Forum home› Plants
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Tallish bulbs for shade that dont mind being covered by perennials?

Mrs_MigginsMrs_Miggins Posts: 60
in Plants
Im currently digging out every b*stard spanish bluebell i can get my hands on. They have a habit of sprouting right next to my perennials - ive found all sorts of plants hidden! Now looking at an almost bare garden. 
So in the gaps id like to get some bulbs that have a nice spring colour but when the perennials grow their leaves dont mind things being a bit dark, and probably dry. People say daffs but mine thrive in the sun and not the shade. Snowdrops wont grow here (clay), ive tried. Not having much luck with lily of the valley though they were fine in pots. My wild garlic might be growing, hard to tell. So any suggestions or tips for different bulbs/taller versions and how to get them to grow here (dig in a load of potting mix i guess?) most welcome. 
Id even like to see if i can get some that are about to flower. 
«1

Posts

  • tigerburnietigerburnie Posts: 131
    Have you looked at Alliums?
  • LoxleyLoxley Posts: 5,698
    Erythronium 'Pagoda' might be worth trying. I would be wary of wild garlic, it is very rampant.
    "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour". 
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    Agree about wild garlic - as bad as spanish bluebells. Daffodils do fine in that kind of scenario for me. Maybe snakes head fritillaries? I can't grow them here (probably too dry) but they might be OK for you. Or some of the smaller bulbs, scilla etc.?
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • raisingirlraisingirl Posts: 7,093
    edited April 2023
    chionodoxa? Hyacinths? Some of the better behaved (larger flowered) muscari? I find daffs grow happily in shade as well as sun. 
    Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon

    “It's still magic even if you know how it's done.” 
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    Having just had a quick wander around the garden, I'm reminded that I have snowflakes, Leucojum aestivum, in flower right now in a north-east facing border that only gets sun in the morning. They might work.

    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • Silver surferSilver surfer Posts: 4,719
    Sorry but your Spanish bluebells will more than likely be back.
    They are almost impossible to eliminate.
    Wild garlic will be just as bad!
    Perthshire. SCOTLAND .
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    Sadly I agree with @Silver surfer
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Yes - wild garlic can be a real thug.
    Camassias will thrive superbly in shade, but the soil must be consistently moist, so that might not work. 
    I grow quite a lot of daffs in shady spots. Our soil is clay and that's perfect for snowdrops, so I'm quite surprised you say they won't grow. 

    Have you added organic matter to your soil? That's the way to get clay in good condition for drainage and structure. Manure, compost, leaf mould etc. That will also help avoid the soil being dry in summer if that's a problem ,which it would seem to be from your post. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    edited April 2023
    I'm nervous about introducing too many bulbs in my garden, having been battling with Spanish bluebells since moving here 10 years ago.  Alliums can also become unwelcome after a while, but at least their foliage is discreet and dies down when the bulbs flower.  Another option is to plant up some pots with bulbs and place them in your bare patches, giving them instant height and no competition with your perennials.  
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    edited April 2023
    Even the species tulips aren't great for a shady location although mine (Lilac Wonder and Little Beauty) don't seem to mind perennials coming up around them and covering them over after they've done most of their dying down. They get sun when there's any to be had early in the year before the perennials get to any size. Their spread stops where it reaches the shadier area by the wall.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
Sign In or Register to comment.