
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, March 13, 1992                   TAG: 9203130349
SECTION: LAWN & GARDEN                    PAGE: L&G-10   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: CHARLES STEBBINS CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

TRANSFORM SHADY SPOTS FROM DARK TO DIVINE

Those shady spots in the yard don't have to become dark, neglected areas of thin grass, mud and weeds.

They can become beds of green ground cover dotted with the colorful blooms of numerous flowers.

The bright blooms of pansy, impatiens, begonia and many others can liven up spots under trees or in shadows of buildings.

Relatively simple and inexpensive landscaping can transform them into attractive spaces that will enhance the beauty of the whole yard.

Such spaces can be beautified with wood chips, pine needles or some other durable mulch. Underneath the mulch, bulbs can be planted to produce flowers in spring, summer and fall.

A more living landscaping could be done with a live ground cover, such as periwinkle, ivy, juniper, crown vetch or sedum.

Landscaping plans for dark areas can be provided by the Virginia Tech Extension Service. Help on how to handle shady areas can be found in many nursery catalogs, such as those from the Park Seed Co. of Greenwood, S.C..

Many of these catalogs classify plants by their cultural requirements. They will identify plants that require full sun, partial sun, moist soilor dry soil.

Among flowers that do well in shady places are impatiens, begonia, coleus, pansy, sweet alyssum, brownallia and nicotiana, according to the Extension Service and the Park catalog.

Spring Hill Nurseries of Tipp City, Ohio, recommends hosta as a plant that would do well in a shady spot. Hosta has attractive foliage throughout the growing season and flowers in mid to late summer.

Also suitable for shady places, Spring Hill says, is the astilbe which produces plumlike blooms of several colors in late spring and early summer. Ferns also do well in shady places.

A number of perennials do well in the shade, among them monarda with its red, purple, pink and white blooms; bleeding heart with its pink blooms; and fern-like foliage.

Spring Hill, in its 1992 spring catalog, offers a Shady Spot Perennial Garden, 13 plants suitable for growing in the shade. Included are monarda, forget-me-not, primrose, viola and dwarf bleeding heart. The price for all is $19.99.

The nursery also offers a collection of flowers that thrive in the shade, including hosta, lady's mantle, geranium and gloxinia. These are available for $19.99 for eight plants or $34.99 for 16 plants.

The Virginia Tech Extension Service says there is hardly any area of a yard that won't support vegetation. The secret is to match the proper plant with the proper spot.

But a yard owner should realize that these spots may require more attention than those in the sun. One of the problems these shady areas may have is dry soil and competition with tree roots.

To help overcome this, more humus should be worked into the soil and the yard owner should count on keeping the area watered.

by CNB