how to get color in a shade garden

Since I was a novice at videotaping, I was nervous and made a few mistakes when naming a few plants - I often called heucheras - hellebore, and said yew, when I meant hemlock.

[@caroct134]

I am in love with all the green textures and colors and shapes... lovely! Thank you 🙏 for the walk through

[@neverlostforwords]

What a beautiful garden! All your plants are so well cared for, and they are in sparkling condition. I hope you continue your interest and love of gardening for many years to come. Thanks for sharing. :)

[@Karen19820]

I am so excited to find your gorgeous garden video. Thank you for naming them as you go, too. Blessings. 🌹🌷🌸🌺

[@marygarlough1589]

thanks Karen!

[@jiriblazej2396]

Super Garden Karen!!!!!!!

[@daniellegaudet1161]

So much variety! I love all your beautiful hydrangeas. I live in Newfoundland, Canada (Zone 5) and my garden is also a shade garden. My garden is three years old, and coming along beautifully. Thank you for sharing.

[@marygarlough1589]

good luck with your garden Danielle - I just posted an updated video.

[@deblee4376]

I love your video without making us dizzy. lol. Your plants are lovely. I think some people assume shade gardening is 100% shade, but most plants enjoy a good bit of sun. Continue the good videos. Thank you so much.

[@marygarlough1589]

Thanks so much Deb!!

[@kristinezickgraf9746]

I am familiar with all the plants mentioned. All will be fine to zone 4, except Japanese forest grass (hakanakoe) might struggle a bit until established. Begonias, coleus, elephant ear, are annuals this far north. This garden is sure an investment in planning, labor, patience, and money. The gardener seems pleased and proud. Good rewards for a job well done.

[@marygarlough1589]

Thanks Krisitine! Yes, money and labor are involved, for sure! But I'm retired so I do have the time. And you're right - patience!!

[@elizabeths4371]

Love the varieties and colours of the Hostas and Heucheras, and they way you've mixed them in with the grasses, groundcovers, and hydrangeas: the results are very cool, soothing and visually relaxing

[@marygarlough1589]

thank you so much!

[@David-sc2ir]

Beautiful garden :) Watch out with the ligularia's.... I planted these and they have become invasive throughout the garden, popping up from seed EVERYWHERE!

[@Fitzwillyfl]

What a stunning garden!

[@marygarlough1589]

thanks - just made another video!

[@GrassNectar]

I'm trying to hind a chain link fence on a part shade /shade area of my new home. This really helped!! Love the Japanese forest grass!!

[@marygarlough1589]

great! Can't remember if I said in the video since it's been a few years, but we attached bamboo to the cyclone fence and it's been 4 years. Still looks great. If you get snow, be sure to raise the bamboo high enough so the bottom few inches aren't sitting in wet snow for months.

[@mylynnj3792]

Absolutely love this shade garden. So many gems to discover.

[@marygarlough1589]

Thanks Mylynn - I have since replaced the heucheras with dwarf goatsbeard and moved a few things around. Like everyone else, I still have a few areas where plants seem to struggle for some reason. But on the whole, it's a pretty low maintenance garden. Some of my ground covers - like creeping jenny - need to be pulled frequently so it doesn't take over.

[@MollyMcBooter]

That is absolutely beautiful. All those different plants surrounding the walkway like that 😍 It feels like a little fairy could come flying out at any minute haha :)

[@jimgarlough9405]

thank you so much - such a sweet compliment!

[@cathy8819]

Absolutely stunning garden. It flows so nicely and everything blends so well. Thanks for the tour.

[@marygarlough1589]

Thanks Cathy - you know how much gardeners appreciate compliments.

[@sandylipe7823]

I love all your textures and colors. Beautiful!

[@LindasFlowersandVegetablesGard]

Bueatiful shade garden! Love the fens ,grasses! subscribed!

[@annacole5023]

I love your garden!

[@carefreedelight2355]

You give me so much hope!

[@kathleenmiller7781]

Ur garden is absolutely beautiful and my gosh... so well thought out. thanks for sharing ur hard work with awesome results....

[@marygarlough1589]

thanks so much Kathleen!

[@GardeningWithPuppies]

Beautiful shade garden.

[@elsagrace3893]

Oh, do another tour! It’s been 3 years. It’s lovely. I’d love to see it now too.

[@marygarlough1589]

You are so kind - It has changed due to a fair amount of transplanting. I'll try to do another video in June!

