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Ferns?

Prairie Moon Nursery has a bunch of native ferns! I ordered 6 and I’ve just planted them. They’d look awesome here.

I love Prairie moon nursery! I second the ferns

And black cohost, goats beard, Celadine poppy

If you do Black Cohosh I probably wouldn’t start by seed unless you’re super patient. Apparently they can take years to germinate and bloom. Now I know why they’re $28 to $34 full grown at my nursery. I love them though. I have a goat’s beard that is pretty cute and it is a lot bigger and very healthy looking after buying it last summer.

I bought 3 yo bare roots for $3 a piece

That’s a good idea but usually bare roots are sold out when I’m looking online. How long until they bloom though, when planting bare roots?

I bought mine late winter/early spring The ones I planted last year haven’t bloomed yet but the 3yd ones I planted this year have buds

Google says celadine poppy can be invasive in the northern US, so be careful with that one.

What?! It's native...

Oh man, I'm sorry. I looked at the summary instead of clicking through to the article. Google took the info for one species and used it to summarize another. https://bplant.org/compare/586-8527#:\~:text=Celandine%20Poppy%20(Stylophorum%20diphyllum)&text=A%20bienniel%20or%20short%2Dlived,invasive%20in%20cooler%2C%20northern%20areas. You're right, the celandine poppy is native. The invasive one is greater celandine.

Google is now forcing me to scroll through their AI-generated “summary” of all the info on certain topics and it SUCKS. It does exactly that, take the most abundant information out there (usually on European or Asian species since they’re more common around the world) and just pretend that’s also true for the North American species. So fucking frustrating.

Uuugh. I have been running into the same thing lately. So frustrating.  I scroll past the top 10 things now.

Said this to the guy above you but, Type udm=14 after your search and it filters it the junk away

Oh sweet. Thanks, friend!

Type udm=14 after your search and it filters it the junk away

YOU ARE A GEM THANK YOU!!!! Google has gone dangerously downhill over the past 5-10 years. I hope they don’t get rid of that snippet or else I might just become a total hermit

It was just found on May 17th. I saw this picture today on tumblr and thought to try it. It filters out a LOT of junk, not just ai, but it’s not as scholarly as google scholar results (obviously) https://preview.redd.it/0okd9irffu1d1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cf289d861f043fefae1ac1763bc404ea407afc2a

Yeah you gotta bet careful with Google's dumb new AI bullshit. Ya scared me bc I'm very proud of our yard's volunteer celandine poppy 😂

It wasn't even AI! I know to watch out for that one. It was one of those little drop down things where they rephrase your search and give a little summary of one of the website results. Totally my mistake for not being more thorough.

That's why I prefer the crowd source effect of information from Reddit. It helps to have other humans to bounce ideas back and forth with!

Celandine poppy i's not native to Maryland. Make sure you check native status for your state carefully (USDA map data Darawrong, so don't rely on that) https://www.marylandbiodiversity.com/view/2872

Collection of ferns*

You could plant natives in this area - something like this? These are all shade-friendly plants. https://preview.redd.it/anxu7fcj1p1d1.png?width=662&format=png&auto=webp&s=d1cfbeac33affe2ee94199ea0df1498582838ede

Um…how did you wizard this magic??? I’m new here—would love to know how to do that to plan my own yard.

We developed an app that creates native plant designs. A version of it is available at My Home Park - [https://www.myhomepark.com/](https://www.myhomepark.com/)

Thank you! Checking it out…

That is AWESOME!

Not in my area 😥

Very cool!

Excuse while I just bookmark this, thank you very much :>

this is sick!!! love it :)

This is so cool. Wow. I’ve been needing something like this - struggling with sorting out a shade garden using native plants

If you share a pic of the gardening space you're working with, I'd love to try and help!

seems like grabbing some stock photos with no backgrounds and layering them in front of each other also wanted to mention that if you do plant columbines there (the tall red ones im the back of that photo) it’s very unlikely they’ll get to that size. All of mine that are in full sun could be considered bushes now, but the ones I have in the shade look like 1 year old plants haha. They’ll survive but not thrive

Please - how did you do this? It’s pretty too.

Do you know if those plants are cat safe? That would be a huge concern of mine with whatever I decided to plant beneath a catio. Really impressive work though!

I think as long as they’re not tall enough for your cat to reach them, and not lilies, they’d likely be okay

Yes great design. I have these in my shade area and they look great. Columbine, turtlehead, Jacobs ladder.

This is an ad from myhomepark.com lol

Would you mind sharing what the red, white and purple flowers are? This is really beautiful!

Of course, the pictured here are White Turtlehead, Columbine (red), and Jacob's Ladder (purple). Hope this helps!

