shady areas

SHADY AREAS
What to plant
When you're dreaming up your spring gardening plans, keep in mind these shade plants recommended by "The Old Farmer's Almanac Gardener's Companion All-Seasons Garden Guide:"
Alpine barrenwort: green, heart-shaped leaves turn bronze in fall. Various flower colors are available.
Bleeding heart: a fernlike plant that produces drooping, heart-shaped flowers in spring.
Bugleweed: with purple and green leaves and blue or pink flowers in summer.
Coral bells: clumps of green or purple leaves topped with pink or white spires of flowers in early summer.
Cranesbill: fernlike leaves and white, pink, purple or blue flowers from early summer to early fall. All but small, compact species are recommended.
Lily-of-the-valley: a low-growing plant with fragrant, tiny white bells in late spring.
Plantain lily (hosta): glossy leaves in various shades of green or blue or variegated forms.
Spotted deadnettle: a hardy ground cover with variegated leaves and, in late spring, purple flowers.
Sweet woodruff: ground cover with tiny white flowers that bloom in late spring.
Wakerobin (trillium): three-leaved plant with white, gold or maroon flowers in spring.
White wood aster: spreading plant that produces white flowers in late summer.
Source: Knight Ridder Newspapers