2006 Top Ten Perennials for Shade & Sun

11 Aspidistra elatior - Cast Iron Plant

Clumps of dark, glossy evergreen leaves over 2 feet long provide a vertical, arching accent in deep shade. Variegated and smaller forms exist as well.

12 Asarums - Ginger

Evergreen groundcover forming a dense, spreading mat in the woodland garden.  Leaves are generally glossy and heart-shaped, some with silver mottling. Look for the variety "Callaway", discovered at Callaway gardens.

13 Tiarella - Foamflower

Small bottlebrush flower stalks rise above a bouquet of delicate leaves in this spreading groundcover. Many recent introductions with striking variations in leaf shape and color. Evergreen.

14 Heuchera americana 'Palace Purple' & 'Amethyst Mist' - Alumroot

Multicolored maple-type foliage forms a dense tapestry, with delicate flowers rising on wiry stems in spring. Similar to tiarella, but larger and not as tolerant of Atlanta summers, except for the species.

15 Anemone x hybrida - Japanese Anemone

A must for the Fall garden. Pink or white semi-double flowers float on graceful stems 2-4' tall. Lovely gray-green toothed foliage. Spreading, but not invasive.

16 Aquilegia canadensis - Native Columbine

Small, nodding red and yellow trumpet-shaped flowers rise 1-2' above lacelike foliage. Leaf miners sometimes mar the foliage, but do not damage the plant. Cut back old stems for a second bloom.

17 Rhodea japonica - Sacred Lily

Irregular clumps of dark green, strap-like foliage produce clusters of scarlet berries in the fall. Easy to grow but rare, and much prized in Asian cultures.

18 Polystichum acrostichoides - Christmas Fern

Hardy fern forms a pleasing mound, combining well with hostas and other shade-lovers. Evergreen, but tends to flop in winter. Easy to grow and pest-free.

19 Saxifraga stolonifera - Strawberry Begonia

Strawberry begonia, strawberry geranium. Creeping groundcover with white flowers in loose clusters late summer and fall.

20 Stylophorum diphyllum - Celandine or Wood Poppy

Worth growing for the lovely gray-green foliage. Yellow poppy-like flowers appear in early Spring. A self-seeder, and easy to grow in moist, woodland soil.

21 Helleborus foetidus - Bears' Foot Hellebore

Surprising chartreuse flowers, edged in maroon, appear early in the year on sturdy stems held above the bear-foot shaped foliage. Seeds about.

22 Dicentra eximia - Fringed Bleeding Heart

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23 Pulmonaria 'Bertram Anderson' etc - Lungwort

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24 Polystichum polyblepharum - Tassel Fern

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25 Arisaemas - Jack-In-The-Pulpit

This woodland native returns in early spring, sending up tri-foliate foliage and a spathe-type flower which is followed by a stem of bright red-orange berries.

26 Iris cristata - Crested Iris

Surface dwelling small iris that offers early spring blooming white or blue flowers about 3" tall. The rhizomes creep just beneath the surface soil and litter in shady environs.

27 Astilbe hybrids - False Spirea

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28 Aster divaricatus - Woods Aster

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29 Chrysogonum virginianum - Green & Gold

This fast-spreading ground cover stays low to the ground and in spring is covered with small, simple yellow flowers. Easy to remove if it exceeds it's boundaries.

30 Athyrium nipponicum 'Ghost' - Ghost Painted Fern

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