Kingwood Center Gardens

WMFD's Kingwood Plant Talk: Shade Gardening with Unusual or Rare Plants. (In the order seen on TV, back and forth) by Kingwood's Director, Chuck Gleaves. Most of these pictures are of plants growing at his home garden.

Helleborus niger, Christmas Rose

The readily available but seldom seen fully double Sanguinaria canadense 'Flora Plena', Double bloodroot

The semi-double Sanguinaria canadense referred to informally by the sales catalog as Tennessee Form. Blood root

One of the more popular selections of wood anemone, Anemone nemorosa 'Robinsoniana' Readily available from bulb dealers.

Tolerant of more shade than most plants this species of Comfry (Symphytum azureum) will gradually form large groundcovers in areas few other plants will grow.

The upright wild ginger (Saruma henryii) is a great but rarely used plant for the shade.

The Japanese peony also has attractive fruit.

This seldom seen shade tolerant iris is available from a few bulb dealers, Iris bucharica, cornleaf iris.

It's fun to have some bizarre plants in the garden and Arisaema sikokiana (Japanese Cobra Lily) fits the bill.

This is a foliage plant, but look at that foliage! Syneilesis acontifolia, shredded umbella plant

One doesn't usually think of sedums in the shade nor would one expect a sedum native to our area to be so unfamiliar to many gardeners. Sedum ternatum, woodland stonecrop.

The vivid blue color of Jeffersonia dubia (Asian twinleaf) makes the flowering of this plant a special event.

Here is largeflower valerian again in a different area of my garden. I have it in about three different spots.

Ornithogalum magnum growing with hosta, sedge and other shade plants.

A summer blooming shade plant little known in area gardens. Phlomis russeliana, hardy Jerusalem sage

Widely available at area garden centers, but strangely forgotten when people complain about a lack of color in their summer shade gardens. Ligularia 'The Rocket'

Side by side images of Cimicifuga japonica (Japanese bugbane) which has naturalized in my garden providing a nice sweep of summer bloom.

Once again, one of our own native woodland plants is typically forgotten for garden use. Admittedly some are unimpressed, but I like the bold size,

Diphylleia sinensis (Chinese umbrella leaf) offers subtle pleasures to the avid shade gardener.

Kirengeshoma also has nice yellow flowers late in summer.

And Japanese yellow sage rewards you with yellow fall flowers.

The Plant of the Week

Recognized by the Royal Horticutural Society as one of the very best garden plants, yet very few gardeners have ever heard of, Glaucidium plamatum. The common name of Japanese Wood Poppy is misleading because it is not a poppy nor is it in the poppy family. It is more closely related to peonies.

Glaucidium palmatum also has great foliage as can be seen here in the forground with a fern in the background.

The typical common Sanguinaria canadense, Bloodroot

Close up of Sanguinaria canadense 'Flora Plena', Double bloodroot

Primula kisoana, a running primrose well suited for our area shade gardens

A much more uncommon form of wood anemone the Anemone nemorosa 'Bracteata Plena'

Some bright color for the spring shade garden comes from the seldom used Japanese woodland poppy, Hylomecon japonicum.

A peony for the shade, Paeonia japonica (Japanese peony)

Corydalis solida, Fumewort, is an endearing diminutive shade loving plant that should be better known to shade gardeners.

Not really particularly rare but our native crested iris does have color variants available such as this white form.

Specialty nurseries carry a wide assortment of these relatives of our native Jack-in-the-pulpit suitable for our soils and climate. This one is Arisaema urishima, cobra lily.

This Chinese mayapple has red flowers and bright shiny foliage. Podophyllum pleianthum

Here is the previous sedum growing naturally in the woods of Kingwood Center.

Here is another great shade garden plant growing wild almost in our back yards yet few gardeners know it and grow it. Valeriana pauciflora, largeflower valerian.

Not to be confused with the very persistent weed, star of Bethlehem, this very close relative, Ornithogalum magnum is anything but a weed. Available as a bulb, but rarely sold by the big bulb dealers.

Native to neighboring states of Pennsylvania and West Virginia, Marshallia grandiflora (Monongahela Barbara's button) is not only rare in gardens but it is rare in the wild as well.

It fills its space quickly and provides great foliage when not in bloom.

A big plant for grand affects.

and it has some interesting fruit in the late summer. Aralia racemosa, American spikenard.

It is primarily a foliage plant, and as seen here it offers a nice addition to hostas. Kirengeshoma palmata, yellow wax-bells. Don't let in dry out.

Taken at Plant Delights Nursery this plant makes a dramatic groundcover in the shade. Salvia koyamae, Japanese yellow sage.

Finally, even when the flowers are all gone a shade garden does not have to be boring or even monochromatic.

Glaucidium is, of course, a shade plant, but in addition to that cultural requirement most references say it won't tolerate dryness. This clump is growing at the base of a large spruce tree that does a good job of drying out the soil in the summer.

Foliage is particularly important for the appearance of the garden day in and day out. Here Glaucidium palmatum is a valuable component of this foliage composition featuring yellow wax-bells and a primrose mentioned above along with another species of woodland peony and two species of sedge.