Shade-loving plants

[Shinyandnew1]

Can anyone recommend for me something shade-loving and fairly low-growing that slugs won’t eat for breakfast?!

I already have alchemilla mollis, heuchera, brunnera, Pulmonaria, ferns and sedum.

I planted an epimedium under a silver birch last autumn and it’s doing well. I also have a tiarella there. They get some sun in the morning and evening so not full shade.

In my slug infested garden we have hellebores, epimedium, gallium, persicaria, Japanese anemone, hardy geranium, primroses, primulas.

And astilbe, i knew I'd forgotten something.

My absolute favourite is melittis melissophylum. Disappears in winter and comes back again for May, flowers little orchid-like flowers for a month or two. The leaves smell vaguely minty and slugs won't touch it. As a woodland plant it can take full shade.

Tiarellas and bergenias

Hostas?

Bleeding Hearts. My absolute favourite in the shadiest part of my garden.

Aquilegias do well in the shade, also solomon’s seal, astilble and goats rue come back year after

That's from 2 years ago and they weren't established, they've really spread now.

In my very shady border, I have these plants that don’t seem to have been mentioned yet:

Omphalodes
Geum rivale
Lysimachia Clethroides
Mukdenia
Galium Odoratum - a bit of a thug if it likes where you plant it!

Also, these are suggestions for Slug resistant hostas

Oh wow, they are lovely!

Has no one mentioned periwinkles yet?

I'm not generally much of a fan of variegated plants, but the variegated periwinkle can really brighten up a dark corner.

Placemarking

also marking!

I have a shady bed that is full of snails. Hardy geranium has done well, as have violets. Sarcococca is ok. Hellebores get munched as do primroses. My hydrangeas don’t get eaten I don’t think? My aquilegias haven’t come back this year, not sure if that’s snails or cold winter.

I like periwinkles but they can take over no?

Epimedium, bleeding heart and tiarella are going on my list and I’ll be back to look up some of the other ones mentioned.

Hardy Fuschias do well in semi shaded areas in my garden.

Love those Dicentras (bleeding heart). Mine died a couple of years back and I need to replace it.

Aspidistra does well outdoors, and loves shade. It's a bit boring to look at though...

Erythronium

My previous garden was mostly in shade from trees and a building - Besides the other great suggestions here, For flowers, lamium orvala did well (loved by pollinators) and can be grubbed back if it gets too large: species aquilegia like A. Formosum; daylilies like 'Stella D'Oro'; several lilies are shade tolerant, Martagon or tigerlily did well. For annuals, lunaria (does well in dryish shade), nicotiania (poisonous so not for young children or animals who chew leaves) and flowering begonias. Corydalis did well too. The soil was a sandy loam with clay spots.

This is just the thread I need!

I have a woodland garden. Rhododendrons and camellias love the shady conditions. Bluebells, snowdrops, Lilly of the Valley, primulas, hellebores, grape hyacinths are all very happy in my garden at this time of year

I have a slug and snail infested garden. Tiarellas, heucheras, pulsatilla, primulas, hellebore all do well in full or half shade.

I like periwinkles but they can take over no?

they definitely can. The variegated vinca minor are less likely to, but best to put them somewhere they can run for a bit. Better behaved in drier shade.

Tiarellas are beautiful! Mine only lasted a few years but that was because the neighbouring vinca major (periwinkle) mugged them, took their wallets and left them for dead on the pavement.

Liriope muscari have done well in my shady, sluggy garden, although they don't flower till September.

Also shuttlecock ferns.

Woodruff and violets but both can be invasive.