SUCCESS OF GARDENING IN SHADE DEPENDS ON PLANTS

Gardening in the shade always presents some extra problems, but none that are insuperable. One can have just as attractive a garden, and sometimes more colorful than one in the sun. The main thing is to choose the right plants.

Of course, everyone knows about ferns--reliable, effective, easy to grow, but not as colorful. Along with these go such old reliable's as English ivies in a variety of forms, vinca, pacandra, many of the wild gingers, impatiens, coleus and many others.

Closely related in color are those plants whose green leaves exhibit a variety of tones, such as the fancy-leaved caladiums with their rose, pink and white variegations and the green and white hostas. With still more color in the leaves are the various coleus, some of which also include red and yellow tones.

For such brighter colors one must turn to the flowering plants. Without a doubt, the most effective of these are the tuberous-rooted begonias which come in a variety of forms, such as singles, semi-doubles, daffodil-like, camellias and rosebuds in all colors except blue and green. Grown from bulbs, they need little care besides adequate food and moisture and protection from the hot sun. They must be stored indoors in winter. For two years one belonging to a friend has wintered here--first in the garden room, and now is shooting up green shoots after the end of the winter in the dark, dull basement.

Also colorful and at home in shady places are the impatiens or patient Lucy plants, with blooms like individual phlox flowers in all the tones of red to white with some orange and salmon hues. Easy to grow from seeds or cuttings, they can be most effective, especially the new, low growing types.

Newer strains of impatiens provide improvements in the qualities home gardeners look for. Plants ware vigorous, yet compact with an imbred trait for flowering in the shade. The eight-to 10-inch dwarf forms of impatiens will be literally smothered with blooms in a wide range of colors. Flowers are larger, too, with some of them measuring up to two inches across.

There is a wonderful new book on how to plan and cultivate a colorful shade garden with practically no maintenance. It is Easy Care Shade Flowers by Patricia A. Taylor, a Fireside Original by Simon & Schuster Trade Paperbacks for $14.00

Begonias now compete with petunias for garden popularity. Their ability to thrive in either sun or partial shade has much to do with their increasing use. Another factor involved in the popularity of begonias is their varied color. White, pink, scarlet and red flower colors are available from extreme dwarf to 14 inches in height.

Thanks to the spectacular foliage, coleus infuse bright color into lightly shaded areas of the garden. Once little appreciated by gardeners who were looking for noteworthy flowering, coleus is now gaining popularity because of the brilliantly colored leafy accent in the flower garden. These plants possess leaf hues and tints rivaling the colors of sun loving flowering annuals with their bold yellows, reds, oranges, pinks, and lavenders.

Color experts describe blue as evoking emotions of spirituality, love and devotion to ideals. Blue imparts the feeling of loyalty, as in the expression "true blue". It is a color that is calming, and extends a cool and restful feeling. In the garden, use of the color blue adds another dimension by making the garden appear larger than it actually is.

Veronica "Sunny Border Blue" is the Perennial Plant Association's plant of the year for 1993. It was hybridized by Robert Bennerup, the founder and owner of Sunny Border nurseries in Kensington, CT. In 1947 he took a trip to Denmark, his birthplace, where he found several varieties of Veronica, with clean violet blue flowers much darker than any he had seen in the United States.

Sunny Border Blue is highly valued for its ease of growth and long bloom season. Its luxurious, dark green, round leaves are oppositely arranged on the stems. The plant stand 18 to 24 inches in height. It is a reliable performer in our hardiness zone. It will tolerate a wide range of well drained soil types. Although this plant will tolerate a minimum amount of shade, it does best in full sun.

Veronica Sunny Border Blue is an outstanding choice for the 1993 plant of the year. It will undoubtedly remain an important plant in the palette of perennials utilized here and in Canada for many years to come.

To keep flowers blooming vigorously in the shade, go light on fertilizer applications. Shade tolerant annuals prosper with fewer applications of fertilizer than their sunny counterparts.

Widen your shade horizon with these adaptable garden flowers. They need minimum care, but rate maximum appreciation.