What to plant in shady tree covered area

[magnolia22]

I have a giant tree at the back of my small garden. I’d love to grow something bright and low maintenance along the back of the garden, preferably something that flowers as long as possible.

The tree blocks a lot of light and rain so it would have to be something that can stand those conditions at the moment there is just a lot of ivy and weeds.

I don’t dare try to remove the ivy, I think the fence would come with it!

I would be very grateful for any suggestions. I tend to find that all my bulbs get eaten by squirrels, so long flowering perennials would be the ideal. Because it’s at the back of the garden, it would be great if it was something with a fair bit of impact so it’s visible from the house.

thank you!!

I suggest Astrantia Major>

It likes shade and flowers for a long time - after the flowers fade they remain as dried flowers and from a distance look just as nice. :)

Have a look at this.

https://www.primrose.co.uk/blog/gardening/best-shrubs-for-shade/?source=google&medium=cpc&gadsource=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwjeuyBhBuEiwAJ3vuoWVwcJ8UibOwJWYi-dABL-6JdCQZWVG7KxSuNKOo2T8MAd5OD7ywrBoCQUwQAvDD_BwE

A climbing rose would look fab, try Narrow Water.

And bleeding hearts, some ferns and different grasses.

Can't tell properly from the photo but is it a walnut tree? Depending on the type, some things may not thrive beneath a walnut.

If it is a common/English walnut, we have hellebores and cyclamen coum directly beneath ours, which are both thriving. We also had the crown lifted and thinned to let in more light and have planted a wider range of plants towards the edge of the canopy.

Watching as I have a shady bed along a wall with tree cover.

So far I’ve found lots of plants that grow ok but not much which happily flowers. Hardy geraniums (Rozanne) do pretty well but they are growing very flat, throwing themselves forward to get the light. Hellebores are happy but the flowers aren’t very visible. Hydrangea probably the best so far. Trying a bleeding heart, time will tell.

You could try Vinca minor but it may take over…

I'd plant a row of pyrocanthas in front of the wall as you get two lots of colour - the flowers and the berries. Then think about things that will ring the changes over the seasons eg cyclamen and hellebores and snowdrops to be followed by wood anenomes, white violets, bluebells, sweet woodruff and wild garlic, then astrantias as a pp suggested and lamium both album and the variated version and pignut then liriope and Japanese anenomes and michaelmas daisies. Paler coloured or white varieties will show up better than darker ones.

Ferns do well, as do hydrangeas.

The following should do OK: ivy, foxgloves, rambling rose, climbing hydrangea, ferns, hostas, heucheras, aquilegia, astilbe, campanula, hardy geranium, peony. Some won't do as well as they do in sun.

Edited to add: brunneras, tiarellas, trollius, thalictrum.