[@michaelpickens1226]

Love your selections 👍

[@bighouseplant]

Oh my this is GORGEOUS. So inspiring! Thank you for this video!

[@marygarlough1589]

thanks very much!

[@larryroberts8809]

Rhododendron bush or tree, azaleas, dogwood tree,impatience, delphinium,lots of wildflowers.some leaf color can be different colius, hostas, tradescantia,gentianella,

[@ericagardens1234]

Stunning!🌿💕🌿 thanks for sharing!

[@marygarlough1589]

thanks Erica!

[@miriamrivera8241]

Beautiful garden! !! thanks for sharing! !

[@911truthfarmer]

So lovely, thanks for sharing. Really giving us some ideas.

[@marygarlough1589]

Hi Everyone - I'm sorry that I didn't say my zone and location - I'm southeast Michigan, zone 5/6

[@hatgiongnhapkhaunguyenbaobi]

Thank you for naming them as you go, too. Blessings. 🌹🌷🌸🌺

[@riverdove1533]

So beautiful! I love it...thank you!

[@SamCole]

What zone are you? Beautiful garden/landscape. Please make a video of how you prune them when in dormancy. Thanks for sharing.

[@marygarlough1589]

Hi Sam - I'm in SE Michigan. With the exception of the hydrangeas, which I never prune, I whack everything to the ground and cover it all with about 3" of mulched oak leaves. The fall season is a lot of work for about a 3 week period.

[@teresagreen81]

@@marygarlough1589 would love a video on what you do in the fall

[@marygarlough1589]

I'm Southeast Michigan - between zone 5&6

[@sherrywalker4619]

You have done a ton of work! It looks awesome!

[@marygarlough1589]

Thanks Sherry - the limelight hydrangeas are continuing to grow which makes me happy-- even though they could surely use more sun.

[@marygarlough1589]

Thanks Sherry!

[@matthewedwardsRHS]

How far from the neighbour's fence should one plant a hydrangea so as not to be so close as to force the neighbour to cut it back unnaturally hard to prevent it from encroaching on their path?

[@marygarlough1589]

really depends on the variety of hydrangea - and I would also talk to the neighbor and see if they would actually like the blooms on their path or would feel the need to prune it. Some grow a lot larger than others - the fence would also help keep the branches and blooms on your property rather than theirs. Might be an issue if it's on their walking path - if not a walking path, they might not mind at all.

[@bagsandbling7564]

Thank you so much for sharing your fabulous shade garden! I've gotten alot of ideas from your garden that I can't wait to try myself. I see you have irrigation sprinklers installed. Did you install them yourself and how often do you turn them on? Also, do you fertilize this bed and if so, how often and with what kind of fertilizer?

[@marygarlough1589]

Hi - So sorry for the late reply. The irrigation system was here when we moved into the house. I really don't love it - a drip system would be so much better. I only use it when we're out of town, otherwise I deep water with a hose. I never fertilize other than my layer of deep mulched oak leaves in the fall. Makes great compost!

[@svetikg1]

Do an updated garden tour please :) so beautiful

[@rprimeauableful]

Nice, I like to see a nice shrub garden

[@christinaeilers3562]

I wonder how your garden looks like now?

[@marygarlough1589]

just made another video - Chapter Two - hahaha

[@Irvingsalem]

Mary , Is there a functional reason you guys put landscape stones over the splash pan for the down spout ? (7:51of video ) Or is it just because it looks prettier than a naked splash pan ? It looks like a nice idea - I'm going to copy this for a couple of my naked splash pans , thank you....

[@marygarlough1589]

Not really - when we moved here there were tons of river rocks everywhere. So I gave most of them away and still have a few here and there. My problem though is that leaves and debris get caught up in the rocks on the pan, so I'm always cleaning it out!!

[@Irvingsalem]

@@marygarlough1589 - Thanks so much ! I understand - we have lots of river rocks too - but it was our mistake , having grown up in the desert Southwest I never thought about a leaf problem in our MN home....but still so much better than the horrible yard we started with ....I'm going to borrow that stone look you have there and put more stones by our water barrel. Thanks again

[@tomwessling7065]

Is what you call Hellebore or Heuchera? I'm confused. Such a beautiful garden!!!! Thank you for sharing your hard work.

[@marygarlough1589]

Those are two different plants - hellebore is often called Lenten Rose.

[@Big-ib3kx]

I’m sure she meant Heuchera because that’s what they are

[@mylynnj3792]

Would love to see updated garden tour.

