Shade-tolerant, gaudy flowers?

I've got a flowerbed that gets about 10 minutes of direct sunlight.

Just pruned the ever-lovin' heck out of two badly overgrown rhodies in the bed. There is some errant English ivy and the yellow-flowered stuff that shows up everywhere in the PNW. I want to pull out both.

What can I plant (NOW) for instant happy colour?

I loooooooove petunias. They are the flagrant hussies of the flower world, as far as I'm concerned. How would they do in a shady bed? (oh, my, double entendres...)

Really, I'm just looking for some temporary colour. Later I'll start finessing the perennials and making the bed "just so."

I love impatiens, lots of color, do well in shade. They are annuals, but seed themselves easily.

Hmmm. Lots of color, in heavy shade? (How big is the area?) That's a fun challenge. If the area is damp enough I usually go for ferns and moss in that situation. Or hostas. Which can be plenty colorful, but maybe not what you're hoping for.

You could try some impatiens, if you're only looking for short-term renters until you decide exactly what to do with the space. There are also violets that can be quite shade tolerant. The planter by my front door never gets direct sunlight, and even less water, and johnny-jump-ups seem to spontaneously appear there.

Bleeding hearts supposedly like shade but I never seem to have the right place for them. There's a pink and white variety and there's an all white variety. Look at anemones. They come in different colors, but might take a bit longer to establish in our climate.

If you don't mind white flowers, you could try nicotianas and lily-of-the-valley.

Another strategy is to have some potted plants that you like, even if they prefer more sun, and rotate them out of the space every few days so they get what they need elsewhere.

Right! Impatiens LOVE the PNW and different varieties come in great colors. Also, hardy fuchsias are wonderful and our hummingbirds love them.

I don't think petunias like shade very much. We had impatiens in a north-facing bed for a while and they did well. I liked to see if I could grab the seed pods without them bursting.

Sounds like I'll be shopping for some impatiens tomorrow...

Thanks, y'all! :D

Hydrangeas are very showy, the flowers last a long time and the plant grows large quick. You can play with the flowers color by adding nutrients and iron.

We had a very shady yard where I grew up (huge maple tree). My mom always planted impatients - though they often were a bit straggly compared to those that did get a little sun....

On the shady side of my house I've planted violets (actual violets, not pansies), hardy fuchsia, oxyalis (gets white flowers in spring - I think there are pink varieties too) and ferns. I used to have bleeding hearts and hostas, but its been some time since they came back. In the spring I have some trilliums.

Coleus are available in a bunch of crazy colors these days. Though they are not flowers they can look amazing, hand painted even!

Begonias? They have colorful flowers and leaves and like shade.

Or just see what you find at your local, non-big box nursery.

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Originally Posted by bmccasland

Or just see what you find at your local, non-big box nursery.

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This one: Sky Nursery http://www.skynursery.com/

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Originally Posted by KnottedYet

This one: Sky Nursery http://www.skynursery.com/

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My favorite nursery! They'll be helpful too, if you ask.

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Originally Posted by RubyTuesday

Hydrangeas are very showy, the flowers last a long time and the plant grows large quick. You can play with the flowers color by adding nutrients and iron.

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I have not had much luck with hydrangeas...they need a bit more sun than we can give them...but mostly the long-legged "rats" (deer) eat them. Deer eat a lot of stuff they're not even supposed to like, in our area.

Bleeding hearts grow like mad in our shady, acidic, sandy soil. But they die-back after the bloom and look horrid (like right now). Next May/June they will be stunning, again.

Lamium (Spotted Dead Nettle) does great in shade, as long as they get plenty of water. They have pretty flowers, too. They are also done flowering, though.

Fern and myrtle also do well in shade...but fern don't really flower and myrtle are long since done. I'm not sure what shady stuff is flowering, now. I've really wondered what I could plant that would be pretty in July/Aug. and am also at a loss.

I am not from PNW, so these may not apply. Most are for foliage, as wow-popping flowers usually need sun.

heurchera (foliage comes in many colors)
astilbe
solomon's seal
lily-of-the-valley
cardinal flower (red blossoms)
hostas
azaleas
hellebore
coleus (lots of different foliage color choices)
impatiens (for flowers)
bleeding heart
wood poppy
foxglove (native varieties are smaller and yellow)
iris reticulata and lots of bulbs for spring

in other words, there are lots of choices. Ask someone knowledgeable about your area and enjoy!

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Originally Posted by bmccasland

Begonias? They have colorful flowers and leaves and like shade.

Or just see what you find at your local, non-big box nursery.

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Begonias was my vote. They also tend to seed freely. :)