Annuals for shady places

Last time I discussed annuals for sunny spots. This time I’ll profile annual plants for shady locations in eastern North Carolina. There are also plants that can be used in either domain, and I’ll mention them, too.

When it comes to shade, or at least lower intensity sun, the first flower that often comes to mind is impatiens. They thrive in any place with protection from midday and early afternoon sun. Heat is not their friend. The New Guinea Impatiens (sometimes referred to as sun impatiens) is an exception to this. They perform well in low light situations, but they also thrive in all but the most intense sun and heat. All impatiens can be recognized by the hooklike bract attached to the base of each flower. These common annuals come in many colors.

Begonias are another shady standby. Traditional begonias bloom in red, white, pink, orange, or yellow. A common feature of all begonias is that their leaves are lopsided. Also, they have separate male and female flowers, and they reside on the same plant. Common wax begonias usually have either green or bronze foliage. The bronze varieties usually tolerate more sun. Other begonia types you might have encountered are angel wing, dragon wing, tuberous rooted, and rex begonias. All are easy to grow and can tolerate different light intensity levels, but none thrive in full sun. Most begonias have a relatively low growing sprawling growth habit, but a few varieties can get quite tall. Many of the angel wing types can get tall. Pinching them to make them bushier is often helpful.

Torenia, or wishbone plant is one of my personal favorites. They are found in pink, purple, yellow or white. Growth habit is semi upright to creeping. They are great in hanging baskets, especially mixed ones or window boxes as well as in flowerbeds. Individual flowers will remind people of snapdragons, as they are in the same family.

Bacopa is a great choice for those wanting a trailing plant in a basket, window box, or large mixed pot. They have delicate leaves and small flowers in blue, white, pink, or lavender. Pinching them will keep plants more compact.

Polka dot plant is useful in flowerbeds and mixed containers. It is grown for its foliage rather than for its flowers. Leaf colors run in combinations of red, white, and pink. It is best to pinch of upright growth. This is when their flowers develop, and flowering should be discouraged. Flowers are not particularly attractive, and they destroy the growth habit of this otherwise tidy plant.

Coleus is another annual commonly used in shady places, although there are types that tolerate sun. This is also a plant where the vegetative state is more attractive than the reproductive one. Coleus flowers generally are not an asset, and they detract from the beautiful, variegated foliage. Coleus can be used in mass plantings, but they are more commonly used in mixtures as accents.

The final plant I’ll discuss with this group is the sweet potato vine. This one may be used in shady spots as well as places receiving full sun. When grown in the sun they usually flower, sometimes quite profusely. The flowers resemble petunias or morning glories. Common foliage colors are chartreuse, purple, or a pink, white, and green tricolor. They are most often used in containers as a cascading vine. They even produce sweet potatoes, which are edible but not nearly as culinarily pleasing as the ones found in markets or grocery stores.

Obviously, this is not a complete list of annuals for shady locations, but it’s a start. Next time, I’ll discuss perennials.