[@marygarlough1589]

I just posted an updated video !

[@lucy301983]

Hi Mary, your garden is so beautiful, can you tell me your zone? and how much hour of sun the hydrangea have? I am in Zone 5 and my mop head hydrangea bud dosen;t make it to bloom

[@marygarlough1589]

Hi - I am southeast Michigan - between zone 5 and 6. The hydrangea gets dappled sun in the afternoon but never for long direct periods of time. It's not a mop head though - it's a flat lace cap. I think mop heads are very unreliable in our zones and depending upon late freezes in the Spring, they don't bloom. I've replaced all my Endless Summer and mop head varieties with Annabelles, Quick Fires,Limelight , Oakleaf, and my new favorite - Bobos. But if you want that hot pink and purple color, then I guess you need to stick with the mop head variety. I just got frustrated with how much space they took up and how unreliable they were in blooming.

[@lucy301983]

@@marygarlough1589 thanks Mary, I like to see some color at least some flowers 😂. I think I should plant lace cap and Annabelle or something that willl performs and reliable.

[@trishasargeant6435]

Stunning garden! I just love Hostas, I'm trying very hard to keep the slugs and fly's away, uphill struggle?' anyway watched your video ended up ordering a shed load more Hostas. Thank you for sharing.xx

[@jimgarlough9405]

Same here - Sluggo bait works well and sometimes I put out a small dish of beer to catch loads of them. My problem is rabbits - they love to eat the new little hosta leaves as they first come out of the ground in Spring.

[@trishasargeant6435]

Hmmm, I might have gone a bit overboards... Lol. Nah you can never have enough beautiful plants!? Thank you again for an easy to watch video.

[@susanhull1098]

Very, very pretty.

[@chrisolson1755]

Gorgeous!!! Does the tough stuff hydrangea flower in dappled sun? or do you have those in full sun?

[@marygarlough1589]

I do not have any tough stuff hydrangea. I have a row of limelights which are now more mature and doing ok in just a bit of sun.

[@chrisolson1755]

Mary Garlough thank you 🌷

[@TheAgentmigs]

Looks great! What zone do you live in?

[@marygarlough1589]

zone 5/6 - I'm in SE Michigan.

[@vipajoclto]

Beautiful beautiful garden that you've created! What state do you live in? I love plants but I live in a very hot area (zone 9b) and its very hot and dry in the summer and it gets very cold in the fall too! So I struggle a lot with plants and my selection is so limited because they don't survive! I wish I had a garden like yours! Congratulations‼️👍 it's gorgeous ‼️

[@pureamerican100]

vipajoclto>I know exactly what you mean. I live in zone 9a. I' am trying to figure out what to plant in the shady part of my yard. Even though it's shady, lots of things we've plant haven't survived the heat. But like her Japanese Forest grass! I'm going to try ONE small plant to see if it'll work. I'm tired of investing in plants to only have them die. I'll do the one. If it survives, I'll purchase more to fill the area. LOL!

[@marygarlough1589]

Thank you - I live in Michigan. The winters are the key for us - the last two have been very mild but if it's crazy cold, it wrecks the hydrangeas but most everything else is ok.

[@marygarlough1589]

I'm in Michigan. So very different than your zone. But you don't have our harsh winters!

[@doowopshopgal]

Ridiculously beautiful can you update if you have not already I will check

[@3pumpkins170]

Hello, just came across your video. Nice shade garden! How's the garden doing now after 6 years? Was wondering what zone you're in? I'm trying to get ideas on what to plant in my shade garden in zone 9a.

[@marygarlough1589]

I'm in Southeast Michigan - zone 5/6. Garden is ever changing but doing very well. I would have absolutely no ideas about zone 9 - possibly google your zone and type in shade perennials - that's how I started. Good luck!

[@Twig-The-Wonder-Kid]

Beautiful.

[@SamCole]

FCreeping jenny comes back every year? Thanks for the idea for the shade garden

[@marygarlough1589]

yes - comes back every year. Rather invasive but easy to pull out.

[@thorkeck]

Very Nice!

[@bayargelenkhuu2933]

I love your garden but I don’t know anything about garden so can you write names and also give us closer look to the plants? Thank you

[@jimgarlough9405]

Sorry but I just don't have the time to do that - I spent lots of time on the internet and library researching shade plants for my zone and growing conditions. Hopefully you can do the same - you'll learn lots!!!!

[@arizonajo2791]

Beautiful!

[@Brockthedog315]

Wonderful.

