An Encyclopedia of Shade Perennials

374 Pages·2007·4.15 MB·English

by  W. George Schmid

An Encyclopedia of
Shade Perennials
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An Encyclopedia of
Shade Perennials
W. George Schmid
Timber Press
Portland•Cambridge
All photographs are by the author unless otherwise noted.
Copyright © 2002 by W. George Schmid. All rights reserved.
Published in 2002 by
Timber Press, Inc. Timber Press
The Haseltine Building 2 Station Road
133 S.W. Second Avenue, Suite 450 Swavesey
Portland, Oregon 97204, U.S.A. Cambridge CB4 5QJ, U.K.
ISBN 0-88192-549-7
Printed in Hong Kong
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Schmid, Wolfram George.
An encyclopedia of shade perennials / W. George Schmid.
p. cm.
ISBN 0-88192-549-7
1. Perennials—Encyclopedias. 2. Shade-tolerant plants—Encyclopedias. I. Title.
SB434 .S297 2002
635.9′32′03—dc21
2002020456
I dedicate this book to the greatest treasure in my life, my family:
Hildegarde, my wife, friend, and supporter for over half a century,
and my children, Michael, Henry, Hildegarde, Wilhelmina, and Siegfried,
who with their mates have given us ten grandchildren whose eyes not onlysee
but also appreciate nature’s riches. Their combined love and encouragement
made this book possible.
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Contents
Foreword by Allan M. Armitage 9
Acknowledgments 10
Part 1. The Shady Garden 11
1. A Personal Outlook 13
2. Fated Shade 17
3. Practical Thoughts 27
4. Plants Assigned 45
Part 2. Perennials for the Shady Garden A–Z 55
Plant Sources 339
U.S. Department of Agriculture Hardiness Zone Map 342
Index of Plant Names 343
Color photographs follow page 176
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Foreword
As I read George Schmid’s book, I am reminded that all gardeners are kindred in spirit and that—
regardless of their roots or knowledge—the gardening they do and the gardens they create are always
personal. As I follow George from the shady glens of Bavaria to his shady garden in Georgia, I am
struck by his love of and passion for his avocation, this thing called gardening. And as I imagine a
small boy stealing through a picket fence to be liberated by the shady forest beyond, I am mesmer-
ized by his appreciation of the virtues of shade in the garden.
Shade is to gardening as Oreos are to cookies: having too many can give you a stomachache
but having none is cruel and unusual punishment. George takes us through his personal thoughts
on shade gardening, letting us know why shade gardening makes so much sense and what plants
await the gardener. And plants are important to George, who has little use for the “biological desert”
of turfgrass.
This man knows his plants. In each genus, he offers the “master” gardener no-nonsense botan-
ical information concerning height, flower, fruit, and family; he also provides the newcomer with his
thoughts on soil conditions, watering, and, more importantly, the reason one would put a certain
plant in the garden in the first place. His favorites become obvious, and his knowledge of the great
variety within a genus is enviable and ours to share.
I have a great deal of shade in my own garden, and I too wanted “a cooling refuge during the
summer months.” So as can be imagined, I plunged into this book and surfaced not only with a
better appreciation of my shaded garden but with a broadened understanding of the diversity of
perennials that can flourish in such conditions—not to mention a warm-all-over feeling.
I enjoy my shaded garden, yet there is always more to learn and to try, and so I visit George often
to indulge our mutual shady tastes. He is a gentleman and a scholar, and I come away refreshed by
having been with a man who revels in sharing his garden, his plants, and his knowledge. You will be
similarly refreshed, and similarly educated.
Allan M. Armitage
Athens, Georgia
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