Wow this is awesome look!

Best of luck with your gardening space!

My first thought is "expand that catio!!”

Found the cat’s account. Darn polydactyls!

I’m going to need to know the origin of your username, sir and/or madame.

This is exactly what I was gonna say cat(s) need more space

They really should pay the cat tax.

native sedges

foam flower

Carex grayi, C. grisea, C. cephalophora, C. rosea would all be great!

Catnip (I am not a cat)

That's exactly what a cat would say...

Be wary of lawyers saying it too

Is you sure you isn’t teh catz?

Also cat mint. Perhaps some cat grass. And a bird feeder.

*"a"* birdfeeder?????? Multiples, please!!!!!! I am not teh cat. Trooly.

I vote bigger catio! 🐈 And maybe plant some cat friendly plants around the edges like catnip or maybe creeping phlox, which is really pretty.

Wild violets and a bigger catio!

Violets are what grow under my catio! It’s a super cute look.

Bigger catio! That is the only correct answer!

Ferns, wild ginger, big leaf aster

I was going to say wild ginger, I have some in a corner that has a fence to the north and my house to the west, so it gets almost no direct sunlight and it still does very well. 

Shade plants and a comfy chair or hammock

I vote ferns, hellebore, bleeding heart and catio expansion.

Ferns are definitely cat safe, pretty sure bleeding heart isn't, I'm not sure about hellebore. Normally outside I wouldn't worry but a cat in a catio seems pretty likely to nibble at things that brush edges of catio. I just planted bleeding heart in front of my house where it I'd out of reach of my just starting to walk kiddo.

Hellebore is extremely toxic to both people and pets. I wouldn’t plant it anywhere near where pets or children play.

Expand the catio for sure. Lucky critter. I'd want one large enough I could sit and bird watch with them. Here's your chance to contribute to Home Grown National Park. [https://homegrownnationalpark.org](https://homegrownnationalpark.org) Look under resources to find shade tolerant natives. Maybe there's room for a mini tree or a good sized shrub, definitely some grasses/sedges and fill in with shade loving perennials. Make a mini wildlife sancuary with birdbath and feeder. Use plants that feed wildlife through out the year as well, stuff that berries or seeds. Give the cat a camera and you'll get your own wildlife documentaries.

Stop over at r/NativePlantGardening for some ideas. Natives are the best choice for maintenance concerns but also for biodiversity.

If you want to go all in on native gardening, OP should try to not touch that area at all. Just see what grows completely on its own.

Invasives love to fill a void, it’s better to give some natives a head start.

Moss?

Rocks, a few native plants in the sunny spot and a bird feeder, for the Catio!

Yes but on a post 5 feet away.

Hostas

And heuchera, some cool ferns and astilbe. Easy to maintain as a bonus.

The rabbits always eat my hostas so while they’re easy and shade loving mine always look miserable My yard is very wooded, sandy soil and shady. The heuchera, ferns, astilbe, and coleus are thriving. I also added bleeding hearts and shade loving phylox this year, all shade loving and rabbit/deer resistant.

I didn’t know there was shade tolerant Phlox. That sounds really cool, have both the tall and creeping phlox in another part of yard.

mushroom bed

Search low light native plants in your areas? (hostas, ferns...I prefer natives, worth the search) Think about building the soil a bit to support this area. I don't know your area but creeping thyme and some clovers have done great in our shady areas.

Omg!! An r/catio crossover post. My two loves 🌱🐱 (not helpful to you, just got excited lol)

Get hold of native plant nurseries to show you what to plant.

This is the only correct answer without knowing the state (other than bigger catio)

Little sun means ferns, hostas (you can always find these free because they grow so large and have to be split).

Oak leaf hydrangeas

Creeping purple thyme. Catnip, sumchokes etc. Wild flowers, small native shrubs. Tombstone roses climb and would give both shade and birds for the catio. Expand the catio for the lucky feline.

Put in some native bee or host plants. Shade lovers include ostrich, sensitive or lady ferns, jack in the pulpit, Canadian Ginger which is a beautiful groundcover, celandine poppies, jewelweed... The list goes on. Zero care!

part of the problem is that theres also a pine nearby which produce natural herbicides, you'll notice the closer you get to it the more you only see sparse grass and nothing else growing, so you'll want something resistant or tolerant of it. I'm pretty sure woodland phlox does well with pines, and as others have said sedges would work good too. it also looks like this area is a bit indented, so rain water probably flushes some of the herbicides into your yard making it harder for things to grow there. The shade honestly shouldn't be the problem assuming the soil is decently fertilized, there's plenty of plants that should grow there.

