by Connie Oswald Stofko
Here’s a quick tip for shady gardens: use annuals.
I talked with Kathleen Pratt on the Amherst Garden Walk last weekend, and visitors exclaimed over how much color she had in her gardens even though her yard is so shady.
One way she does it is by using annuals. Pictured is the window box on her shed. It contains wandering Jew, which is a plant many of us use indoors; begonias, coleus and fuchsia. The trailing white flower in front is an annual, but she doesn’t know the name of it.
Bonus tip: If you are thinking of sharing your garden on a garden walk next year, you don’t have to know the names of all the plants in your garden! Go ahead and sign up anyway!
I’ll show you more views of Pratt’s gardens in a later post.
Here are the garden walks coming up this weekend:
- City of Tonawanda Garden Walk – Friday, Jul 13, 2018 – 8:30 pm – 11:00 pm
- City of Tonawanda Garden Walk – Saturday, Jul 14, 2018 – 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
- Garden Walk of Niagara Falls, USA – Saturday, Jul 14, 2018 – 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
- Hamburg Garden Walk – Saturday, Jul 14, 2018 – 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
- Lockport in Bloom garden walk – Saturday, Jul 14, 2018 – 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
- Samuel P. Capen Garden Walk – Saturday, Jul 14, 2018 – 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
- Scene Garden Club Walk in Springville – Saturday, Jul 14, 2018 – 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
- Pendleton Petal Pushers Garden Tour – Saturday, Jul 14, 2018 – 11:00 am – 4:00 pm
- Lockport in Bloom Twilight Tour – Saturday, Jul 14, 2018 – 6:30 pm – 9:00 pm
- Capen by Night Garden Walk – Saturday, Jul 14, 2018 – 8:00 pm – 10:00 pm
- Hamburg Garden Walk – Sunday, Jul 15, 2018 – 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
- Lockport in Bloom garden walk – Sunday, Jul 15, 2018 – 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
- Garden tour in Alden, Elma – Sunday, Jul 15, 2018 – 11:30 am – 4:00 pm
See more great gardening activities on our Events page.
The unknown white flower appears to be “Browalia”. It comes in a purple/blue color and the white. I use both with success in my shade garden. The white looks like little stars at dusk, and really makes the coleus pop. Have trouble finding the white, and am always on a quest to locate it. Plenty of the purple/blue around, but not the white. Hope the Garden Centers are listening!!
Do you fertilize shade area the same as full sun areas? also I was told to fertilize every time I water but to use a low dose of fertilizer is this correct?
Barb, I knew one of my readers would know what it was! Thanks! I’ll tell the garden centers that I work with that people are looking for white Browalia.
James, petunias, verbena, and calibrachoa need fertilizer every time you water. See more here. Follow the directions on your fertilizer for whatever plant you have. I hope that helps.