Lawn Alternatives for Shady Locations

By: Billy Skaggs, Hall County Extension Agent

Trying to maintain a thick, healthy lawn in a shady, "light-challenged" location is a losing proposition. Grass won’t spread well and where the lawn is weak and thin, other better adapted plants are sure to move in - including moss, chickweed, spurge, dichondra, and other weeds.

Why not avoid the frustration of trying to grow good grass in the shade? You can turn your landscaping "sow’s ear" into a shade garden "silk purse" that will provide you with gratification rather than aggravation. But before making any drastic changes, first assess how you use the shady portions of your yard.

If you’re content to replace the lawn with beds of shrubbery, woodland wildflowers, shade-tolerant perennials such as ferns and hosta and expanses of interesting groundcovers, you should have no difficulty...except for the challenge of deciding which combination of plants you prefer.

One of the toughest situations to deal with, however, is the need to walk about freely in the shaded area. Grass is just about the only hardy groundcover that can withstand regular foot traffic. Other groundcovers might bounce back from dogs or cats running through them occasionally, but human footsteps will smash them down, often irreparably.

If your family includes young children who must use the shaded parts of your yard as a play area, you might re-think your attitude towards moss and many of the shade-loving weeds. Many have a prostrate growth habit and only need mowing two or three times over the summer...and can bounce back from a fair amount of foot traffic.

Another option would be to spread a thick layer of shredded bark in the children’s play area. Bark mulch compresses over time, decomposing where it contacts the soil, so you’ll have to add more every couple of years. But shredded bark makes a resilient, safe surface for romping around. You can also use it to create footpaths and define spaces for benches or other garden furniture.

Now, how do you go about turning that dismal shady lawn into an inviting shady garden? Begin by observing the shade gardens of friends and neighbors. Also, why not take the opportunity to visit the Atlanta Botanical Gardens in Atlanta or the State Botanical Gardens in Athens.

As for plants, most shade-tolerant flowering perennials are best suited for light, rather than heavy shade. And they’re rarely as flamboyant as sun-loving flowers. Make up for this lack of color by planting interesting combinations of foliage. Contrast dark green leaves with lighter ones or foliage that’s variegated. Also, use plants with lacy leaves and those with big, bold leaves.

Finally look at your new shade garden as a work in progress. It won’t happen all at once. Plan to experiment with different plants, then build on your successes each year. After giving up the battle to grow grass in shade, you’ll soon recognize shade for the landscape asset it really is.

For a more information on plant selection, check out the UGA Extension publication, Compilation of Low Maintenance Plants for Georgia Landscapes, at http://pubs.caes.uga.edu/caespubs/Agriculture/horticulture/H-91-009.htm

Top Ten Plants for Shade

By: Billy Skaggs, Hall County Extension Agent

In last week’s article, I discussed the plight of those lawn and garden enthusiasts who have, some for many years, tried to grow grass in the shade. If you’ve attempted to establish a lawn in a shady location, you understand where I’m coming from.

If you fall into this category, you may be interested in the following list which was compiled by the Georgia Perennial Plant Association a few years ago – Top Ten Shade Perennials. And while this list is by no means conclusive, I hope it will give you a few options to consider.

1. Helleborus, or lenten rose. This perennial offers low maintenance and sumptuous winter and spring flowers. Lenten Rose can provide marvelously attractive flowers of dark maroon to pink and cream, white or even green from winter through early spring. In the Piedmont of Georgia, Lenten Rose may begin to bloom in late December and continue until April.

2, 3. Hosta, Fern. Tied for second place were the families of hostas and ferns, often grown together in shade gardens for their contrasting leaf forms. Both families of plants offer a diversity of forms, sizes and colors to please any gardener and fit any site.

4. Heuchera, or Coral Bells. Heuchera experienced a wave of popularity years ago with the introduction of ‘Palace Purple’. The native Heuchera americana, or alumroot, doesn’t need much improvement. Favorite varieties noted for their performance in our area included H. ‘Amethyst Mist’ and H. villosa ‘Autumn Bride’.

5. Polyganatum odoratum ‘Variegatum’, or Solomon’s Seal. Another native, Polygonatum, was noted by many in its variegated form P. odoratum 'Variegatum' which displays wide ivory stripes on the edges of soft green leaves. It looks best mixed with solid green foliage of other shade lovers so that it's distinctive variegation is not lost among the hosta.

6. Tiarella, or Foam Flower. Tiarella is one of the native joys of spring recognized by many gardeners. This denizen of deep, moist shade is decorated with stalks of pink flowers in early spring and then holds it's beautiful foliage throughout the summer as long as it does not have to deal with hot and dry conditions.

7. Epimedium, or Fairy Wings. The mostly evergreen perennials form well-controlled clumps. Given a shearing in late winter, the flowers pop up quickly, before the new foliage arrives, looking like beautiful small orchids on the wiry stems. New foliage, much of it marked with burgundy edges, takes over when the flowers fade and forms a reliable ground cover.

8. Aster divaricatus, the White Woods Aster. A Georgia native, the small white flowers are not impressive in themselves, but cover the cascading branches in masses of flowers in late autumn. Morning light is recommended for this plant, which flowers better if it is placed at the edge of shady areas, rather than in deep shade.

9. Asarum, or Wild Ginger. Another native. These beautiful ground covers are grown for their foliage, some deciduous and some evergreen, but also have little brown jug-shaped flowers beneath the leaves.

10. Arisaemas, or Jack-In-The-Pulpits. A. triphyllum is the wild flower often seen in Georgia woodlands. Many beautifully colored and complex Arisaemas have been discovered and are being propagated for garden use.