[@barbarapemb3805]

Very interesting in 2020 too thank you!

[@juliearnold5065]

I love it.

[@CharmieBAlvaro]

Wonderful...

[@tambij]

Love Love Love all the Hydrangeas looks amazing! What zone do you live in? 🌺🍃🌼

[@jimgarlough9405]

I'm zone 6 - SE Michigan

[@plumber1331]

you've done a wonderful job to your property beautiful. ..

[@marygarlough1589]

Thanks Jason!

[@marygarlough1589]

You're very kind - thank you!

[@CCCC-tq8yo]

It's been 4 yrs u have a update videos

[@marygarlough1589]

yes! I just posted one today!

[@camillocci]

what is the ground cover behind the soloman seal @:46 , you might have said it and i missed it, so apologies if u did

[@marygarlough1589]

it's called false lamium - I have it everywhere. A bit invasive but easy to pull out.

[@quercusrubra3633]

You referred to your Heuchera as Hellebore.

[@plumber1331]

can I ask what zone are you in..

[@marygarlough1589]

hi Jason - so sorry for the late reply - I basically figured no one watches the video!! Anyway,, I'm in SE Michigan, zone 5/6 - everything depends on the harshness of the winter - the last two winters were very mild.

[@LucAskAng]

Thanks for your video. The Japanese Forest Grass inspires me. Gonna try it in mine.

[@melissa27292]

she says shade garden but I can clearly see bright sun on the plants??

[@marygarlough1589]

There are many types of shade - mine is not dense shade. I probably have dappled shade as the sun moves through the tops of all the oak trees. I have one area that gets maybe 11/2 hours of sun at the most - but other areas maybe 30 min. of dappled sun.

[@marygarlough1589]

I have dappled sun for an hour or two during the day - I would say it's bright shade rather than dense shade. But most of the time there is very little sun due to the oak trees.

[@malcolmbrown8738]

P

[@juliancoulden1753]

Lovely but I wish you would call your garden a garden...... not a yard! A yard is to be found in a farm.

[@carefreedelight2355]

Thank you for mentioning the names of all the shrubs, and I mean all! So many u tubers just don’t do that! So grateful to you , and so helpful.

[@Monk-Amani.]

Beautiful.

[@1Kent]

Beautiful! If you're still there please update.

[@HS-mt6ox]

This is a Beautiful Garden ... I hit the replay button and watched it twice!

[@Opa773]

What zone are you in? You have my dream garden ? Thank you for sharing .

[@marygarlough1589]

southeast Michigan - zone 5B/6A

[@teresagreen81]

Absolutely beautiful. So glad you know the names of your plants. I moved last weekend onto a very shady 2 acres so looking for lots of shade plant ideas. Wonderful! Thank you!

[@SunshineBlueSkies]

Very beautiful garden! I have a similar yard it gets lots of shade due to huge Oak trees, so thanks for showing what I can grow!! Also love your collection of hydrangeas!!

[@marygarlough1589]

thanks very much for your kind words.

[@yergman]

Wow! Your garden is so inspiring!

[@mickyunit]

Wow. So many wonderful ideas for my new garden under my oaks! Thank you!

[@barbaragreene7333]

How was your patio done? It looks very pretty!

[@jeane561]

So beautiful❤️

[@marygarlough1589]

thanks!

[@kanchangupta2038]

Waah. Heaven on earth # Dr.Kanchans desk

[@QueenMar1ka]

This is awesome!!! I'm a dad just looking to do somethign like this!

[@marygarlough1589]

thanks Andrew - good luck with your gardening.

[@Rk-kk2jy]

I loved to see your shade garden.

[@larryroberts8809]

Soil and rain/irrigation play apart on what you can grow. Try what you like and don't expect to do all in one year change over time. Some places growth better moved plants many times for plants benefit. Loved this video would love to see as it grows and change.🏝🏜🌱🌳🌲🌴🌵🌿🍀🌺🌷🌹🌻🐞🕷 Don't forget some animals are good for your plants.

[@dokaduka]

Stunning!

[@marygarlough1589]

thank you!

[@rukminik3986]

dokaduka w

[@ms.farmgirl]

Mary,, I would have built a 6 foot block wall fence between my house and theirs. lol

[@marygarlough1589]

yes! Fortunately they are rarely in their yard and my viburnums completely block the view, so it has worked out.

[@susanpeterson9947]

Thumbs up, your garden is lovely. I’m not going to follow you, only because I’m in Florida so we have few plants in common.

