Any gardeners?

I'm getting spring fever, the weather in NW Ohio (though a bit rainy) as been WONDERFUL! So I'm planning out my beds for this year. I'm planning on planting Daisy Mix seed in the bed on the south side of the house around our porch. It's 8'x12" on either side and the front will be around 24'x12". I think they'll fill in nicely there and bring lots of color to the front of the house.

In the rear near our drive way there is a fairly large bed ~15'x3' that I'm planing to plant a butterfly garden. It has a lamp post next to it that I may attempt to get Nelly Moser Clematis to climb.

Then I have the HUGE bed right behind the house on the north side, ~18'x6'. It is shaded most of the day and I'm having a hard time planning what I want to plant there. So far I have 6 mixed hostas and 3 mixed spiderworts coming. I thought that those would fill in the middle of the bed nicely but I'm having trouble thinking of something tall and filling for the back of the bed (something easy and very low maintenance as it will be a PITA to get back there and more flowers to plant in the foreground. I would like to keep with the cool blues and purples (& possibly white) of the hosta and spiderwort. Are there any other good shade lovers out there that would do well in this situation? I would prefer a few more perennials along with some annuals. Nothing too expensive as this is a rental and something that will hopefully produce this year as I don't know how long we'll be staying here. I don't want to wait around forever to see the results of all my hard work.

Some plants I'm considering:
Hardy Blue African Lily
Russian Sage
White Dragon Flower
Blazing Star Liatris
Montana Skies Delphinium

Here is a quick sketch of how things are set up. Also keep in mind I'm in Zone 5.

Somewhat. I intend to have a garden this year. I haven't fully decided on what all I will grow, but I'll fit some tomatoes and squash in somewhere.

A little warning; delphinium and clematis are both members of the ranunculaceae family - meaning both are very toxic. Make sure none of your pets get a hold of any of the plant parts (your dog outside or you cutting and bringing the delphinium in). If fresh it will very likely kill them or leave them with serious liver damage - if dried the worst poison is weakened but there will still be a lot of vomiting and burns (mouth, esophagus, and stomach) from the chemicals left in it.

Originally Posted by strange_wings

Somewhat. I intend to have a garden this year.

I haven't fully decided on what all I will grow, but I'll fit some tomatoes and squash in somewhere.

A little warning; delphinium and clematis are both members of the ranunculaceae family - meaning both are very toxic. Make sure none of your pets get a hold of any of the plant parts (your dog outside or you cutting and bringing the delphinium in). If fresh it will very likely kill them or leave them with serious liver damage - if dried the worst poison is weakened but there will still be a lot of vomiting and burns (mouth, esophagus, and stomach) from the chemicals left in it.

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Thank you! I'll be sure to cross those off my list. I don't think the dog would get into the delphinium as that will be in a bed but the clematis would be out in the open where we play a lot and where she likes to pee. I most likely won't be taking any cuttings as the cat can not seem to curb her 'need' for counter surfing and knocking precious items off any shelves or counters.

You could always try the clematis on a trellis somewhere else in the yard, they really are beautiful plants. Another thing is that ranunculaceae can irritate some peoples skin - so you might want to be wary of that if handling any of the family.

Maybe someone can help you find another light pink or bi-color climber for that spot?


btw, I speak from experience with ranunculaceae - I had a kitten find a dried ranunculus flower that I had closed up in a box on top of a 8' book shelf.. Thankfully it was dried, but it made him fairly sick, caused him a lot of pain (burns), and an overnight stay at the vet.


ETA: I'll just add suggestions on here. How about runner beans? Safe and if you don't get a strictly ornamental kind, you get beans! My FIL has planted scarlet runner beans before - very pretty. Just don't let your dog eat any uncook beans or pods.
Not a flower, but supposedly hardy kiwi vine is safe? and would be fine for zone 5. (I think I want some now! lol) Attracting cats like catnip could be a problem..
If in doubt, roses are safe. A wild type would be hardy.

I have a lot of shade covering my flower garden also. I am also in Ohio and like purples, blues, whites and such. Here are some plants that I have:

Hostas (of course )

Bleeding Heart (they are tall and even after they bloom, they provide nice foliage until the hostas fully leaf out)

Lamium (nice ground cover)

Ajuga Reptans (nice ground cover)

Corylus Avellana (a shrub that does well in the part sun area of the shady garden and provides winter interest)

Toad Lillies (they are tall, they do need staking, but they are so pretty)

Columbines (some varieties are tall, and they love the shade)

Ferns (they are this radical orange and green sword fern looking things that my nursery says will last through the winter - we will see)

Oxalis (I didn't have any luck with mine, but I think they got planted too late)

Oxalis - Toxic, all part. Eating large amounts could cause kidney damage because of the calcium oxylates.

Ferns - Some types of "ferns" are toxic. Depends on what is being called a fern - ie, asparagus fern is fairly toxic and belongs to the liliaceae family.

Columbines - Toxic.

Tricyrtis - Another liliaceae, likely toxic.

Hazelnut - seems safe enough.

Ajuga reptans - Safe.

Lamium - Seems ok for dogs, don't feed to cows or horses..

Bleeding Heart - The name could have double meaning here.. majorly toxic, will cause serious organ damage.

Hostas - Not really known. I've used them in with my turtles, but they don't bother most plants.

