Shade-loving plants - like pulmonaria but not that

[gruffalololo]

We have a patch in the garden that doesn't get a huge amount of sun. It's currently got a load of pulmonaria, but I'm so so sick of the mildew. I cut them right back but then the healthy leaves seem to get infected. Between the cut back pulmonaria and dead bluebells, that patch is very sad.

Can clever gardeners of MN recommend some other shade-liking plants for me to replace the pulmonaria with? I like things like ceonothus, lace cap hydrangeas, eucalyptus. I don't like things like that slugs like, but I can't face fighting them anymore.

Also: there seems to be some dead leaves on the soil atm - is that adding to the mildew problem? Should I leave the soil a good clear-out?

London pride

Thanks for the suggestion. I've seen them around and don't massively love them, but maybe it's still better than mildew!

Brunnera- masses of lovely small blue flowers
Wood sorrel- white flowers and covers ground with lovely green leaves
Astrantia like shade and damp
Aquilegia don't mind it
Slugs don't bother any of them

that middle pic is sweet woodruff...which spreads like wildfire.

Dig the leaves in when turning over. Old leaves make new soil, ultimately.

my garden is half shaded woodland. At the moment things that are doing very well in the shady bit are viburnum, poppies and ferns. Your lace cap hydrangea also do quite well. Fatsia japonica. Climbing hydrangea. My bleeding heart are just finishing but were stunning.

crocosmia at the back of the border are lush green early summer then pops of orange.

Thanks! Brunnera looks lovely but the leaves look worryingly like the pulmonaria 😦 wood sorrel is gorgeous, I'll investigate!

Are there any evergreen plants that flower in spring/summer? Something to look at in winter...? (Am I too optimistic?)

Flowering hebe?

Thanks for the shady suggestions! We actually have a lot of those already 😊 love the crocosmia and bleeding hearts (which we don't have).

What about some tulips or aliums or won't they survive the shade?

Got a hebe too already!

Oomphalodes Cherry Ingram are evergreen and bright blue - just finished flowering for me
Gallium Odorata currently in flower. Not evergreen
Heuchera are evergreen - flowering around now
Bergenia - might not flower terribly well
Dwarf variegated Rhododendron
I think I’ve got an evergreen Euphorbia in my shade border
Lonicera Henryii Copper Beauty if you want an evergreen climber. I only planted mine last year so can’t say how well it flowers in shade
Hardy Geraniums - there might be an evergreen one which does well in shade. I have Ellsworthy Eyecatcher which has fabulous leaf colour over winter but it does get some sun. I’ve got Nodosum Silverwood in dry shade but can’t remember if it kept its leaves.

Japanese anemone
Foxgloves
Hellebore
Aquilegia

Solomons seal
Hosta
Fern
Sweet woodruff
Green alkanet
Heucheras
Hellebores

Arum lily
Liriope
Creeping jenny

For a shrub why not something like Mahonia, Viburnum "Eve Price" or a Sarcocca - all of these are evergreen, fragrant flowers and do well in shade.

Is the shady place near a wall? A climbing hydrangea does best in a north facing/shady aspect.

Native white primroses do well in shade and are cottagey.

For ground cover what about hardy geraniums, heuchera's and tiarellas? All have pretty leaves and nice flowers.

I also love actea's, japanese anemones, dicentra and foxgloves for perennials/biennials that do well in shade.

My best-performing shade plants are: heuchera, heucherella, coleus, ferns, strawberry begonias, wild violets, foxgloves, thalictum (variety "Black Stockings", it's beautiful), hellebore, wood anemone.

Heuchera and coleus are particularly rewarding - there are so many varieties of them, and they are so striking and colourful and textured.

I've got the following in my full shade corner, all of which are quite happy:
Bergenia (evergreen perennial -meant to flower in Spring but may flower more in sun than shade, even so, leaves are quite attractive).
Dicentra (Bleeding Heart) - Elegant foliage and flowers in Spring.
Mahonia - Evergreen and Winter interest (yellow flowers).
Fatsia - Evergreen.
Astilbe - Summer flowers, but lovely leaves in Spring.
Japanese Anemone - Really versatile, pretty, can get early flowering varieties (Spring) and late Summer/early Autumn flowering varieties.
Dryopteris ferns.
Myosotis (Forget-me-not) - Sweet blue frothy flowers in Spring.

Pachysandra - evergreen, slow growing ground cover, small white flowers late spring / early summer RHS link

Christmas box Sarcococca Confusa
Ferns
Hydrangeas
Rhododendron
Skimia
Fatsia
Camelia

All in my shaded border and we have millions of snails but they dont eat these.

Thank you all so much. I'm off to Google all the names now!

Ferns! This is a lovely alternative type although I prefer the greens usually.

https://www.ballyrobertgardens.com/products/athyrium-niponicum-var-pictum-ursulas-red?pos=19&sid=cf898da69&_ss=r

Mildew sounds as if the soil is too dry. It’s worse if you have a combination of dry soil and damp or still air. Suggest you check out all the plants you like for whether they’ll grow in dry shade as opposed to just shade.

This is my shady corner in the making. The ground cover is mind your own business (I think!) given to me by my brother and it's spread like wildfire. Then there's a cornus elegantissima and in front of that is a pretty blue flower which I have no idea what it is, and need to move as it's getting swamped! There's also a fern in a pot which needs planting among the mind your own business!

I'd LOVE a tonne of Japanese anemone but they only seem available in seeds. I don't have the best of luck with seeds. Or are they easy?

I also liked the suggestion of a mahonia. Their leaves are quite striking.

We have a fern already so I know ferns do well in that shady corner. PP's coloured fern is very attractive, definitely a contender.

We also have - and these have just gone in this year - a climbing hydrangea, lace cap hydrangea, hebe, ceonothus and osmanthus. I wonder if I ought to get a few more hebes, as I like their leaves so wouldn't be that sad if they didn't flower much.

If you want Japanese anemone just ask on Facebook and watch out when everyone local wants to dump one on you - if they are happy they can be quite the thug. I'm surprised you can't find any to buy but maybe they are on sale more in the autumn when they flower.

I have asarum Europaeum in clumps along my shady patch, it looks lovely right into the winter. And spreading nicely.

Has anyone said Camellia?

I'll keep an eye out in autumn. Though thuggish doesn't sound good. I had a tough time ridding the back bits of the garden of alkanet earlier this year... most thuggish.