Native Shade Garden Kit: We often get questions about pollinator-friendly plants that can thrive in the shade and this kit offers a nice variety for a shady corner. All of these plants together will support a large variety of butterflies and other pollinators. The plants in this kit are deer resistant or not preferred by deer.
This kit contains several flowering shade plants of various colors and heights, including Poke Milkweed to support Monarchs. The plants offer a range of bloom times from April to October, so there will be something popping from spring through fall. A few of these plants are considered premium species and come in a slightly bigger pot.
Design and Planting Tips:
- Prepare your garden site (follow the link for details as well as information about plant spacing)
- A location with full to partial shade, and moderate soil moisture is ideal for this grouping
- Group plants of the same species together
- Consider the height of each plant. Position taller plants at the back and shorter plants at the front
- Plant 1 to 1.5 sq feet each plant
Kit Contents:
7 varieties, with 2 of each (14 total plants), all listed below with details. An image of each plant can be found to the left, pictured in the order listed:
Approximate Garden Size: 4' x 6' or 18–24 sq ft
3 - Wild Ginger (2.5")
2 - Blue Lobellia (2")
2 - Wood Poppy (2.5")
2 - Heart Leaf Aster (2")
2 - Zigzag Goldenrod (2")
2 - Poke Milkweed (2.5")
2 - Penn Sedge (2")
Plant Details:
Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense)
Light: Part Shade, Shade
Soil Moisture: Moist
Soil Description: Moist, rich soils. pH of 6 to 7 is best.
Size Notes: Up to about 8 inches tall
Leaf: Medium green
Bloom Color: Red, Green, Purple, Brown
Bloom Time: Apr, May, June
Fruit: Brown
Deer Resistant
Good Ground Cover
Attracts: Butterflies
Pollinator Benefit: Larval host for Pipevine Swallowtail butterfly
Blue Lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica)
Native Perennial
Sun Exposure: Full, Partial (in moist conditions), Shade (in drier conditions)
Soil Moisture: Wet, Medium-Wet, Medium
Height: 3'
Bloom Time: July-September
Bloom Color: Blue
Resistant: Deer
Attracts: Butterflies, Hummingbirds, Native Bees
Pollinator Benefits: Xerces Society notes Special Value to Native Bees, Bumblebees
Heart Leaf Aster (Symphyotrichum cordifolium)
Native Perennial
Sun Exposure: Partial-shade, Shade
Soil Moisture: Medium, Medium-Dry
Soil: Clay, loam, sand
Height: 3'
Bloom time: September, October
Bloom Color: Light purple
Attracts: Butterflies, bees
Pollinator Benefit: Larval Host for the Pearl Crescent butterfly and the Wavy-Lined Emerald moth; Xerces Society rating: Special Value to Native Bees (Recognized by pollination ecologists as attracting large numbers of native bees.) Supports Conservation Biological Control (A plant that attracts predatory or parasitoid insects that prey upon pest insects.)
Keystone Plant that Supports 133 Different Species!
Wood Poppy (Stylophorum diphyllum)
Sun Exposure: Part Shade, Shade
Soil Moisture: Medium to Wet
Height: Up to 20"
Bloom Time: April-June
Bloom Color: Yellow, orange
Pollinator Benefit: Nectar and pollen
Zigzag Goldenrod (Solidago flexicaulis)
Native Perennial
Sun Exposure: Full Sun, Part Shade, Shade
Soil Moisture: Wet, Moist
Soil Type: Various rich, mesic, acid soils. Tolerates lime.
Height: 2'-4'
Bloom Time: July-October
Bloom Color: Yellow
Deer: Resistant
Attracts: Butterflies, native bees, birds
Pollinator Benefit: Late season nectar source; value to native bees for pollen and nesting materials; migrating Monarchs; Xerces Society identifies as Special Value for Native Bees and Honey Bees; Keystone plant supporting 177 different species
Poke Milkweed (Asclepius exaltata)
Sun Exposure: Sun, Part Shade-great at a woodland edge!
Soil Moisture: moderate moisture and rich organic content
Height: 2-6'
Bloom Time: June-August
Bloom Color: White, Pink, Green
Resistance: Deer
Attracts: Butterflies, bees, hummingbirds
Pollinator Benefit: Larval Host for Monarch; excellent nectar source for other Butterflies and Bees; Xerces Society identifies as Special Value to Native Bees, Bumble Bees, and Honey Bees Host Plant Monarch Butterflies!
Pennsylvania Sedge (Carex pensylanica)
Light: Sun, Part Shade, Shade
Soil Moisture: Dry
Soil Description: Dry to moist soils.
Height: Up to about 20 inches tall.
Bloom Color: White, Green, Brown
Bloom Time: May–July
Bloom Notes: Bloom time refers to the fruiting period for Carex spp.
Resistant to Deer
Attracts: Birds w/ seeds and nesting material
Pollinator Benefits: Larval host plant; supports native bees with nesting material and pollen
info from www.wildflower.org