Two things: is this a weed and what would you plant in a dry shady corner?

[Zerox]

Photos attached.

1. is this a weed? It has sprung up everywhere, in borders, in raised beds and even in plant pots. I haven’t seen it before and it’s easy to pull up. If it isn’t a weed, what is it?

2. secondly, what would you plant in a dry shady corner of the garden? The fence facing towards you is west facing and the fence on the left is north facing. It’s underneath two ancient fur trees and the corner itself gets no sunlight.

I planted the hydrangea in 2022 and it’s growing very slowly. There are a few existing daffodils. I planted two salvias, one survived, and I planted two fuschias but neither seem very happy.

Nasturtiums love this place but they are summer only and I’d like a bit of shrub structure to make the place look a bit more loved. And yes, that is a Narnia lamppost.

Thanks.

Yes, that's a weed; some sort of willowherb. Have a look at https://www.plantsforshade.co.uk/
for some ideas for your shady spot.

Thanks for the heads up about the willow herb, especially as I have a dog.

Yes defo been, should be able to pull that up easily by hand

Yes, it's a weed. An annual, so easy to pull up.

Dry shade - try hydrangeas, hellebores and maybe a few snowdrops.

I have a bed against my back wall that gets basically no sunlight.

I plant calla lillies, foam flowers (tiarella) and I have a lovely white fusia. Fusia are shade tolerant generally. Another option is hellebore which usually grown under trees. I have some geom which have also been very successful there. Nearly everything has died or fails to flower at all.

Everything ELSE that should be.

No, it’s not an annual

If you’re wanting to google these, OP - Fuchsia and Geum.

Hydrangeas need lots of moisture (the clue is in the name 'hydra') so won't do well in dry shade like that.

Love Lillie’s! Would snapdragon Lillies grow there,the orange ones?

Also, here’s another photo of something that keeps coming back. I hope it’s some form of bluebell-again, I hope it isn’t a toxic weed.

Careful with lillies if you have cats though.

astilbe
heuchera
ferns
pieris
euphorbia

do well

The one that’s there in the photo is surviving quite nicely -maybe because it isn’t shaded by the trees so much. The actual soil is clay. But thanks for the heads up as I was thinking of planting another one further back into the corner which wouldn’t work, would it? I feel I might be limited to ferns as my snowdrops didn’t flower this year.

That looks like a Spanish bluebell. Lots of gardeners hate them as they take over from our native species but I like them and have several clumps round the garden.

Oh good, thank you @Freysimo -I’m quite happy for them to take over my garden!

I have quite a lot of dry shade, under an oak tree. It's lovely in spring but tricky in summer/autumn - I tend to just leave it to do its thing and concentrate on the rest of the garden. From about April to September it does get some sun. However it's in full shade in winter. Clay soil - in droughts it does all just curl up and die, but it mostly comes back.

What does well:

Hellebores
Daffodils
Forget me knots
Sweet rocket
Foxgloves
Tiarella
Dicentra
Geraniums in the sunnier bits
Ivy and vinca (spread like mad)

Hydrangeas won't like being under a tree - they need water, and trees are thirsty.

My Camellias love the shade. Grow fast and flower loads too.

I think the pine tress will prevent a lot of things growing there. Perhaps try ferns or Cyclamen.

I second a Pieris - mine is also on a west facing wall with only late afternoon sun. It's a windy roof terrace and hydrangea, ferns, camellia, rhodedendron, hellebores, hosta and fuschia generally do well for me. Mine are all in pots so I am careful to water them when needed, especially the hydrangea.

They are Spanish bluebells. Invasive and threatening the native bluebell by hybridising with it.

Oh. Out they come.

Thanks for all your suggestions.

Not Spanish, but the hybrid with the Spanish, which is usually what is meant when people say “spanish bluebell” The true Spanish bluebell is a much lest robust looking plant