Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1945-07-15

thrive IN hight shade IN the WaShi
satisfactorily in full sun in New En-
more intense than in the Northern
states. Hence, plants here get as
much as needed through the foliage
of trees. On the other hand, shade
loving Northern plants prefer heavier
shade here.
ANIMALS as group will not toll
crate any but the lightest shade,
while many of the perennials prefer
shade. It is in this latter group
that the owner of a shady yard
should be interested, for they are
the ones that may be counted upon
to do well if given sufficient moisture
and plant food, important consider
ations for those plants which must
compete with tree roots.
Many of the shade-loving flowers
are spring boomers, but not all, as
many gardeners contend. However,
the shady perennial border will
need many of the spring Towering
perennials as well as the early
spring Towering bulbs which thrive
in shady situations. Then add gen.
erous selection of the summer flow
ering perennials to carry the flower
ing season on into the fall.
OF the spring-flowering bulbs we
will want Glory of the Snow, Chic
Inodoxa, Snowdrops, Winter aconite,
daffodils, Troutlilies (Erythronium)
Trillium and Leocojum. These may
be planted in borders, III clumps or
naturalized in the shady garden
OF the low-growing shade lovers
that flower early in the spring the
| lily -the-valley, primrose, viola
and pansy are most popular.
Among the taller plants are the
Buckingham, Virginia bluebells
and lenten rose (Helleborus) These
will all bloom, and many of them
will die down by mid-June. Even
the foliage of the daffodils will be
gone by mid-July.
1t is therefore important that the
border be SO planned that the later
Towering perennials will hide the
vacancies thus left. The tall-grow-
ing daylilies have a number of va
rieties to prolong the Towering
season which may be counted on
to hide the foliage Of the bluebells
and Buckingham The spiderwort
CTradescantia) with its long flower
ing season may be counted upon in
the middle of the border. The
plantainlilies CHoSta) are available
in a number of sizes. Place the
taller ones in the background and
the dwarfs in the edging. The
aStilbe, or spirea, as it is often called
is not more than feet in height
and it, too, can be placed in the
middle of the border The snake
root (Cimicifuga) grows to 4 feet
and belongs in the background
where its tall, fuzzy spikes of white
flowers make a pleasing showing
. The goatsbeard (AruncuS) is an
other tall shade-loving perennial.
that belongs in the background
OF the ower-growing, summer-f1ow-
ering perennials for the foreground
! the globeflower (TrolliuS), corabeI
(Heucheraf, dwarf meadowrue
viola, pansy and forget-me-not are
well worth growing. The pansies
will have a much longer Towering
season in the shady border thar
may be expected of them in the
sunny garden where they are nor
mally through for the season by
early July.
With such a list to choose from
/ there is little reason to have 6
barren border or one that is not
thriving just because the yard con-
tains a few lovely shade trees. A
well-enriched bed, one that contains
ample supplies of compost or leaf
mold and is relatively free from
competition with tree roots will in
sure strong growth and freedom
of bloom. The enrichment of the
soil with compost or leafmold is
essential since it increases the
moisture-holding capacity of the
soil. Lacking compost or leafmold
one may use spongy type Of peat
moss Peat-O-Maine). f.
Most of our soils need phosphav
which should be supplied in the
form of superphosphate and not as
bone meal which contains lime, as
most of the Shade-loving plants
prefer an acid soil. The super
phosphate and the leafmold or COM
post will supply most of the plant
food needed by the shade-loving
perennials. If the border is mulched
with compost in the early summer
| it will Withstand the hot weather
and lack of summer rainfall sur
prisingly well. However, an occa-