An Encyclopedia of Shade Perennials This page intentionally left blank An Encyclopedia of Shade Perennials W. George Schmid Timber Press Portland • Cambridge All photographs are by the author unless otherwise noted. Copyright © 2002 by W. George Schmid. All rights reserved. Published in 2002 by Timber Press, Inc. Timber Press The Haseltine Building 2 Station Road 133 S.W. Second Avenue, Suite 450 Swavesey Portland, Oregon 97204, U.S.A. Cambridge CB4 5QJ, U.K. ISBN 0-88192-549-7 Printed in Hong Kong Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Schmid, Wolfram George. An encyclopedia of shade perennials / W. George Schmid. p. cm. ISBN 0-88192-549-7 1. Perennials—Encyclopedias. 2. Shade-tolerant plants—Encyclopedias. I. Title. SB434 .S297 2002 635.9′32′03—dc21 2002020456 I dedicate this book to the greatest treasure in my life, my family: Hildegarde, my wife, friend, and supporter for over half a century, and my children, Michael, Henry, Hildegarde, Wilhelmina, and Siegfried, who with their mates have given us ten grandchildren whose eyes not only see but also appreciate nature’s riches. Their combined love and encouragement made this book possible. This page intentionally left blank Contents Foreword by Allan M. Armitage 9 Acknowledgments 10 Part 1. The Shady Garden 11 1. A Personal Outlook 13 2. Fated Shade 17 3. Practical Thoughts 27 4. Plants Assigned 45 Part 2. Perennials for the Shady Garden A–Z 55 Plant Sources 339 U.S. Department of Agriculture Hardiness Zone Map 342 Index of Plant Names 343 Color photographs follow page 176 7 This page intentionally left blank Foreword As I read George Schmid’s book, I am reminded that all gardeners are kindred in spirit and that— regardless of their roots or knowledge—the gardening they do and the gardens they create are always personal. As I follow George from the shady glens of Bavaria to his shady garden in Georgia, I am struck by his love of and passion for his avocation, this thing called gardening. And as I imagine a small boy stealing through a picket fence to be liberated by the shady forest beyond, I am mesmer- ized by his appreciation of the virtues of shade in the garden. Shade is to gardening as Oreos are to cookies: having too many can give you a stomachache but having none is cruel and unusual punishment. George takes us through his personal thoughts on shade gardening, letting us know why shade gardening makes so much sense and what plants await the gardener. And plants are important to George, who has little use for the “biological desert” of turfgrass. This man knows his plants. In each genus, he offers the “master” gardener no-nonsense botan- ical information concerning height, flower, fruit, and family; he also provides the newcomer with his thoughts on soil conditions, watering, and, more importantly, the reason one would put a certain plant in the garden in the first place. His favorites become obvious, and his knowledge of the great variety within a genus is enviable and ours to share. I have a great deal of shade in my own garden, and I too wanted “a cooling refuge during the summer months.” So as can be imagined, I plunged into this book and surfaced not only with a better appreciation of my shaded garden but with a broadened understanding of the diversity of perennials that can flourish in such conditions—not to mention a warm-all-over feeling. I enjoy my shaded garden, yet there is always more to learn and to try, and so I visit George often to indulge our mutual shady tastes. He is a gentleman and a scholar, and I come away refreshed by having been with a man who revels in sharing his garden, his plants, and his knowledge. You will be similarly refreshed, and similarly educated. Allan M. Armitage Athens, Georgia 9 Acknowledgments Information for this tome came from many sources, but I want to thank a few standout contribu- tors for their help: Tony Avent, whose Juniper Level Botanic Garden was an inspiration; Darrell R. Probst, who gave generously of his specialized knowledge of epimediums; and Barry Yinger, a font of information on the genus Asarum. As appreciative of the virtues of shade in the garden as I am, Allan Armitage agreed to write the foreword for this book, and I want to thank him for his sensitive words. Sigi Schmid, my youngest son, has accompanied me on many rewarding hikes through the Appalachians; his support, com- panionship, and keen eyes have helped me discover the many small wonders along the way. Sharing the paths of discovery with one of my own sons was and still is one of the highlights of being a father. It is impossible for me to grow all the plants included in this encyclopedia on my half-acre gar- den, and in some instances I have had to rely on photographs taken by others. My thanks again to Allan Armitage, Tony Avent (Plant Delights Nursery), Hans Hansen (Shady Oaks Nursery), Lynne Harrison, Don Jacobs (Eco Gardens), and Sigi Schmid. My thanks to Martin White, designer, and last but not least, I want to thank Franni Bertolino Farrell, my editor. Her attention to detail and intuitive grasp of what I wanted to say transformed my stiff, technical text into nicely flowing, eloquent writing, which makes for enjoyable reading. 