Mesic Shade Design

This pollinator garden is designed for part- to full-shade locations with average soil moisture. A flagstone pathway allows access through the garden, passing through groupings of Illinois native woodland forbs, shrubs and sedges that attract a wide variety of pollinators from spring through fall. Leave foliage standing through winter to provide overwintering habitat for wildlife and visual interest throughout the season. (Download a screen readable PDF.)

Mesic Shade Pollinator Garden

Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) Backup: Winterberry (Ilex verticillata)
Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium purpureum) Backup: Smooth Blue Aster (Symphyotrichum laevis)
Smooth Hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens) Backup: Coralberry (Symphoricarpos orbiculatus)
Cinnamon Fern (Osmunda cinnamomea) Backup: Lady Fern (Athyrium filix-femina)
Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) Backup: Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense)
Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum) Backup: White Wood Aster (Eurybia divaricata)
Jacob’s Ladder (Polemonium reptans) Backup: Foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia)
Goatsbeard (Aruncus dioicus) Backup: Sensitive Fern (Onoclea sensibilis)
Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides) Backup: Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium)
Pennsylvania Sedge (Carex pensylvanica) Backup: Rosy Sedge (Carex rosea)

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