You Ask, We Answer: What Are the Best Plants for My Shady Garden?
If your Connecticut yard is more sun-dappled than sun-soaked, you don’t have to miss out on the joy of beautiful plants that not only look lush and green, but also deliver some color and variety to your yard. Shady spots in your yard are ideal for certain types of plants, and as we here at Calcagni Real Estate are garden lovers, we’ve staked out some of our favorite plants for low-light conditions. Here are some of the best plants for your shady Connecticut garden.
Add colorful patterns with caladiums
Caladiums may not flower, but they’re not lacking for color and texture. These green leafy plants prefer shady areas and offer a wide variety of patterns so you can make your low-light patch as interesting as your imagination will allow. And, because they’re perennials, you can continue to enjoy your caladiums year after year.
Add bright hues with impatiens
Impatiens are a flowering plant that add vibrant, happy hues to your shady space. So if you’re craving some color that is easy to care for and won’t break the bank, try adding impatiens to your Connecticut garden– they come in brilliant shades of pink, red, purple, white, and yellow, to name a few!
Most impatiens are annuals, which means you’ll only be able to enjoy them for one year. But the good news is, they’re very low maintenance, so you don’t have to “deadhead” them to get them to continue flowering, and with some indirect morning light, they’ll make your shady spot bright with color.
Go green with elephant ears
Elephant ear plants come in a wide range of sizes and shades of green, and once you fall in love with these plants, you may want to experiment with planting them in multiple places!
While elephant ears are increasingly popular as indoor houseplants, they do well in temperate, shady areas. That means you may want to plant them in containers so you can enjoy them during Connecticut’s later spring through early fall, then bring them indoors to winter happily through the cold months.
While many elephant ears are on the small side, some can grow up to five feet tall, creating a stunning potted plant that is as graceful as it is green.
Plant nasturtium for pretty color in containers
Nasturtium works as a flowering ground cover, but it also looks lovely in containers because it spills over the sides with bright green leaves and colorful blooms.
Plant this annual anywhere you want a happy pop of color; in fact, you can plant it at the base of your elephant ear plant container to add instant white, red, orange, or yellow to all that lush greenery!
If you like to entertain, you can add a sprinkle of nasturtium to your salads for an instant wow factor. The bright flowers look lovely in a green salad, and their edible petals deliver a mustard-like taste that goes beautifully with summer vegetables.
