot afternoon sun for a few hours just inthe summer when the sun sets further north. In thislocation, a sun plant will not thrive with so few hoursof sun but the intense afternoon heat may prove fatal tomore sensitive shade plants. Flowering maple,Japanese anemone, calla, dead nettle, and rose campionare examples of plants that do well in this tough spot.
Flowering maple Japanese anemone
Some areas of shade receive both sun and lightintermittently throughout the day. These filtered or dappled shade areas occur generally under the opencanopy of a tree. Most shade plants thrive with theseconditions.Some areas get no sun at all. Bright shade,sometimes called light shade, most often occurs under
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