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Field Trip! - Part-Shade Perennial Perfection in the Northeastern Landscape!

  • 7 days ago
  • 4 min read
A lush spring garden with vibrant green foliage and pink flowers under sunlight. Moss-covered rocks and dappled shadows create a serene scene.
The forest floor is kaleidoscopic right now!

Welcome back to Bountiful Gardens! Ike and the team have their hands FULL right now, helping customers at our four locations bring their garden dreams to life, so this week, we’re heading out into the field to see what’s blooming here in New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania. Get ready for some part-shade perennial perfection!


Foamflower - Tiarella cordifolia

White Foamflower (Tiarella) bloom amidst lush green ferns in a sunlit garden. Soft purple and pink blooms are visible in the background. Bright and serene.
Foamflower is fern-friendly and deer-resistant!

In the dappled shade of our Eastern forests, you’ll find our native Foamflower sending up its delicate spires of white flowers. This deer-resistant perennial is related to Heuchera, and thrives in part to full shade and moist, rich well draining soils. 

Foamflower (Tiarella), with lush green leaves and white flower clusters in a forest setting with dappled sunlight. Peaceful nature scene. No text visible.
Foamflower forming a colony along a woodland path

Foamflower tends to bloom from April through June, whereas Heuchera blooms from June through August, making them excellent companion plants for multi-season interest along borders and woodland garden paths. 


Mayapple - Podophyllum peltatum

Lush green foliage of large, palmate Mayapple leaves seen from above in a vibrant, dense forest setting. Sunlight highlights the fresh leaves.
Mayapple's leaves look like they're from The Land Before Time!

Forming an ephemeral carpet over rich, moist areas of the forest floor is another native perennial, the Mayapple. These prehistoric-looking leaves hide the plant’s best-kept secret: a single white flower that develops into a fruit relied on by our Eastern Box Turtles. 

Green Mayapple leaves and white flowers grow under tall trees in a dense, sunlit forest. The forest floor is covered with leaves and branches.
Each Mayapple plant produces just one flower, which turns into turtle food!

In fact, it’s believed that box turtles are the number one distributor of Mayapple seeds. When ripe, the fruit is edible to us too, but the rest of the plant is highly toxic, so let’s just leave it for the turtles. 


Ferns 

Stone cottage with slate roof in a lush garden, surrounded by green ferns and blooming flowers. A large white sphere rests nearby.
Ostrich Ferns unfurling in a cottage garden

If you’re looking to add lush, jungle-like vibes to your shade garden, it doesn’t get better than a fern, and a full spectrum of species are currently unfurling in gardens and forests all over the Northeast. 


Woodland Phlox - Phlox divaricata

Purple Woodland Phlox flowers and green plants in a garden setting, with a dark blue bird bath in the background. Sunlight highlights the spring scene.
Freshly-planted Woodland Phlox in a cottage garden

We’ve covered Creeping Phlox, but take a look at its native forest-dwelling cousin, Woodland Phlox! This perennial wildflower thrives in part shade and rich, moist well-draining soil and reaches around 18 inches in height, letting it stand out in a mid-spring flower bed.

Cluster of pale purple Woodland Phlox flowers with green leaves in a sunlit garden setting, creating a serene and vibrant atmosphere.
An established colony of blooming woodland phlox

Its pastel five-petaled, lightly fragrant flowers are beloved by bees, butterflies and moths, and are a fantastic addition to a Cottage Garden.


Wild Geranium - Geranium maculatum

Purple and pink Wild Geranium flowers bloom in a lush garden beside a sunlit dirt path. Green foliage surrounds, creating a tranquil, vibrant scene.
A colony of Wild Geranium along a woodland path

Blooming right alongside Woodland Phlox is another native perennial wildflower, the Wild Geranium. These deer and rabbit-resistant plants form dense colonies that acts as blooming groundcover in both sunny and shady settings. 

