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LEAFY COLOUR<br />
Heucheras, heucharellas and<br />
tiarellas now come in a huge<br />
range of colours. Heucheras,<br />
or coral bells, hail from North<br />
America and bell-shaped<br />
flowers offset their heartshaped<br />
leaves. They like some<br />
morning sun and well-drained<br />
soil. Tiarellas, or foamflowers,<br />
are similar to heucheras<br />
but prefer more shade and<br />
warmth. Their flowers are a<br />
mass of star-shaped plumes<br />
that bloom over a long period.<br />
Heucherellas (foamy bells)<br />
are a cross between heucheras<br />
and tiarellas, having the<br />
colourful foliage of the former<br />
but tolerant of more shade<br />
and moisture.<br />
Pulmonaria and Brunnera<br />
both have silvery toned foliage.<br />
P. officinalis, or lungwort is<br />
an herbaceous perennial, with<br />
oval leaves with silver patches<br />
and in spring produces pink<br />
or blue flowers. There is also<br />
a white form. The cultivar<br />
‘Raspberry Splash’ has lovely<br />
deep-pink flowers. It’s a<br />
spreading ground cover that<br />
likes rich soil and lots of water.<br />
B. macrophylla has dainty dark<br />
green, heart-shaped leaves<br />
overlaid with a tracing of silvery<br />
markings. In spring, airy sprays<br />
of little blue, forget-me-notlike<br />
flowers appear. Brunnera<br />
spreads by creeping rhizomes<br />
and will form a ground cover.<br />
Nature’s paintbrush has<br />
certainly been to work on<br />
the foliage of the colourful<br />
subtropical coleus (now in<br />
the genus Plectranthus.)<br />
Every shade of green and pink<br />
through to burgundy can be<br />
found on these, so they certainly<br />
won’t go unnoticed in the shade<br />
garden. Easy-care annuals, they<br />
are better suited to warmer<br />
gardens and prefer morning sun<br />
and afternoon shade. Pinch out<br />
the growing tips to make them<br />
bushier. They combine well with<br />
hostas and heucheras.<br />
FABULOUS FLOWERS<br />
Shade gardening isn’t just about<br />
foliage: many shade-lovers have<br />
beautiful flowers, too.<br />
One of the loveliest garden<br />
sights I’ve seen was a swathe<br />
of the Himalayan blue poppy<br />
(Meconopsis betonicifolia)<br />
growing in light shade under<br />
trees. These perennials like<br />
a moist, rich soil and are not<br />
Above clockwise from top left<br />
Parataniwha (Elatostema rugosum) is<br />
another native ground cover; Brunnera<br />
has silvery-toned foliage; The blue<br />
poppy is a beautiful woodland plant.<br />
Opposite Hostas are perfect foliage<br />
plants for the shady garden.<br />
gardener.kiwi<br />
kiwigardener 33
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