Shade Perennials

I was inspired by a recent trip to the Cleveland Botanical Garden Center to tackle the shade section of my long border.  Following one of my own rules, I finally moved three early blooming astilbe to the middle of the border, and relocated a pink turtlehead chelone lyonii 'Hot Lips' to the front.  I bought another turtlehead and put it next to the transplanted one.

 The plant with the yellow flowers in the middle of the above picture is a yellow waxbells Kirengeshoma palmata.  This plant was also in Cleveland.  It will get big - up to about three feet.  I hope that I like it when this section has matured.

I also put in two windflower plants Anemone 'September Charm'.  Their blooms appeared right away on wiry stems.  The other day I was walking past my neighbor's house and noticed that they had the same windflower.  Theirs, however, was huge - about four feet by four feet. I'm not sure what I will do if mine get that big.

 

The plant on the right is liriope.  It has started to bloom.  I volunteered at Elm Bank, a Massachusetts Horticultural site, this past weekend, spent time weeding liriope, and learned a few tricks on dealing with its aggressive growth habit.  First, it's better to divide in the spring.  If you are going to divide in the fall, get a garden knife and cut away at the root ball.  Good luck trying to divide it with a spade.  When I do divide, I am going to put some of the plants in my front beds.  Lots of gardens in Washington, DC use liriope as a ground cover for their shrubs, and it looks very elegant.