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HOME JANUARY 2018 6 Winter is the perfect time of the year to plan for the upcoming growing season. It seems everyone has that one shady area that they want to improve. So let's take a look at some perennials that might be the answer to your woes. We all know the traditional perennials that grace shady gardens like hostas and ferns but what if we want more color. Is there anything out there that can add more flower power to the area? The answer is yes. Now, I'm not saying get rid of the hostas and ferns, they provide great contrast and texture for these flowering plants. First, determine the amount of shade you have. There is everything from deep shade to filtered shade to morning sun and after- noon shade. All of these constitute a different type of shade. This will help you determine which plants suit you and your area best. Some plants will grow in all of these areas, but it may affect the amount of flow- ering you receive. The experts at your local garden center can help you with this. When dealing with perennials I like to break the plants down into when they flower; spring, summer and fall. The objective here is to have something flowering throughout the whole growing season, and if you can get them to overlap, even better. These are the plants that I have found to work the best in my gardens. Spring Let's start with spring to early summer. Some of my favorites include bleeding hearts, columbine, Lenten rose, lungwort, pasque flower, perennial geraniums, and Jacob's ladder. Use these in combination with each other to cover from early spring to early summer. My gardens start with pasque flowers and Lenten roses in early spring and fill in with the rest as spring progresses into summer. Summer Early summer through summer is next. As my spring perennials start to fade, the summer bloomers start to kick in. These include astilbe, monk's hood, masterwort and perennial geraniums. I like to use dif- ferent varieties of astilbe, because they all flower at slightly different times, to give me my strongest color. I also like to use the ever-blooming geraniums because they bloom from early summer into fall. The others I just splash around for interest and diversity. I call these head-turners; they surprise people as they walk through the garden. Late summer through fall This brings us to late summer through fall. This is the time most people's gardens are looking tired, but mine are still going strong. I use anemones, cohosh or snake- root, ligularia, true perennial mums, queen of the prairie, turtle's head and toad lilies. The anemones and ligularia give me the biggest show, but the others are scattered throughout again for added interest. Of course, the mums give outstanding color as well, especially late in the year. If you're in need of groundcovers, I've found the best flowering ones to be vinca and lamium. The vinca blooms in spring and the lamium late spring through fall, if you keep up with deadheading. As you can see I have a lot of shade in my landscape and have found these perennials to give me the best show. Brighten up your shady spots with some of these, but most of all, play around with them and have fun. Happy Gardening. (Michael Timm is a horticulturalist at Ebert's Greenhouse Village in Ixonia.) Submitted photo Lenten rose is another spring and early summer favorite of the author. Submitted photo Mixed blooms create a delightful summer blend for shady spots around the house. Michael Timm Switch grasses and burning bush are late-fall complementing plants. Submitted photo Bleeding hearts provide welcome color in spring and early summer. MICHAEL TIMM Flowering perennials for the shady garden

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