A safe plant list, but just in case double check any plant before purchasing.

My shade garden has quite a few epimedium ( I absolutely love them, but they can be pricey ) and heuchera (aka coral bells). The heuchera seems to be making a comeback---there are new cultivars introduced every year and they have amazing foliage. I have tons of columbine--they're my favorite flower. Coleus are really inexpensive, come in loads of colors, and would fill in an area pretty quickly.

I've never really worried about my outdoor plants being toxic. Our dogs never really bothered anything, and the cats are all indoors.

I'm in zone 5, too.

I'm an avid gardener myself, but I don't have so many shadey areas. Hostas are the old stand by and they do well in very shadey areas - they like lots of water though, especially in the spring.

I didn't know that about Bleeding Hearts - will have to remove the tinny bits I put in the backyard.

I'm concerned about Lily of the Valley, it is such a lovely flower, but is it dangerous for my cats? I thought cats were smart and did not eat anything that was not good for them!

I'm big on roses and have 32 bushes in the back, the cats like to hid around them and rub against them. A few of the 'old world' varieties will even stand some shade. They will bloom in 4-6 hours sunlight rather than needing the usual 6-8 hours.

I will be re-doing my front yard, I'm tired of all the dog owners who let their dogs use the yard - horrid yellow spots in the lawn and dead plants! I'm thinking of putting in a special area with a large rock - just for the dogs, I really hope they will use it and leave the rest of the garden alone!

Ahhh spring, yes it is a lovely time of year especially for gardeners. I love watching for the first Crocus bulbs to sprout!

Not a gardener. All my plants are shrubs that don't have to be trimmed. I do have one flower bed where there are day lilies, chrysanthemums, and iris. I live out in the country and have no animals that have access to where the flowers are. We do want to redo the shrubs at the back of our house and are still searching for the right thing to put there. I had a thread asking for suggestions for that. That area is where my cats are.

Originally Posted by ChristinaCat

I'm concerned about Lily of the Valley, it is such a lovely flower, but is it dangerous for my cats? I thought cats were smart and did not eat anything that was not good for them!

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If an animal eats it, the plant could kill them. It's very toxic.

As for animals knowing better. NO! Cats, dogs, and children (young ones) don't know anything. That's why we have to take those precautions for them. My turtles don't know either, thus I must be very careful when planting their pens - the positive side of this is that I have several poison plants lists bookmarked.


And those hardy kiwi vines really are starting to interest me. If you're in the US you could get them from here.

Im not a gardener but I have pretty daffodils left over from the previous tenants. Some of which I transplanted into the front of my house instead of the stump next to where I park my car. Ive also got some apple trees and a rose bush. Thats the basic extent of my gardening...taking care of what people left behind LOL!

Originally Posted by c1atsite

When I was a teenager I planted snapdragons but I started the seeds in January. Our family cat Ashlie never tried to eat them thank heavens therefore I don't know if they're cat-safe.

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Snapdragons are safe. I think it's easier to find safe annuals than it is to find safe perennials.

Originally Posted by strange_wings

Oxalis - Toxic, all part. Eating large amounts could cause kidney damage because of the calcium oxylates.

Ferns - Some types of "ferns" are toxic. Depends on what is being called a fern - ie, asparagus fern is fairly toxic and belongs to the liliaceae family.

Columbines - Toxic.

Tricyrtis - Another liliaceae, likely toxic.

Hazelnut - seems safe enough.

Ajuga reptans - Safe.

Lamium - Seems ok for dogs, don't feed to cows or horses..

Bleeding Heart - The name could have double meaning here.. majorly toxic, will cause serious organ damage.

Hostas - Not really known. I've used them in with my turtles, but they don't bother most plants.

A safe plant list, but just in case double check any plant before purchasing.

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Since when are columbines toxic? I have eaten the blossoms myself and they are quite yummy.

This is the fern I was talking about - it is an Autumn Fern
http://www.gorgetopgardens.com/peren...rn-autumn.html

Originally Posted by WELDRWOMN

Since when are columbines toxic? I have eaten the blossoms myself and they are quite yummy.

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Since information on the plant says so? It is a ranunculaceae. You might be ok, and probably a dog would if only a small part was eaten. It would be rough on a cat or if more was chewed on by a dog.

Autumn Fern, parts of it apparently are toxic. I wouldn't have suspected it from this fern.

Originally Posted by strange_wings

Since information on the plant says so?

It is a ranunculaceae. You might be ok, and probably a dog would if only a small part was eaten. It would be rough on a cat or if more was chewed on by a dog.

Autumn Fern, parts of it apparently are toxic. I wouldn't have suspected it from this fern.

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Wow, I guess I won't be munching on any more columbine blossoms. Apparently they are ok for people in small amounts, but can be toxic. The rest of the plant is also rather toxic apparently.

Being as I don't have outdoor critters, I have never looked into the toxicity of the things I plant.

Originally Posted by WELDRWOMN

Being as I don't have outdoor critters, I have never looked into the toxicity of the things I plant.

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You're lucky. As I mentioned, I have to plant turtle pens every year and be careful what I plant - some stuff they'll leave along, but if it flowers they'll munch on it. Non-pet areas are were I plant stuff I actually want.

If you want munchable flowers, nasturtiums are gorgeous.