Gardener's Group discussion

Use this thread to discuss what shade plants you're growing and how this year.

I have an Oakleaf Hydrangea that had been struggling along for years in a part sun/part shade situation.
After the area became all shade the plant took off and is huge now. Probably triple the size it was struggling at for all those years. It has many flowers now too.
I didn't realize it wanted all shade or I would have moved it long ago.

I have 2 Strawberries & Cream hydrangea and they love the shade! They get scorched in the sun. (Found out the hard way).

I have a lot of shade in the yard and debating on what to put there this year.

I was thinking about trying one of those huge Elephant Ears plants this year.
Does anyone know about storing them for winter? I'd have to dig them up but didn't know if it's better to keep the plant bare root in a bag, or planted in a pot.
And is the cellar the place to store it?

I had an Elephant Ears plant (an Dahlia) in my old garden in zone 6(b? I don't know if it's a or b nowadays) but never had to do it up. Likely of have to dig it up here in zone 7b because I have to dig up my dahlias here. I store them in the pantry (which is without light for the most part) in paper bags. That would likely work for Elephant Ears too.

Jo wrote: "I have 2 Strawberries & Cream hydrangea and they love the shade! They get scorched in the sun. (Found out the hard way).

I have a lot of shade in the yard and debating on what to put there this y..."


I'm glad for the info re these hydrangeas -- my yard is mostly shade and I have been considering them but wasn't sure.

The info that came with mine said full morning sun and partial afternoon shade - and they scorched the first morning on the front porch. I moved them to the yard gets mostly shade with intermittent sun and no more scorching. Unless we have Summer temps over 100* then there's a little bit.

Jaye wrote: "I was thinking about trying one of those huge Elephant Ears plants this year.
Does anyone know about storing them for winter? I'd have to dig them up but didn't know if it's better to keep the p..."

I have a lot of different elephants ears (colocasias) in the garden, most of them wild. The best one is not though, it is my precious white variegated one which the snails eat out every now and again, but it always springs back up. It grows in mostly shade. The temperature is between 72-78 all year. I can't grow hydrangeas though, not at all.

That variegated plant is amazing !

Agreed!

Some of the leaves are absolutely pure white. The first time I saw it, under my kitchen porch, I thought someone had tipped white paint on it, I couldn't believe it was real. I've been trying to propogate it for over a year but all I get is green leaves, no white ones on any of the plants as yet.

below info from here: http://davesgarden.com/guides/article...

"The most common variegation encountered in cultivated plants is not naturally genetic, however, but due to aberrant mutations in the chromosomes of the growing, or meristematic tissues. Seed from these plants will usually not germinate into another variegated plant, though in some situations, the frequency of variegation is definitely increased over the random norm. In most of these variegated cultivated plants, the variegation mutation is bred for by selecting for the best foliage or flower variants. This is done by division or other forms of vegetative propagation (such as growing new plants from stem cuttings... root cuttings will usually not result in any more variegated plants than one would encounter randomly). Many of these mutated variants are consistent from generation to generation, but others are completely random. These non-natural mutations are known as chimeras, or the combining of two different chromosomal make-ups in a single organism (in this case, cells that do not produce pigment alongside with those that do). These can be fairly consistent from leaf to leaf, or sometimes the variegation will show up randomly on the plant with some variegated leaves or branches here and none there."

Not sure, but the phrase "White Paint" is often used when aphids lays its eggs on plants and looks just like white paint.

When I see it on my ornamental trees I sometimes spay it with an oil based product and it goes away. Or have fun and watch the lady bugs cover the trees shortly after and let them have fun.

Aphids! Ugh. They are one of the banes of my gardening existence LOL!

Back before Christmas my horseradish tree (moringa oliefera) got hacked down to the bare trunk, all the branches everything cut off. It has grown about 10'and the first blossoms appeared this weekend. I am pleased about that, but what I am not pleased about is that without the shade this tree provided all the coconuts that fell seem to have germinated and I now have upwards of about 30 baby coconut trees with the two seed leaves about 2'-3' tall. I can't get rid of them, the tap roots are too strong.

Snails have eaten a few of my planted (rather than just there in the bush) plants out. Very annoying. They prefer my tender ones to the rain forest variety.

I rarely order new hosta but I am trying one called Avocado in my shade garden. The leaves are quite a bright green and I'm hoping it will perk up a dark corner of my shade garden. I'm also going to divide several hostas I already have to fill in other bare areas. One of my fave things to do is have pots filled with raspberry colored impatiens mixed in with my hostas. Adds a few spots of contrast in with all the green.

Have you seen the Hosta called 'Christmas Cookies'?
It's almost all white, just having a thin green band around the edges !
I've never seen one in person, just on google images.

There was one on Ebay called 'White Christmas' that looked the same.

Ms Bubbles SockieP wrote: "Jaye wrote: "I was thinking about trying one of those huge Elephant Ears plants this year.
Does anyone know about storing them for winter? I'd have to dig them up but didn't know if it's better..."

What a beauty!

Hostas Hostas everywhere. In Planters in the ground!

Sum and substance does not seem to be a slug target too.

I am zone 5 or 6 and never have any problem holding them over in pots or the ground.

I have lost control and probably have 30 different kinds. Love them with a couple flowers in a pot.

I had two hostas (note past tense) in urns by our front door for the last three years.

The 20 below did them in; they are no more :(.

Around here, it's not the slugs so much as the deer. Deer like hostas. I made a hosta garden in our back yard the first year we moved here, not knowing this. One day, I looked out and thought how finally they had all grown up and looked lovely. The next day, the very next day, they were gnawed to the ground. End of story.

Hostas grow well at my house in shade by the down spouts. They look great until August when the slugs dine on them. I do use a product called "Slugo" but sparingly around the hostas, since it kills worms also.

Well, I will add this sight also.
http://www.hostalibrary.org/

Mickey wrote: "Hostas grow well at my house in shade by the down spouts. They look great until August when the slugs dine on them. I do use a product called "Slugo" but sparingly around the hostas, since it kills..."

I use beer in plastic lids. The slugs love it! I buy 2 quarts of really cheap beer and it lasts most of the growing season.

All of my hostas are coming back large & full! Very happy to see them.

Jaye wrote: "Have you seen the Hosta called 'Christmas Cookies'?
It's almost all white, just having a thin green band around the edges !
I've never seen one in person, just on google images.

There was one o..."

Sounds interesting but I've not seen it.

I've never had a problem with slugs. I'm on sandy soil and I think that helps. However, I live one block from a golf course which winds around the river. There are deer down there and they make an occasional visit to my yard but have never bothered my hostas. I see their tracks so I know they've been here. I have more trouble with bunnies who like to eat my tulips and lilies.

I would like to have bunnies or deer. Instead I have fowl, other people's cows and a large, bad-tempered old white race horse that comes regularly and tramples anything in his way.

Electric fence not a possibility :)?

Ms Bubbles SockieP wrote: "I would like to have bunnies or deer. Instead I have fowl, other people's cows and a large, bad-tempered old white race horse that comes regularly and tramples anything in his way."

This sounds more entertaining than bunnies and deer !

Jaye wrote: "Ms Bubbles SockieP wrote: "I would like to have bunnies or deer. Instead I have fowl, other people's cows and a large, bad-tempered old white race horse that comes regularly and tramples anything i..."

Nothing like so pretty though.