Purple Wild Geranium flowers in a lush garden setting, with a weathered wooden bench and tree trunk in the background. Sunlight casts a warm glow.
Wild Geranium glowing from the edge of a shaded seating area

The flowers are beloved by bees, and its seed capsules are feasted upon by birds. Medicinally, Native Americans have used Wild Geranium to treat a variety of mouth ailments and digestive issues. 


Shooting Star - Primula meadia

White Shooting Star wildflowers grow on a forest floor with green foliage in the background. Sunlight filters through the leaves, creating a serene atmosphere.
Shooting Star's flowers are almost alien-like in their appearance.

For unique, downward-facing blooms in part shade to full sun, you can opt for our native Shooting Star, which is actually a member of the Primrose family and thrives in rocky, sandy well-draining soils. 


Candelabra Primrose - Primula beesiana

Pink Candelabra Primrose flowers bloom on a tall stem amid large green leaves in a sunlit garden setting, creating a vibrant and lush atmosphere.
Did you know you could plant perennial Primrose with all the color of annuals?

And speaking of Primrose, if you’d like to bring a burst of Spring color to that soggy spot in your garden, you can plant Candelabra Primrose! 

Pink and white Candelabra Primrose flowers bloom brightly along a gravel path in a sunlit garden, surrounded by lush green foliage in the background.
A group of Candelabra Primrose along a streamside trail

These water-loving perennial pollinator magnets need consistently moist soil, making them perfect for streambanks and rain gardens. 


Bleeding Hearts - Lamprocapnos spectabilis

Pink bleeding heart flowers bloom amid lush green leaves in a sunlit garden, with a blurred wooden bench in the background.
Bleeding Hearts are some of the most classic flowers in any garden.

May is primetime for Bleeding Hearts. These cottage garden classics love rich, moist soils and do best with morning sun and afternoon shade. They attract a wide variety of pollinators like bees, butterflies and even hummingbirds!


Golden Groundsel - Packera aurea

Bright yellow Golden Groundsel flowers bloom among lush green leaves and a few purple blossoms in a sunlit, vibrant garden setting.
Golden Groundsel captures the eye from far away with its bright blooms.

If you’re looking for a plant that will form a swath of glowing yellow blooms, look no further than Golden Groundsel. This native wildflower is known for quickly forming a dense colony that suppresses weeds in the garden, reducing the need for mulch. 

Bright yellow Golden Groundsel wildflowers bloom densely among green leaves in a sunlit garden. A peaceful, vibrant natural scene with no text.
A closeup of blooming Golden Groundsel

It does best in full sun to part shade in medium to wet soils, and stands out like a beacon for bees and butterflies. 


Dwarf Crested Iris - Iris cristata

Purple Dwarf Crested Iris flowers and green leaves amidst foliage on a gravel path. Sunlight filters through, creating a serene, natural atmosphere.
All the Iris magic, in miniature!

Finally, bring miniature magic to your landscape with our native Dwarf Crested Iris! This is a great choice for those tough-to-plant dry, shady spots, and will form a rhizomatous colony over time whose foliage will act as a low ground cover. 

Purple Dwarf crested irises bloom in a sunlit garden, surrounded by green foliage and rocky soil, creating a serene and vibrant natural scene.
A forming colony of Dwarf Crested Iris

These mini Irises are frequently visited by bees and hummingbirds. 

Pink bleeding heart flowers hang from green stems in a sunny garden, with a tree trunk and blurry grass in the background. Peaceful mood.
Bleeding Heart, looking out at a sunny field from its shady haven

There’s so much beauty to behold out in the landscape, and we can’t thank you enough for taking the time to go on this field trip with us. You can find all these plants and SO much more at both Bountiful Gardens Ewing and Hillsborough. 

Light purple Woodland Phlox flowers bloom amid lush green foliage in a sunlit garden. Bright, serene atmosphere, with scattered dappled shadows.
Woodland Phlox along a garden path

Happy planting, and Happy Mother’s Day! See you next week!


 
 
 

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