Brainstorming the Shade Garden

[LeaSmea]

Wondering if I could pick some brains here....

Along our back fence I would like to start an awesome shade garden which would double as a privacy screen as our backyard overlooks a few neighbors and a somewhat busier street. Thus far all I have done is bring up the sod in order to create a general shape of the bed, lined it with some river rocks (need to gather more to finish the border) and planted some bushes.

Right now, if you can see in the picture, I have 4 Chicago Lustre Viburnums and 1 Prague Viburnum in the back left corner. Since in the summer this area gets only maybe 2-4 hours of afternoon sunlight I do not expect them to reach their full 8-12 ft height, but I am hoping that once full grown they will reach a modest 5-6 feet with at least some flowering.

What I would like feedback on is what companion plants could I include here? I am in a zone 6a and would like a layered look.. I was thinking of putting in some ferns, hostas, astilbe, hellebores etc...and just creating a rich and deep border. My bed is currently about 12 ft wide and my bushes will take of the majority of that so should I widen it up? I don't want to overcrowd it and create too much competition. Should I focus on just the bump out around the tree and tailor off the sides a bit? I definitely want some color. Right now my viburnums will have white flowers and dark purple berries (corner berries will be red).

Any ideas or comments would be greatly appreciated!!!

[applestar]

What kind of moisture levels can you expect here?

You said shade, but this is only in summer? What is it like during winter? Is it only tree shade not building etc. solid shade?

Do have all the height plants needed for privacy at this point? You only listed up to 2-3 ft plants and 3 ft is only the flower stalk). Ostrich Ferns will get to 3-4 ft but will die down in summer (I have them along the NE side foundation border of the house so hardly any direct sun at all and solid shade for the rest) -- I love that they are decorative and edible, grow lush in spring, and then die and mat down to create a mulch for the summer.

Elderberries will grow to 15 ft, beautiful dinner plate sized floral trusses and then black berries, both of which can be made into syrup and jelly. But also loved by birds.

[rainbowgardener]

here's some shade garden ideas, with pix, that I did for someone else:

https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/vi ... en#p352770

hope it's maybe helpful for you too!

[Susan W]

Check out Solomon's Seal, which I think looks good with ferns. There isn't much bloom, but has green leaf texture. There is a variegated variety, mine is shorter than the green. If happy they spread. Trust me!! I plan to thin the herd this spring.

[rainbowgardener]

Yes, I think Solomon's seal is absolutely under-rated and under-used as a garden flower. The native species one, the pure green, is a spring ephemeral that doesn't last long in the garden. But the hybrid one with the white variegations, besides showing up much better in the shade garden, also lasts a lot longer. It does spread nicely, but not aggressively/ invasively.

In the spring, they have little white blossoms that hang down in pairs:

[LeaSmea]

AppleStar, the area is fairly moist as it is the lowest area of the yard. Despite that however the drainage is fairly good so it doesn't seem to be problem.

For the most part only tree shade, the fair right side is overshadowed by my shed in the early mornings but only for maybe 2 hours.

We want about 5-6 ft for privacy, which is what I am hoping my viburnums get too, I am looking for more of what could go in front of them to "fill in the gaps" so to speak and give the area more texture and color.

Thanks for all the plant suggestions everyone! I love the idea of ostrich ferns and solomon's seal. Now I have even more to consider and decide on.