Jangchub said:

I have a friend living in Riverside and she's been asking me for
recommendations for some new beds in shade most of the day,
wants them
to flower as long as possible, perennial if possible, dry side.

I did give her some basic recommendations, but would like to know if
anyone here has actual experience in that part of the Ag. zone.

They do have deer, but she is not concerned. However, plants which
deer won't run to first would be good. I appreciate any
recommendations. This friend is a Buddhist nun who cares for Lama
Zopa Rinpoche's house, so if you believe in merit, you will certainly
get some for helping with this.

I'm not anywhere near Riverside, WA, but perhaps I can be of some
use...

Corydalis lutea is the longest flowering perennial I have in my garden.
I can have blooms from early spring into late October.

It is short lived but reseeds and grows in spots that vary from some
sun to mostly shaded. It even grows where it has to put up with a
burst of sun in mid-day, which is rather impressive.

In my yard, it grows where other shade plants (like Pulmonaria) have
regularly died due to water stress, but it probably will need *some*
supplemental water.

I also have some Geranium macrorrhizum that puts up with fairly dry
shade.They have a very short bloom period but have (in my opinion)
pleasantly scented foliage that (unlike some Geranium species) never
needs to be fussed with and sheared back.

The one other plant I have that does well in the drier shady corners
is Epimedium x versicolor 'Sulphureum'. Short but very showy bloom
period in the spring. The young leaves are also attractively colored.
This plant is most attractive if you shear off the old foliage (which
is semi-evergreen) in late winter/very early spring, just before the
flower stems start to emerge. (I have another Epimedium with far less
showy flowers but it is just as tough.)


--
Pat in Plymouth MI

After enlightenment, the laundry.

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Jangchub said:

snip

thank you pat, I will report this to Venerable Kim for her
consideration. Lama Zopa Rinpoche is the spiritual director of our
lineage at FPMT aka Foundation of the Preservation of the Mahayana
Tradition. When he goes to his house in Washington in the spring he
loves tons and tons of flowers with many different colors. So, all
of this effort is done for him.

Do you have or know if Cimicifuga racemosa and Tiarella thrive in
those parts?

Tiarella should go to zone 3, but my experience is it struggles when
the shade is dry and (though I haven't grown it myself) Cimicifuga
also likes moister conditions.

I've been thinking, though, and recalled that my sister-in-law in Nebraska
(two zones colder and much drier than my lgarden) has Campanula
glomerata blooming in a part-shade spot. (And I grow several different
species/varieties of Campanula in partly shaded spots.)

She also grows Callirhoe involucrata (Wine Cups aka Purple Poppy Mallow)
in sun to part shade areas. They are late spring/summer bloomers.
Very attractive low, creeping plants. (I ought to ask her for some seeds.)

I wish I cold grow these down here. No such chance. I
also recommended Columbines, among many others. The plants need to
be
not much taller than about 20" because this bed is under a window. C.
racemosa is taller, but I don't know how it behaves there. Either
way, Venerable's questions have given me a new found desire to garden
again. It will be 77 most of the week so maybe I will be out there
weeding and removing spent items.

Heh. It may stay (barely) above freezing for 24 hours on Saturday.
I think we've been above freezing at all maybe three or four times since
Christmas. (It's been colder than usual this winter.) On the other hand,
I rather like having the winter 'down time.' Just don't appreciate the
way the wind can cut right through you sometimes. (Like last night,
walking to and from the car when my daughter and I went to our
Japanese culture class.)

--
Pat in Plymouth MI

After enlightenment, the laundry.

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