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Flower Bulbs For Shady Areas

Flower Bulbs For Shade

Thanks to the flower bulbs for shade, corners in the garden that don’t have as much sun can look extremely attractive in the spring.

Turk's Cap Lily

Lilium martagon

£10.40 *

Turk's Cap Lily 'Orange Marmalade'

Lilium martagon 'Orange Marmalade'

£3.00 *

Turk's Cap Lily 'Pink Morning'

Lilium martagon 'Pink Morning'

£3.00 *


More useful information about Flower Bulbs For Shady Areas

Of these shade-loving flowers bulbs there are many species and varieties that enchant the garden with their flowers. Small bulb flowers such as crocuses , winter aconites , snowflakes and snowdrops like to grow in shady spots among shrubs and trees, as well as flowers such as harebells, Chionodoxa and Scilla . Even the rhizomes or tubers of spring anemones appreciate such places in the garden. They are all hardy. In nature, all of these bulbous flowers also grow between shrubs as well as between perennials, where the foliage casts deep shadows in the summer. In early spring, when the trees do not yet bear any foliage, and the larger hardy perennials have not yet sprouted, the lighting conditions in the garden are different than in the summer. And so early in the year, one or the other corner of the garden may get enough light that it falls into the partial shade category. Many flower bulbs thrive there, including larger species such as daffodils, and even some tulips get along there. Some large hardy bulbous flowers such as Fritillaria imperialis, Camassia or Lilium martagon even need a location that is not too sunny in order for them to grow to their most magnificent shape in the garden.

The Best Flower Bulbs For Shade

The classic flower bulbs for shade are crocuses and snowdrops. They are best planted where the lawn does not really want to grow anyway because it gets too little light. Also, the bulbs of Scilla and star hyacinths can grow wild in such locations in the garden as well as winter aconites (Eranthis) with their tuberous rhizomes and the bright yellow flowers. Crocuses that like the shade include the small, very early blooming wild forms, the so-called botanical crocuses, such as the particularly delicate, lilac-inspired, almost transparent-looking wild Crocus tommasinianus. Also attractive are the varieties bred from early crocuses, which are a bit bigger and more colourful, for example, 'Ruby Giant' or 'Spring Beauty'. These wild and cultivated varieties often bloom in February and grow in the garden easily, so that after a few years, a dense, colourful carpet of flowers with hundreds of small flowers is created. Their bulbs are very hardy and are also suitable for higher altitudes, so we really do recommend that you buy a packet of these popular bulb flowers for your garden. But even larger crocus hybrids can be planted under trees and bushes, where they like to multiply from daughter bulbs. Their pretty flowers are also good in the foreground of a perennial bed. And then, until the trees are full of foliage in the spring, the small early flowering plants have long retreated back into the ground and have stored all their strength into their bulbs and tubers.

Flower Bulbs For Shade

Larger Flower Bulbs For Shade

Most daffodils grow well in partially shaded perennial beds. They even bloom better and their magnificent trumpet flowers will last much longer if they are not in full sun. In addition, daffodils like locations that are not too dry. Humid, moist soil with only a few hours of sunshine is therefore ideal for the popular daffodils as well as for smaller Narcissus and wildflowers such as the funny little cyclamen daffodils 'Jetfire'. With their yellow petals and orange trumpets, they blow their joyful spring tune to every passer-by in every partially shaded corner of the garden!

Quite a few tulips grow in fairly bright beds with little sun. In general, the magnificent flowers of the tulip thrive best in full sun. However, that does not mean that they would not bloom in a less than perfect location. The small wild tulips such as Tulipa biflora or the popular red tulip Praestans 'Fusilier', also the double tulip 'Orange Princess' or the Fosteriana-Tulip 'Flaming Purissima' do very well between perennials in a less sunny location. The Darwin tulip 'Lalibela' shines in a particularly fiery red in a perennial bed. Such a colourful bouquet of tulips, of course, can cheer up a less friendly corner of the garden. That's why it pays to buy a bunch of tulip bulbs for such locations. In addition, various species of ornamental onion (Allium) as well as the native Turk's cap lily can cope with only a little sun. The beautiful and quite rare Turk's cap lilies are often found in nature in sparse forests and between woods, for example in the Jura and also in the Alps near the tree line.

