I love th dark and light ones, rosemummy, but in a shady and dark corner I do agree that whites and silvers really bring a splash of much needed light.
However, it's often good to have a few darker plants (even dark-leaved plants like ophiopogon grass (black) or a dark hellebore, which offsets the whites and silvers of the others - they act like a backdrop for them.
Phaeums can self seed like mad though, so best to deadhead well if you are trying to keep it at bay
That can be the problem with shady areas - it's often dark flowers which like them, so you need another colour to balance and show them off. I love white planting for shade, but if you want to have darker plants, you can use foliage plants which are bright green or yellow for a backdrop to dark flowers. It also stops everything looking 'samey'.
Euphorbias can be particularly good for that, and give year round structure as well if you pick evergreen varieties.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
It has smallish leaved grey / green / cream foliage and pale lilac flowers (late May).
The foliage helps to light up darker areas. so adds interest even when not in flower.
I also use a lot of G. Cantabrigiensis 'Biokovo' (see Nut's post) as ground cover. A really tough little plant which seems to grow in most spots. Very pretty, delicate palest pink flower.
Last edited: 24 March 2017 14:50:24
Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
Perhaps not quite to your spec, but geranium Rozanne could be worth a look. It grows in partial shade with blue flowers (not very pale though) but the bit that appeals to me is that it flowers for about 6 months of the year! To me, that feels like an exceptional return for a spot in my modest garden (although I'm yet to buy one).
I've grown this one in partial shade and it gets very leggy and floppy. Much better behaved in full sun I found.
I like Kashmir White in shade but also Ann Folkard because her brighter, golden tinged foliage lights up a dark corner and the flowers are a good colour, tho not pale.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
I bought a few sanguineum striatum last autumn so they didn't do a lot. Hoping for wonderful things this year ?. Also bought several 'Elke' that are in small pots waiting to be potted on (or I might just plant them).
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I love th dark and light ones, rosemummy, but in a shady and dark corner I do agree that whites and silvers really bring a splash of much needed light.
However, it's often good to have a few darker plants (even dark-leaved plants like ophiopogon grass (black) or a dark hellebore, which offsets the whites and silvers of the others - they act like a backdrop for them.
Phaeums can self seed like mad though, so best to deadhead well if you are trying to keep it at bay
That can be the problem with shady areas - it's often dark flowers which like them, so you need another colour to balance and show them off. I love white planting for shade, but if you want to have darker plants, you can use foliage plants which are bright green or yellow for a backdrop to dark flowers. It also stops everything looking 'samey'.
Euphorbias can be particularly good for that, and give year round structure as well if you pick evergreen varieties.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I like Geraneum Phaeum 'Margaret Wilson'.
It has smallish leaved grey / green / cream foliage and pale lilac flowers (late May).
The foliage helps to light up darker areas. so adds interest even when not in flower.
I also use a lot of G. Cantabrigiensis 'Biokovo' (see Nut's post) as ground cover. A really tough little plant which seems to grow in most spots. Very pretty, delicate palest pink flower.
Last edited: 24 March 2017 14:50:24
Keep your dark Phaeum and get a white one too. They will cross-pollinate and give you every shade of blue and purple/lilac in between!
Perhaps not quite to your spec, but geranium Rozanne could be worth a look. It grows in partial shade with blue flowers (not very pale though) but the bit that appeals to me is that it flowers for about 6 months of the year! To me, that feels like an exceptional return for a spot in my modest garden (although I'm yet to buy one).
I've grown this one in partial shade and it gets very leggy and floppy. Much better behaved in full sun I found.
I like Kashmir White in shade but also Ann Folkard because her brighter, golden tinged foliage lights up a dark corner and the flowers are a good colour, tho not pale.
Obelixx - is that Geranium Rozanne that gets leggy and floppy in partial shade? In that case I'll leave it as I wanted to put it in partial shade.
Yes.
I bought a few sanguineum striatum last autumn so they didn't do a lot. Hoping for wonderful things this year ?. Also bought several 'Elke' that are in small pots waiting to be potted on (or I might just plant them).
Both varieties from Crocus.
i pinched some seeds of sanguineum last year
and it looks like they have germianated!