You may need some shade-loving plants even if you don't have a large expanse of yard. Urban gardeners can grow shade plants on balconies and terraces, as long as they're shaded part of the day. Even shade-loving plants need some sunlight in order to flower--but the plants listed below thrive with a minimum of sun. To plant a container garden, choose a container or pot large enough to hold several 4" plants. Cover the drain hole with plastic window screen or a pottery shard, and fill the container half-full of potting soil. Add a time-release fertilizer such as Osmocote to the potting soil if you like. The following plants work well together in a large container garden: Chinese foxglove (Rehmannia elata) --a tender perennial with bright-pink blooms (figure A). Place taller plants such as this at the back of the container. Heliotrope (Heliotropium arborescens) --a tender shrub often grown as an annual. Heliotrope produces clusters of fragrant flowers in summer (figure B). Campanula--a genus that includes annuals, perennials and biennials. Trailing varieties such as C. isophylla (Italian bellflower) are often chosen for container gardens and provide a bounty of blue, lavender or white blossoms (figure C). Variegated ivy --whose foliage will brighten a dark area. Ajuga --a perennial groundcover that spreads by runners (figure D). Ajuga produces spiky blue blossoms in spring. Water your container garden immediately after planting to settle the plants into their new home.
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