Shadows Are Not the Same as Shade

Where exactly do shadows begin and what else is considered partial shade? This question is not officially defined. But basically, one speaks of partial shade always, if still, some sun shines on a bed or in a corner. This can be morning sun, but also afternoon sun. For the plants, it is crucial that they are illuminated by the sun for a few hours a day. One or two hours are enough to talk about partial shade. Even indirect sunlight can sometimes be sufficient if a garden corner is altogether quite bright and airy. For example, on a modern loggia balcony, where under certain circumstances no direct sun falls, flower bulbs for shade can thrive if the situation is not altogether too gloomy. Ultimately, you have to try the location and see what grows there now and which flower bulbs may also thrive. It's not that most plants would not thrive there, they would just thrive a bit less well and they may flower a little less if they get too little light. Buy a few packets of tubers and bulbs, and just try and see how they bloom.

North Side Versus the Edge of Shrubs

Many flower bulbs can thrive excellently on the north side of buildings and walls in the semi-shade. Shady locations under trees are another good place. There, in addition to low light, there is a lot of root competition. The trees take up a lot of space underground, and their roots take up a lot of food and water for themselves. Therefore, many tubers and bulbs, also perennials may have trouble thriving in such locations. However, flower bulbs for shade have the advantage that they already store quite a lot of power in their bulbous organs and therefore can cope with somewhat poorer conditions. In addition, the flower bulbs can be additionally strengthened with liquid fertiliser at excessively lean locations. Providing the bulbs with some compost can be useful. However, there are also plants that by nature can cope with very little, such as the wood anemones (Anemone nemorosa), which like to spread by themselves on spring-like locations under trees and in the shade of trees.

Plant Bulbs Properly in the Shade

In dry sites where there is little sun flower bulbs for shade can be planted as normally as at any other location. This means that you should dig a hole for each bulb that is twice as deep as the bulb is high. A daffodil bulb that is six centimetres high should get a planting hole that is 12 centimetres deep. It should be placed with the shoot tip up and the roots approaching down into the hole and covered with six inches of soil and compost. The distance between the different bulbs also depends on the size. They should not touch each other and they should have enough room to unfold their leaves. The exact planting distances can be found in the information on the respective varieties. It is best to arrange the flower bulbs for shade in irregular groups so that they look natural. For this purpose, you can simply throw the bulbs on the ground, planting them exactly where they fall. Then it looks as if the spring flowers have taken over the place themselves. Alternatively, plant the flower bulbs in denser groups of about six to twelve each. They also look good from a distance in the garden, and smaller bulb flowers always work better in groups than alone. This also applies to pots, where you even plant the bulbs more densely than in the garden, and enough bulbs are packed in a container so that the effect is as abundant as possible.

What To Do in Damp Shady Locations

On stagnant sites, a good drainage must first be ensured before planting flower bulbs for shade. It is best to dig larger planting holes and then place a layer of three to five centimetres of sand and gravel on the soil. Then the flower bulbs for shade are placed in groups on the drainage layer and covered with compost and loose soil. Some bulbous flowers manage surprisingly well with a little sun on moist soil; this includes Camassia leichtlinii, which even prefer such locations. Even the funny snake's head fritillary flowers (Fritillaria meleagris) are among the classic flower bulbs for perennial beds with little sun. They like damp and shady locations. Fritillary flowers thrive particularly well in larger groups on the edge of rather wet woody plantings, or in a wet lawn, which lies in the shade of trees almost exclusively of moss. Fun and also effective from a distance is a mixture of pure white snake's head fritillary flowers with the classic forms, which have a clearly drawn checkerboard pattern on each bell-shaped flower.

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