Question
Hi,

I live in Northern New Jersey up in a mountainous area near the ski slopes.  My garden is pretty much shade with all the trees surrounding, which gets minimal sunlight.  The only annuals I find at certain stores that really bloom pretty flowers are inpatients.  I'm new at gardening, and I've found many pretty perennials, but everytime I find a pretty annual with flowers, the tag says "full sun".  I have many ground covers already, and I want to spruce up my garden with more color.  Do you have any ideas or names of annuals for full or part shade?  Do you have any suggestions for outdoor hanging plants as well?  I'm getting into that gardening mode now that Spring is upon us, so any insight would be great.

Thank You.
Julanne

Answer
Julanne,
Although it's true that the pallet of flowers for shade is more limited, there are a few choices beyond Impatiens.  Begonias are good -wax begonias are short and have small flowers (but hundreds of them) and tuberous or non-stop begonias have big showy flowers.  Coleus comes in many foliage colors including pink and burgundy, and there are a zillion new coleus coming out now.  The common houseplant, spider plant, has grass-like leaves and is white and green, and the babies can be potted up at this time and then planted with other annuals in groups in the shade.  Rex begonias have bright purple leaves.  New Guinea Impatiens do well in part shade and have larger, brighter flowers than the regular type.  Look, too, for a perennial called Persecaria "Firetail"  - it blooms pink bottle-brush flowers (good for cutting) from July to hard frost - gets about 3 -4 feet high, and does well in shade or part shade.  Also, if your local garden center carries Proven Winner Plants, look for torenia and the several types of upright fuchias they are offering.  

As for hanging plants for shade, fuchias are perfect.  Mixed baskets that include impatiens with sweet-potato vine (available in purple, lime or variegated foliage) do well in shade.  (Sweet potato vine may be labeled for sun but they do well in shade.)  Also, there is a new variety of impatiens called the "Firefly series" that is a mini-impatiens... same blooming habit but smaller and more interesting.  

I hope this helps!
all the best,
C.L. Foranri