How to Choose Annuals for Shady Areas

David Epstein: Well it’s spring time and here at Growing Wisdom we are talking annuals we’re here with Teri Volante, I’m Dave Epstein and Teri let’s talk about annuals for the shade but first let’s define what is shade?

Teri Volante: Exactly, usually the first question we ask when people come and looking for a plant is do you have sun or shade and usually a shady location is one that gets half a day of sun or less. That includes areas with filtered sunlight and when you get a half of day of sun if its morning sun that is isn’t quite as intense that will be a great location for our shade plant. However it it’s afternoon sun when the sun is really beating down on the plants you want more of a sunny plants to go there.

David Epstein: Why don’t you tell some of the plants that you find are most successful in shady locations and we’ll talk hangers as well as just if you’re putting in containers.

Teri Volante: Hanging baskets on the shade you have a lot of choices there are impatiens and fuchsia and Begonia’s that will all do really well in a shady location and they all come in many colors.

David Epstein: When someone is looking for annual for the shade do you help them with choosing color and where do you base that on?

Teri Volante: Absolutely, usually it starts with what color is your house or what color is the fence that it will be near or something like that from there we kind of go along that root and just kind of show them all the different colors that we have available on see what they like the best.

David Epstein: Are there other things that go well in with the shade plants that would make a nice mix basket?

Teri Volante: There are plenty of other things you can mix in for your shade combinations another annual to mix in would be Torenia which is a beautiful trumpet shaped flower that kind of cascades over the pot. Other options as well are coleus which comes in variety of different heights and sizes and colors and patterns.

A couple of things from the perennial area that you could also put in your pots would be hucura or Lamium or things like that like Jacob’s lanterns and stuff like that would really have a nice texture and color to your pot.

David Epstein: So terry tell me a little bit about what type of soil you might use in a shade container and also I’d like to know watering and fertilizer.

Teri Volante: The key is to use a very light weight potting mix in your containers and as far as watering goes the shape plants are actually pretty easy because they are quite a little bit less water since the sun isn’t heating them all the day. As far as fertilizing goes I would recommend using a slow release fertilizer and putting that right in the pot right when you plant it and that will carry you through the summer but I will also recommend using a liquid fertilizer once every other week also throughout the summer.

David Epstein: What about pinching or pruning during the course of the year?

Teri Volante: That’s very important no matter if your plants in the sun or shade it and you want to take off all it that blooms and that will promote more blooming.

David Epstein: All right Teri thank you I think that folks here will have a much better idea of what a shade annual is and how to grow them and we appreciate your watching this video here at growing wisdom.