Legacy Shade Garden

“I never met a shade plant I didn’t like,” says Janyce, the gardener who grew up in this 70-year-old home and garden. Her father planted the mature trees, including the giant magnolia tree in the back that provides a canopy for the many shade plants.

In contrast, a sunny streetside garden displays ever-changing container beds. The begonia collection predominates, distinguished by large showy leaves. An antique gate opens to a backdrop of shade trees, including the legacy Japanese snowbell (Styrax japonicus) that Janyce’s father planted, as well as the recent additions ‘Esk Sunset’ maple, ‘Slender Silhouette’ sweetgum and the dark evergreen Magnolia laevifolia.

The Japanese maple collection includes the ‘Shishigashira Lion’s Head,’ ‘Hogyoku,’ known for its orange color in fall, and an old Golden Full Moon maple. Look for these behind the spacious outdoor living space with fireplace and fountain, created by Janyce’s husband, Kent. Encounter many varieties of shiny-leafed aucuba, mahonia, fatsia and hydrangea at the midplane, with ferns, Solomon’s Seal, fairy bells (Disporum), hardy ginger (Roscoea) and toad lily (Tricyrtis) at the ground level.  

Some of the rhododendrons are 50 years old, including the ‘Loderi King George.’ The fern collection includes felt ferns (Pyrrosias) and Polysticum. There are many hardy species of scheffleras, including delavayi, taiwanianum, and rhododendrifolia. At the back of the property is an impressive 30-foot high Japanese stewartia with multiple trunks.

Visitors are invited to wander, listen to the sound of falling water, feel the cool of the shade and gaze up at the magnificent magnolia.