Monthly Archives: May 2022

Shade-Tolerant Cut Flowers

If you dream of creating beautiful bouquets, arrangements, and wreaths straight from your own flowerbeds, you don’t have to set aside those dreams just because your urban garden may not get as much sunlight as you would wish. Indeed, there are many gorgeous shade-tolerant blooms prefect for your growing space.

About Cut Flowers

Cut flowers are any bloom or bud you might clip from its parent plant for decorative use. It could be a single showy stem in a slim vase or part of an elaborate arrangement, from a bridal bouquet to a table centerpiece to a seasonal wreath. You might wear cut flowers in your hair or create a corsage or boutonniere for a special night or date. You can even weave cut flowers into garlands or other arrangements, bringing floral beauty to all parts of your home.

Top 10 Shade-Tolerant Cut Flowers

Both annuals and perennials can be stunning cut flowers. While many of the most popular, showstopping blooms require full sun, there are beautiful options available whether your garden has just limited sun, part shade, or full shade. When choosing different cultivars, opt for plants that are better adapted to shady conditions so they will thrive in the space you offer.

Some of the best shade-tolerant flowers, perfect for cutting include…

  • Hydrangea – This pretty shrub can be pink, blue, or white depending on the soil pH, and its large, round clusters of blossoms can make stunning arrangements or simple bouquets. Hydrangeas particularly love afternoon shade.
  • Siberian Iris – A perennial bulb, this frilly iris comes in a wide range of colors, including stunning shades of purple and magenta, as well as whites and creams. These flowers perform best in dappled or part shade.
  • Viola – Also known as violets or pansies, these annual flowers come in white, blue, yellow, orange, pink, red, and cream shades, often with colorful contrasting accents. Versatile pansies do well in sun or part shade. Although short stemmed, pansies are perfect for small bedside or countertop arrangements.
  • Foxglove – These perennials make tall, dramatic statement stems with their bold, trumpet shapes and rich colors of pink, purple, apricot, and white. Foxgloves prefer part shade for the best flowering.
  • Alyssum – This tiny annual creates a carpet of delicate, white, sweetly scented blooms in full to part shade and can be an ideal accents for smaller arrangements or can be woven into garlands and swags.
  • Carnations – Different types of dianthus grow either as annuals or short-lived perennials and do well in light or part shade gardens. These flowers come in a wide range of colors, with either smooth or frilled petals for more textural interest.
  • Astilbe – These dramatic perennials have lacy, tapered blooms that add a delicacy to any cut arrangement. Available in shades of white, red, pink, purple, and peach, astilbes do best in part shade conditions, making them perfect for urban gardens.
  • Spiderwort – Small but mighty, these perennials have striking color contrasts of deep purple or blue against white or yellow stamens. They grow best in part shade to full shade and will help fill in any challenging space. Their gracefully arching stems add form and movement to floral arrangements.
  • Hellebore – These very early blooming perennials can offer the first cut flowers from your garden, and they come in a wide range of colors featuring both single and double flowers. Hellebores prefer either part or full shade.
  • Lupine – The tall spikes of lupine are dramatic additions to cut flower arrangements, and they come in a wide range of hues from red, yellow, and orange to pinks and purples. These perennials flowers prefer light shade, particularly in the afternoon.

Caring for Cut Flowers

No matter which flowers you choose for an urban cutting garden, you will want to make the most of each bloom. Cut the flowers when they’re at their peak bloom or just shy of fully blooming and use them in arrangements right away. Use clean, sharp tools for the healthiest cuts, and put the cut flowers into a clean vase with fresh water. Also, keep in mind that the addition of floral food will help nourish and prolong the life of your cut blooms. Change the water in the arrangement every other day, trimming the cut ends of each stem each time to help the flowers take up water more easily.

With thoughtfully chosen, shade-tolerant flowers and proper care after cutting, you can enjoy amazing cut flowers from even the shadiest urban garden space.

Cool Off with Caladium

Caladiums are phenomenal ornamental foliage plants, native to South America and now widely enjoyed in gardens all over the world. Gorgeous in cool, shady spaces, caladiums can make a beautiful impact in darker areas of the garden where it is a challenge to introduce color.

Discovering Caladiums

Also called angel wings or elephant ears, these plants are bold ornamentals with huge, dramatic leaves that are either lance-like, arrow, or heart-shaped. While some caladiums can grow as much as 24 inches high and wide, smaller dwarf cultivars are also available to plant in tiny gardens and containers. All caladiums possess stunningly beautiful, boldly patterned leaves in a mix of colors and hues, including green, white, pink, red, and cream. They often display flamboyant veining, spots, or flecks on the leaves making them even more breathtaking.

Caring for Caladiums

These plants grow from tubers and are easy for gardeners of all experience levels to cultivate. Caladiums are ideal in shady borders or around the trunks of trees, they can be perfect groundcovers in darker garden spots, they are an awesome filler for difficult spaces, and are even stunning in containers and pots. To prevent damage to their foliage, it is best to position caladium in a sheltered area out of strong winds. Caladium tubers can be purchased bare or already potted. Here are some tips to grow the most healthy and luscious caladiums:

  • Choose large, firm tubers for the most vigorous plants with spectacular foliage. Smaller tubers will still grow, but the plant they produce will also be proportionally smaller.
  • Plant caladium tubers in late spring when the soil temperature reaches 65 degrees. A soil thermometer can help ensure that the time is right for planting. You may also get a jumpstart on the season by planting caladium indoors, in pots, about 5 weeks before the anticipated last frost for your area. Simply transplant outdoors when soil temperatures are correct.
  • Position caladiums in moist, well-drained garden soil that is rich in organic matter to nourish strong, healthy, vibrant plants.
  • Plant the tubers in partial to full shade. These plants generally prefer cooler spots but can tolerate a little more sunlight in naturally cooler regions.
  • Plant caladiums 4-6 inches apart and 4-6 inches deep. Smaller tubers may be planted closer together, while larger ones should be spaced further apart.
  • Add a light layer of mulch over planted caladiums to moderate soil temperature, conserve soil moisture, and prevent weeds. Organic mulch will work best and will also continue nourishing these plants.
  • Feed caladiums every 4 to 6 weeks during the growing season. Use a balanced liquid feed poured around the base of the plant or a slow-release fertilizer at time of planting. Adding compost or other amendments to the soil before planting will also assist in nourishment.
  • Water caladium plants well and keep them consistently moist so that they remain beautiful, lush, and healthy during the entire growing season. A drip system or soaker hose will make watering a cinch!

Overwintering Caladiums

Caladiums are “tender” bulbs, meaning that they cannot overwinter in the ground where the soil typically freezes. When the summer ends and temperatures begin to cool, it’s time to dig up and store them for the winter. Once the foliage turns yellow and wilts, the tubers may then be carefully lifted from the ground. They should be placed in a warm, dry location for 10-14 days, during which time the foliage will continue to dry out. The leaves can then be clipped off – use clean, sharp clippers to be sure no fungus or infections are introduced – and place the tubers in a cardboard box or paper bag. Do not use a plastic bag, which will prevent air circulation necessary to keep tubers from rotting during storage and thus rendering them useless for future enjoyment. Cover stored tubers lightly with dry peat moss and store them in a cool (around 50 degrees), dry, dark location, until next spring, when they’ll be healthy and ready to plant again for more incredible foliage.

Caladiums are eye-catching in cool shade gardens. Their bold, colorful leaves and their wide selection of cultivars will add color, brightness, and uniqueness to the shady garden, landscape, front porch, and backyard entertainment space. Consider adding a little drama to your yard this summer.