Our front porch gets very little sunlight, no direct light at all. I'd like to put potted plants next to the front door. Are there any flowering plants/small ornamental trees that do well without sunlight? Or am I stuck looking for some other way to add some color and decorate my porch? Thanks!
Favorite potted plants for shady area?
- Thread starter daylily
- Start date
FancyBelle
I'm 2 old 2 die young!
Hostas like the shade.
Some azaleas like the shade, you could try the dwarf ones or keep them trimmed back and can be potted. Also hydrangas do not like the full sun.
Thanks, great website. I know, I know.....google is my friend.
I've always thought Caladiums were pretty but never bought them before. Good idea!
I know but you thought it didn't you?
Actually, no. I needed to do some homework on my own.
twinoaks207
Having Fun!
Impatiens, caladiums, hostas, maybe fuschias but they're finicky sometimes.
acommondisaster
Active Member
I love these - so many colors to choose from. I put them in a planter around a tree every year and dig up the tubers in the fall. I clean them off and put them in a bag of shredded paper that I've saved and plant them again in the spring after all threat of frost is gone.
Another shade plant I love is fuscia. Such pretty flowers!
I love hostas, but that's like deer salad (I guess not as much of a problem on a porch).
acommondisaster
Active Member
I didn't say a word...
But sometimes it's nice to read other people's opinions from the area!
Hmmmm, not sure why I didn't think of impatients. My parents used to plant them every year. And I used to buy my Mom purple/pink fuchsias in hanging baskets for mother's day, so pretty. Maybe I'll see how long I can keep them alive for.
Thanks for the ideas! So it's the deer that ate our hostas in the front yard last year? We've lived here 3.5 years, always seen tons of deer in our woods and front yard (back is fenced), but they never bothered any of our plants before. I wonder if they're the ones who ate the winter pansies this year too?
acommondisaster
Active Member
What I've read is that there are really no completely deer-resistant plants, that they'll try anything available and they'll all of the sudden seem to get a taste for something they've heretofore left alone. We've got a lot of deer too. This year they seem to like the hanging birdfeeder (seeds?!?!) more than anything else. I've come home in the morning to see the damn things on their hind legs reaching up for the dogwood buds.
I really give up, because we do have people in our neighborhood who seem to be able to grow hostas, and mine are the first thing the same frickin deer go for. I gave up on hostas - felt like a soup kitchen for homeless deer the way they lined up for 'em. For years they left my liliorope alone, now they seem to have a taste for it. Same with my clemetis (although hanging doghair in it last year seemed to do the trick). Last night, my husband stepped out of the garage and came face to face with one in our driveway, snorting at him and stomping her foot (he stepped back into the garage). The only thing in our driveway near the garage is the garbage cans. Any guesses?
Wow, the deer in my woods/yard aren't quite that nervy. The hostas they ate were in an area that has no windows/doors nearby and is very open so they could easily take off back into the woods if someone interrupted their dinner.
I just googled them. Those are beautiful, what a variety of colors! I guess I never really noticed them at the local nurseries because I never look for "shade plants". All of our garden beds are full sunlight, all day long. Thank you!
frequentflier
happy to be living
Thanks, great website. I know, I know.....google is my friend.
I've always thought Caladiums were pretty but never bought them before. Good idea!
Buy them early because if you want too long, you won't be able to find them.
I LOVE caladiums.
acommondisaster
Active Member
We've got a bird feeder about 6 feet away from our dining room bay window - in the afternoon we can stand at the window and watch the deer eat at our birdfeeder. As long as we're quiet about it, they don't budge.