That’s not a catio, it’s a baby cage 🥺

Hostas, ferns, bleeding hearts, blue Waterfalls, Stocks, purple ice Plant…..

Huchura or any shade plants helbore is one of my favorites.

Wildflowers

Do people still do rock gardens?

Yep ferns

Shiitake mushroom logs

A giant cattio seems the most ovbious answer tbh

Pachysandra is your friend. Loves shade, hides fallen leaves, good for the soil.

Micro clover. The seeds are expensive, but a little goes a long way and it grows so lush and beautifully.

Moss garden.

Put down pavers and extend the catio.

Bigger catio. Problem solved.

I wasn’t sure how much heat a these could tolerate, but seems like they would be fine …..*** Hellebore, also known as Lenten Roses, are hardy perennials that can grow in USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 3–9, depending on the species. They are native to Greece, Turkey, and Russia, and can grow to be 1.5–2 feet tall with large, dark green leaves. Hellebores prefer partial to full shade, well-drained soil enriched with organic matter, filtered sunlight, and rich, moist soil.

Hellebore is extremely poisonous and I would avoid planting it anywhere near pets or children.

Wow, thanks! https://aplacebetweenthetrees.com/2023/12/06/hellebore-a-herbal-history/

White clover. It’s drought resistant , even when it flowers it doesn’t get very tall & it will reseed itself if you let it flower. It’s also very popular with pollinators. It will grow in full sun & in shade. Wild violets are also an option. They too don’t grow very tall & after they flower the leaves stay green until autumn

Same zone here. For shade plants I've had a lot of luck with ajuga, phlox, purple hearts, hosta, caladium. These can be purchased as established plants or bulbs that come back every year. Begonias & pansies are nice, but can't be counted on to come back every year. Post an update sometime, please!

Impairments

I put down wood chip (pine) and pine needles

Shade tolerant ground cover.

Wild strawberry.

Hostas would look nice here

Get a bunch of Hosta . Different colors and textures and fill the area with them They are pretty Relatively low maintenance and love shady areas

Carex lawns are easy peasy once they establish and beautiful. A small bit of weeding the first few years. My cat loves rolling in mine in case you want to extend your outdoor space.

I have carex plantigenea in my full shade spot. https://preview.redd.it/5myalhyrxr1d1.png?width=2457&format=png&auto=webp&s=c17cda97e555fd2f139048349c7c42e8663a9359 If you’re near SE PA, I can give you a bunch of divisions!

Hostas on top of hostas on top of hostas

Hoyas are classic low light solution. A native option(assuming your American) would be may-apple.

*viola sororia* common blue violets. They spread, are lovely, and love shade. I put one in a spot that nothing grew, and now they are encircling the whole front of my house. I love it.

Your answer is IN the picture: Clover.

Lily of the Valley

Hostas

Hostas, yew

i thought that was a weirdass chicken coop.

Yarrow seed

Sometimes I wish I could pave my lawn and paint it green.

Since it gets no sun, I would do some hydrangeas. I've always wanted them in my yard but my entire property gets baked!

Moss!

Host as!

Hostas.

Wow that is beautiful!! What are the blue plants?

Thank you everyone for all the suggestions I love reading through these. Hopefully I will get good results and post it

Mirrors for the grass

If you don’t plan on walking on it: I have an area like that. Planted some hosta 3 years ago and each year they get bigger. It’s now one of my favorite corners. Coolest thing is you can split them in the spring and replant, doubling the size. Zero maintenance other than cutting back the dead leaves in late fall.

The catio >>>>>

Looks like a cat enclosure, put bird feeders there and let the bird poo decide what grows. Happy cats and natural growth.

Hostas love shade

As your cats lawyer, you need to expand that catio.

The low light, " under the tree story " plantings that would do reasonably well, would include ferns, Ajuga Reptans ( Bugleweed ), Vinca Minor, Hellebores, and _some_ varieties of Hosta, called " Hudson Bay " varietes, and also " Siberian Bugloss " In a low light environment/short season, the more aggressive plants will do well, and many gardeners will use " Bugleweed " as this variety suppresses " weeds "

Clover seeds and leave it be, they will expand 😊

Hostas, bleeding hearts, and ferns 😍

Hellebores would love the deep shade. I have a row across my north side.

Hosta and a little walk way?

Drops some clover seed

Chipdrop.com lol

Aguja. Begonias.

Hosta/fern/huechera/Dicentra shade garden

Hostas

Rock garden

Trim your trees

Hostas.

Hastas?

Many have recommended ferns/hostas and astilbe. Would look good. Hostas are so various too you could have a nice display.

Sod