Hi All,

I’m patches 1414 and I’m a newbie. I live in Illinois (right across the river from St. Louis), and I am in zone 5. I've been gardening for many years, but most of that consisted of planting a just few vegetables, shrubs, bushes, and lots of annuals. Well, several years ago I got hooked on perennials, so I invested in a mini-tiller and started playing in the dirt. Wow, this was so much fun and I felt like a kid again! Now, I’m addicted!

In 2004, I tilled up a spot for a shade garden and planted Lily-of-the-Valley, Hostas, various ferns, Bleeding Heart, Coral Bells, Astilbes, Helleborus, and daylilies where there is dappled sun. Well, the Helleborus didn't come up the next year, so I planted another one, but that didn't look very good at the end of the year and I don't it will came back this year. Has anyone else had any trouble with them? Any ideas what I am doing wrong?

I'm sending some pictures of my shade garden in 2004 and 2005. It is the same area, just taken from a different angle. What a difference a year can make!

Have a GREAT day!

patches1414





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"Lord, I love you and I need you, come into my heart, and bless me, my family, my home, and my friends, in Jesus' name. Amen!"

I bought some lentil roses too. Imagine my suprise when I read on the package that it can take up to 18 months for them to sprout. Here is some basic information I have gathered on them so far. I would pay attention to that slight alkaline reference probably most of all. As far as I'm concerned mine fall under the heading of very picky lol.

Conditions for sprouting: Plant in the fall unless you can refrigerate the plant
Mature Plant Care:
Lighting requirements: Partial shade
Watering requirements: Keep Moist
Soil requirements: Stays moist pH: slightly alkaline
Dead Heading: No
Pinching flower spikes: No
Plant spacing: 12 inches
Pruning times and amounts: N/A
Plant Life Cycle: Perennial
Propogation: Seed planted in the fall
Height of Plant: 12 to 18 inches

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Beautiful picture, the front of my house is partial shade. Never planted helleborus though, I've thought about it but could not find them. Lady's Mantle is a good plant for your garden also, packs a bit of color with the astilbes.

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Tamara's Photos
Thinking Spring, Thinking Spring...Nope, doesn't work.lol

I have 4-5 Lenten Rose plants, and they are planted at the north end of my house. They only get a little sun in the colder months when the trees lose their leaves. The ground stays fairly moist there, and I have never done anything to them, other than pile pine straw and leaf litter on them. No fertilizing, no extra watering except in the middle of summer, no dead heading. I've found them to be very hardy, easy to grow and they've all bloomed within a year of getting them. As a matter of fact, I have one blooming that has only that one stem with one leaf above ground. It's a little piece I accidentally broke off last year when I was digging around. I stuck it in the ground and there it grows. I must have just stumbled on to a great way to grow them without even knowing it! lol

Hi Sandy!

Okay, I'll check it out! I'm still not seeing any sign of life and I think I've lost them , but I'm not planting anything else there until I'm sure.

patches

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"Lord, I love you and I need you, come into my heart, and bless me, my family, my home, and my friends, in Jesus' name. Amen!"