10 Part 1 The Shady Garden My grandmother, my mother, yours truly at age two, my father—and the picket fence in my grandfather’s garden, Ottobrunn, Bavaria, late summer potato harvest, 1932. This page intentionally left blank CHAPTER 1 A Personal Outlook Shade Remembered One of my earliest childhood recollections is of shade. During my kindergarten days, frequent visits to my grandfather’s home in the Bavarian hamlet of Ottobrunn allowed me to explore his won- derful garden. I remember clearly the many paths to run along, the vegetables, and colorful flowers everywhere. He even had a raspberry patch, which was strictly off-limits for me during the berry season. I did manage to sneak out a few hard-won berries now and then. Hard-won, because I always got tangled up in the spiny canes. All this was fascinating, but my secret wish was to go beyond the back fence to the dark, shady woods. The picket fence had a gate, which was always locked. I tried climbing, but the obstacle was too tall. Determined, I used sticks to pry loose a couple of the pick- ets. It took a while to get this done, always in secret and a little at a time, but one summer day I fin- ished the job. The way to the mysterious woods was open. I remembered the forbidding stories of bears and other wild animals Grandfather told, so at first I was satisfied to slip through to the other side and just sit there, waiting fearfully for the beasts to emerge from the woods’ edge, just a few feet from the fence. After a few such visits I got up enough courage to leave the bright, hot sun at the fence and enter the dark woods. The tops of the young spruce trees formed a contiguous canopy that sunlight could not penetrate, creating a dry, gloomy world of shade. The trees had lost their lower branches, and the ground beneath was covered with a thick mat of fallen needles. I crawled on all fours to penetrate the thicket. There, a few feet into the woods, I found my favorite hiding place. Its cool, mysterious darkness enveloped me. It was at the same time soothing and scary. Once my eyes got used to the low light, the menacing wild beasts were forgotten, and the thick bed of soft, dry needles became my building material. Following Grand- father’s example, I created a fantasy garden of my own, laying out imaginary garden paths, fences, and houses. My toy soldiers were the visitors, and I paraded them around my dream world. I will never forget the feeling of elation: I had conquered my fears and entered the dark world of eternal shade. With the boundless imagination of a child’s mind, I built my first garden in that shady cor- ner of the woods. Shade became my friend, and so it remains, as I live and garden in the South. 13 14 The Shady Garden Design by Nature I am telling my childhood story because gardening in the shade is not only possible in a child’s imagination. It is gardening designed by nature. As I remember, nothing green grew on the forest floor of my secret garden. I seem to recollect a few mushrooms, but there was no moss and definitely no green plants. But this forest was not nature’s work: it was man-made and badly so. The trees were planted too close. Nature rarely if ever commits such an abomination. In the natural world, shade is as ordained as the sunlight that produces it. Some plants are fated to reach high into the sky, capturing a disproportionate share of the sun’s rays; others, evolved to live under these giants, flourish in the shade. In natural gardens a balance exists, providing myriad levels of light and shade, and various plant life prospers under these varying conditions. In natural forests some plants exist even in the darkest corners of the forest floor. With growth, change becomes inevitable. Nature’s garden is forever changing, and with it changes the shade. The sun-grabbing giants die and fall, making more light for others to rise.