[@maggiehughes4283]

Hello from New Zealand. Well done on your garden tour. You have done well, and plants all look so healthy. Have subscribed.

[@AndreaAubertin]

What a beautiful garden...this is actually the first video that I have seen that has almost all of the same plants I have. I have never seen anyone talk about meadow rue and bugbane before. Thankyou for going through all your plants with us. How do you like you Japanese Anemone? Do you find that it is difficult to control...I had taken mine out and potted it because I was worried that it would take over my garden...

[@marygarlough1589]

You are so right - since that video, I have removed all my Japanese Anemone . It was coming up everywhere. I had great difficulty removing it even though I dug deeply. I ended up having to paint leaves with RoundUp to kill it. I don't think all varieties of anemone are so aggressive but this one was a real problem. I have also removed my bugbane! It just seemed to get tired over the past couple years and wasn't performing well. So next Spring I need to replace it which will be a challenge. Thanks for watching!

[@AndreaAubertin]

@@marygarlough1589 Thanks for getting back to me....I was debating about the anemone but I think u made up my mind. And thats too bad about the bugbane...looks like an interesting plant!

[@angelaatianasarector6419]

Such a lovely area. How did you manage the tree roots when planting

[@marygarlough1589]

yes, that is a tricky problem. I tried to choose plants that didn't require deep digging and then just kept moving my shovel around until I found a place where I could actually dig. The farther out from the tree trunk, the easier it is.

[@giovannamoro8564]

A dream of a garden , what an inspiration ! Thank you dear lady greetings from venice italy

[@dh4923]

very nice

[@smpeace2683]

Lovely

[@JeriLandersofHopalongHollow]

It is one of the loveliest shade gardens I have seen. How are you able to dig the earth with the oak tree roots that must be everywhere? I have a terrible problem with my dry shade areas due to maple and mulberry tree roots.

[@marygarlough1589]

Hi Jeri - sorry for the late reply. There surely were areas that were hard to dig - so that's where I planted either ground cover or shallow rooted perennials. Closest to the trees I just managed to get in hostas and ferns. Wasn't easy .

[@marygarlough1589]

Thanks so much. I had to dig wherever I could. Most things weren't terribly deep but at times I would have to choose another spot.

[@fortheearth]

Great video of your nice garden arrangements. Many thanks for sharing.

[@dingomanz7]

Quick to the point video. Very well done. Thank you.

[@roadrunner123]

Beautiful! What growing zone are you in?

[@marygarlough1589]

I'm sorry I forgot to add that - I'm in zone 6 Southeast Michigan.

[@heidilecompte4198]

Gorgeous! My absolute favorite type of garden.

[@AlecKollman]

beautiful. I am planning on making a shade garden in my front yard under big oak trees.

[@marygarlough1589]

there are so many plants that will do well - and the oak leaves, when shredded, make a great mulch.

[@AlecKollman]

@@marygarlough1589 I compost all my oak leaves. I add in a big bag of alfalfa cubes to it every year to get more nitrogen into my compost. I have some hostas under my oak tree now, I might add in hydrangeas in-between the hostas.

[@carrollast5818]

Can you tell me what zone you are in please.

[@marygarlough1589]

I`m in SE Michigan which is between zone 5 and 6

[@pamandrae9768]

What trees were there when you started?

[@marygarlough1589]

Strictly oak trees and a few small hemlocks

[@winskypinsky]

My shady, earthy, mossy section of my garden brought me here. What a delightful and insightful tour. Thank you lady! 2013? It’s 2020 now, I would love to see an update of your shady garden. You have given me so many ideas!!

[@marygarlough1589]

Hi - I did a few updates but am due for another one. Many changes have taken place since I love to move things around or replace with a new plant. I'll try to do one in June or July.

[@Ga706Peach]

Great garden...very inspiring. I would like to know more about your privacy fence that you said could come down. I am giving my lawn love but live next door to a neighbor that has a no hands approach and like the idea of your fence

[@marygarlough1589]

the fence is panels of bamboo that we tied to the neighbors cyclone fence. Just be sure to have the bottom edge at least 3" above the soil line so it doesn't rot.

[@davidrice7969]

Are your Christmas Ferns evergreen? What USDA zone are you in? I am planning to plant the Christmas Ferns this spring in zone 7b and hoping they stay green or offer color throughout the winter, too.

[@marygarlough1589]

I'm zone 5 in Southeast Michigan. Mine are not evergreen but I still love them.