BCMG Shade Garden

Established in the spring of 2024, the garden was laid out with a curving path through its center.  Existing well-established trees include three river birches and an American sycamore. A shrub layer including smooth hydrangea, oak leaf hydrangea, fothergilla ‘Mt. Airy’, pinxterbloom azaleas, leucothoes, and ninbarks was first planted. New trees at either garden end were added: a pignut (carya glabra) and a sweet bay magnolia (magnolia virginiana). An initial layer of perennials were also planted and include 4 native ferns, heucheras, tiarellas, chrysogonum, columbines, robin’s plantain, wood asters, big-leaf asters,Solomon’s seal, wild geraniums, crested irises, lyreleaf sages, stonecrops, wood poppies, creek sedge, and woodland and creeping phlox. The addition of spring ephemerals is planned for 2025.

Developing features are native options for low groundcovers, planned as a kind of mosaic around the perimeter of the garden.

Educational information includes signage discussing why native plants are important, why planting under trees is beneficial, and information on native groundcovers.

There is plenty of information about gardening in shade on the University of Maryland Extension Home and Garden Information Center website. https://extension.umd.edu/resource/native-plants-shade/

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