Perennials for the Shady Nook— By Norman Taylor, 



Curator of Plants 

 Brooklyn Botanic Garden 



NEARLY FIFTY PLANTS THAT WILL FLOWER WITHOUT FULL SUNSHINE — USE THIS LIST AND REDEEM 

 THE NORTH SIDE OF THE HOUSE WHERE MOST OF THE WELL KNOWN FAVORITES WILL NOT THRIVE 



W ! 



The bloodroot is attractive 

 in both foliage and flowers 



HY should 

 we always 

 have ferns, and 

 nothing but ferns, 

 for the shady 

 nooks of our gar- 

 dens? Why this 

 monotonous riot of 

 finely dissected 

 foliage? I protest 

 against it. Not 

 that ferns are not 

 fitting decorations 

 for places that ap- 

 parently will grow 

 nothing else, but 

 why not occasion- 

 ally have flowers 

 as well? It can be 

 done with as little trouble, or less, than 

 the cultivation of ferns. 



In choosing flowers for shady situations 

 what more natural than to take those 

 that grow normally in the shade? And it 

 will be seen, from those suggested below, 

 that most of them are plants whose original 

 home was the woods. No matter how 

 much horticultural practice may have 

 changed their colors and forms, they will 

 always respond to an environment approxi- 

 mating their ancestral homes. The north 

 side of the house, under the shade of 

 some trees, and along the shady sides 

 of walls — all these are especially appro- 

 priate places to start our shady-nook 

 garden. And a succession of bloom will 

 reward the gardener who plants with dis- 

 crimination and care. 



To have a succession of flowers from the 

 earliest trace of real spring up to the end 

 of April, the following may be planted: 



White -flowered. The common blood- 

 root of our woodlands {Sanguinaria Cana- 

 densis) has special charm for the lover of 

 our native plants. It will thrive best in 

 good rich leaf mold, and in the most 

 shaded places. Grouped with, or near, 

 it the white dog's-tooth violet {Eryihron- 

 ium albidum), requiring similar treatment, 

 makes an effective accompaniment. Where 

 they can catch an occasional gleam of sun- 

 light, the mitre-wort {Mitella diphylla) 

 and our beautiful native hepatica {Hepatica 

 triloba), which often shows traces of a 

 delicate violet in its flowers, will do exceed- 

 ingly well. 



Yellow-flowered. Among numerous yel- 

 low flowered herbs, few bloom early in the 

 spring and fewer still are at home in the 

 shade. The jonquil {Narcissus jonquilla) 

 and its many varieties can be successfully 

 grown in such situations, especially if the 

 soil is not too dry. The native dog's- 

 tooth violet {Erythronium Americanum), 

 grouped with the jonquil, or some of the 

 white flowered sorts, makes a quiet but 

 beautiful showing. From seed this so- 

 called violet plant takes three years to 

 produce flowers, all the single-leaved and 

 double-leaved plants being respectively 

 one and two years old and flowerless. It 

 spreads rapidly when once established. 



Purple and blue-flowered. Under trees 

 or shrubs, or along the north side of walls 

 groups of the very early flowering Bulboco- 

 dium vernum, with beautiful rose-purple 



The European Star of Bethlehem runs freely in pastures and under the shade of trees 



308 



flowers, can be freely used with splendid 

 effect. The bulbs should be planted in the 

 fall and covered with leaves during the 

 winter. For shady places it is more de- 

 sirable than the crocus, a near relative. 



The beautiful azure blue of one of the 

 wood flowers {Anemone nemorosa, var. 

 Robinsoniana) , makes its cultivation for 

 the shady nook especially desirable. Ordi- 

 ary garden soil, moderately rich, will 

 maintain a splendid growth of what is per- 

 haps the only early blue flower that will 

 stand deep shade. 



FLOWERS OF MAY 



Most of the following begin and complete 

 their flowering during May. Some few 

 continue on into June, but nearly all are 

 true spring flowers, and, unfortunately, 

 do not last more than a week or two. 



White-flowered. Some of these thrive 

 in ordinary garden soil, and although shade 

 plants, do better for an occasional glimpse 

 of the sun. The European Star-of- 

 Bethlehem {Ornithogalum Narbonense), with 

 a stem scarcely two feet tall, and often 

 supporting a cluster of 40 to 80 flowers, is 

 unique among its bulbous relatives. Bulbs 

 should be planted in the autumn, and 

 weathered over winter with leaves and 

 manure. 



The snow windflower (.4 nemone sylvestris) 

 with only one or two large nodding flowers 

 is especially suited for moist places. The 

 flowers last well into June and July. Then, 

 of course, there is the beautiful, but sadly 

 overworked, lily -of -the -valley. "Pips," 

 planted in the fall make good plants- with 

 reasonable care. 



Six of these white, May-flowering herbs 

 are typical woodland plants and for suc- 

 cessful culture demand a good mixture of 

 leaf mold and rotted sods. The less cultiva- 

 tion they get the better, and it is profitable 

 to let decaying leaves work naturally into 

 the soil. The shy may-apple {Podophy- 

 llum pcltatun) grows naturally in the 

 deepest woods and will thrive best in situa- 

 tions approximating the forest (leafmold, 

 undisturbed growth, and deep shade). 

 Less exacting are the red, and also the 

 white baneberries {Actaca rubra and .4. 

 alba). Both may be grown in partial 

 sunlight, but should be grown in leaf mold. 

 These close relatives are distinguished by, 

 and take their names from, the red and 

 white berries which stay on well into 

 August. Perhaps the most beautiful of 

 our native plants is the foam-flower 

 {Tiarclla cord if olio), and its natural home 

 on moist shaded banks, makes it easy to 

 grow in the shady nook of the garden. Less 

 showy, but botanically interesting, is the 

 Solomon's seal {Polygonatum biflorum) re- 

 quiring similar conditions, and, with the 

 foam-flower, being partial to leafmold. 



