Plants for shade part eight. Groundcover plants have a valuable role in sun or shade but I find them especially useful in darker conditions. If a particular plant wants to spread so much the better. Some species are clumpers by nature, others are carpeters, both useful characteristics to fill patches of otherwise bare soil. Also useful are plants that weave in and out of other plants. 

 Case in point Hedge Woundwort (Stachys sylvatica) and Wood Spurge (Euphorbia amygdaloides var. robbiae) increase by means of wiry underground runners. Thus the dark red flower spikes of S. sylvatica and the lime green shuttlecock flowers of E. amygdaloides proliferate in shady settings.

 

 Plants for shade part seven. Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata) is a prolific native of hedgerows and the woodland edge. The leaves do indeed taste of garlic and mustard. There are a good many annuals that tolerate a few hours of shade during the course of the day but they are basically sun lovers. However some of the biennials like A. petiolata are worth introducing to shady gardens.   

 Likewise Honesty (Lunaria annua) will grow in quite deep shade though it prefers brighter shade. It has naturalised widely but was probably introduced to the UK as a garden plant. Despite being called L. annua it is always biennial in my experience. Typically it has purple flowers but there is also the beautiful white flowered variation as seen above. 

 I've never really thought of it an edible but Martin Crawford says the leaves, flowers and tap roots can be eaten. Perhaps I'll put that to the test because both the purple and white forms self-seed copiously round my garden (as does Garlic Mustard).

 Plants for shade part six. Spring flowering bulbs are useful when planting shady areas. Woodland species like the Common Snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis) and the Wild Daffodil (Narcissu pseudonarcissus) are shade tolerant by nature. It's worth noting however that their period of growth takes place early in the year to take advantage of the available light before the tree canopy leafs up. This is generally referred to as "dappled shade".

 For deep shade the options are limited. Ramsons (Allium ursinum) are a good choice but they need a very moist soil to flourish. Forest gardeners and foragers are fond of Ramsons because they live up to their other common name: Wild Garlic. They can be prolific and pungent in damp woods. 

 Our native Bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) will grow in a good deal of shade but I have found it rather tricky to establish in garden settings though it carpets many ancient woodlands. NB nearly all Bluebells sold by the bulb trade are actually a hybrid of H. non-scripta and the Spanish Bluebell (H. hispanica) though it doesn't say that on the packet. 

 As the shade closes in woodland bulbs become dormant but there is an exception. The Ivy-leaved Cyclamen (Cyclamen hederifolium) provides a lovely coda for the shade garden. It flowers in late summer/early autumn in even the deepest, driest shade. Strictly speaking it's a coum rather than a bulb but never mind. Reversing the usual order of things C. hederifolium flowers first then comes into leaf forming a good ground cover over the winter months.

 

 A walk beginning and ending in Hitchin. Actually the first leg was a bus ride to St. Paul's Walden. I arrived on the dot of opening time so stopped for a pint in the Strathmore Arms. I was the only customer and sat by a window watching rabbits running across the field opposite in bright sunshine.

 Then I strolled off through the highways and byways disturbing the occasional pheasant. There are a good many hereabouts and I saw a shooting party in the distance. Man with shotgun vs. waddling bird that can barely fly doesn't seem like a very even contest to me. I suppose there are people who enjoy that sort of thing.

 It was a glorious late autumn day with a distinct chill of winter in the air. I know this stretch of countryside well but still managed to walk in circles at one point trying to find the right path. I decided to adjust the route I had planned to take in a pint at the Red Lion in Preston. Quite by chance some friends were having a drink there and we had a chinwag before I wended my way back to Hitchin. 

 The countryside hereabouts is rolling and undulating; these are the outer reaches of the Chilterns. There are some big arable fields, a certain amount of grazing land and numerous pockets of deciduous woodland. 

 

 Plants for shade part five. Yellow Archangel (Lamium galeobdolan) and Oriental Borage (Trachystemon orientalis) are not deterred by shade, even dry shade. Their tendency to spread makes them good ground cover plants- a useful characteristic to cover bare soil where not much else will grow. Yellow Archangel has variegated foliage all year round. Oriental Borage has big coarse leaves through the spring and summer months. Both have masses of flowers early in spring and attract emerging bumblebees.

 It is sometimes said that bees do not forage in shade. Bees favour flowers in the sun but if there is nectar and pollen to be had in shade they will seek it out, particularly in spring when woodland flowers are at their peak. The aforementioned Comferys and Geraniums are also top bee plants.

 Plants for shade part four. There are Symphytum species to suit a wide range of growing conditions. We might amend Margery Fish's advice about Geraniums to say "When in doubt, plant Comfrey".

 S. ibericum makes excellent ground cover in partial and full shade as does S. grandiflorum (above). Actually it seems to be somewhat obscure whether they are in fact the same species. Both have acquired the common name Creeping Comfrey.

 Several of the taller Comfreys are tolerant of quite deep shade. White Comfrey (S. orientale) is at its most flowery in sun but still grows well in darker spots. 

 Plants for shade part three. "When in doubt, plant a geranium" said the gardener and writer Margery Fish. There is a hardy geranium that will suit just about any aspect and that includes shade. For example Geranium phaeum will clump up and flower in sun, part shade or full shade. 

 Several other species like the low growing ground covering Geranium macorrhizum are similarly versatile. Indeed this seems to be a plant family with good tolerance generally to at least partial shade. I should also mention the humble weed/wildflower Herb Robert (Geranium robertianum) which seeds itself very readily all over the place.