A gardening question... Flowers in the shade?

Question

there's a spot in our yard covered almost competely by shade for the better part of the year (there's a big tree that blocks out all of the sun).

Right now all that's there is a bunch of dead leaves and some weeds. there is no grass at all, either. All it is is soil .

Are there any plants that can grow in this condition?

Answer 1

Sounds like there really isn't enough sun for much of anything besides ferns.  Which isn't a bad thing.  There are so many varieties in all shapes and forms, you can plant a lovely fern garden.

Yes, there are a lot of plants that love shade, but it most need at least a certaing amount of direct or indirect sunlight.  It sounds like you don't have very much at all.  You could try hostas, but where thete's shade there are also a lot of snails, which LOVE hostas.

Answer 2

What kind of tree is it?  Oaks tend to be hard to grow under.

But otherwise, I'd say impatiens.

Answer 3

I agree Hostas are the best plants for the full shade. They come in various follage colors and shapes.

Also, begonias do pretty good in the shade along with these plants:

Full shade perinnial plants

http://www.thegardenhelper.com/fs~perenn...

The Guide to Gardening http://www.squidoo.com/theguidetogardeni...

How to Grow Beautiful Roses http://www.squidoo.com/captivatetheworld...

Growing Houseplants http://www.squidoo.com/growinghouseplant...

Answer 4

Hostas are popular in shade with differnt colors of plants and flowers, but the plant itself is the main show.  Bleeding hearts can be good and have good color, ferns will give you a differnt texture but not much more color, variations on green.  Vinca can go in shade but not as full as in sun or partial sun, and has little purple flowers.  

Places like gurneys.com have shade garden kits with different plants that love shade for a good price.  They have others that you can buy individually, or just get a good idea what to look for then buy locally.  Check with your local or states extention agency they study this and can give you a good idea what to get where you live.  Each state and area is different in climate and local soil.  

You will also need to keep the leaves from builidng up in them when they fall or they can cover the plants so deep that they will kill them.

Answer 5

Hosta is a good shade loving plant and there are many more.

Scroll down to the bottom of this one & there is a list of all kinds of shade lovers.

http://www.extension.umn.edu/distributio...

http://landscaping.about.com/cs/lazyland...

Answer 6

If weeds will grow there lots of plants will.

Any shade loving plants or herbs will grow there. Just go shopping at your local garden center and find the plants that appeal to you.

You can plant perennial or annuals, I love ferns and hostas and you can border them with inpatient's.