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. Together, these plants will support a large variety of native bees, butterflies and moths. Birds will be attracted by the prospect of larvae to feed their nestlings and seasonal seeds. The plants in this kit are all deer-resistant. Hummingbirds will enjoy Blue Lobelia and Columbine.
The kit features five different flowering shade plants of various colors and heights. The plants offer a range of bloom times from April to October, so there will be something popping from spring through fall.
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
- Allow approximately 1 sq foot per plant; example: 3' x 4' or 2' x 6"plot for 12 plants. Plants of the same variety may be planted closer together for a more filled-in appearance.
Kit Contents:
5 varieties, with 2 or 3 of each (12 total plants), all listed below with details. An image of each plant can be found to the left, pictured in the order listed:
2 - Big Leaf Aster (2")
3 - Blue Lobelia (2")
3 - Columbine (2")
2 - Spiderwort
2 - Woodland Phlox (2")
Plant Details:
Big Leaf Aster (Eurybia macrophylla)
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 Benefits: 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!
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
Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)
Native Perennial
Sun Exposure: Full, Partial, Shade
Soil Moisture: Medium, Medium-Dry, Dry
Height: 2 ft
Bloom Time: April through June
Bloom Color: Red
Attracts: Butterflies, bees, hummingbirds
Pollinator Benefit: Larval Host for Columbine Duskywing Butterfly
Spiderwort (Tradescantia ohiensis)
Native Perennial
Light Requirement: Part Shade, Shade
Soil Moisture: Dry
Soil Description: Various wet to dry soils. Acid-based, Calcareous, Limestone- based, Sandy, Sandy Loam, Medium Loam Clay
Size Notes: Up to about 3 feet tall.
Flower: Flower 1 inch.
Bloom Color: Red , Blue
Bloom Time: Mar , Apr , May , Jun , Jul , Aug
Resists: Deer, Rabbits, Drought
Pollinator Benefit: Xerces Society designation as Special Value to Native Bees and Special Value to Bumble Bees
Woodland Phlox (Phlox divaricata)
Native Perennial
Sun Exposure - Shade, Partial Shade
Soil Moisture - Medium-Wet, Medium, Medium-Dry
Height – 12 inch
Bloom Time - April-June
Bloom Color – Blue, purple, lavender
Tolerance: Deer are uninterested and Drought
Attracts: butterflies, including swallowtails, gray hairstreaks, and western pygmy blues.
Pollinator Benefit: good spring nectar source