"Replace a Shady Lawn" Garden--in Autumn

If this was still a lawn, I'd have to rake away all these glorious red leaves...
But since we converted it into a shade garden, I sweep the pathways, and use the leaves to mulch the garden beds. Voila:


The plantings are mainly low-growing perennials and groundcovers, to keep the wide-open feel of a lawn, and the main focus on the maple tree.

Here's a pseudo-comprehensive list of the plants:

Carex 'Ice Dance'--the dominant swath of variegated grass, also pictured below:
(My apologies--my current fascination with Vortex Photography is somewhat sabotaging the otherwise scientific ID photos on this blog.)



Brunnera macrophylla 'Jack Frost'--the white-leafed/blue-flower-in-spring perennial also pictured below:


My favourite non-native fern, Polystichum polyblepharum/Japanese Tassel Fern, because it's evergreen, smaller than the native Sword Fern, with a glossier, darker green leaf...

(Okay, this one is unrecognizable. Anyways, art and science do meet somewhere in the garden.)

I also used Dryopteris erythosora/Autumn Fern, the one with the unexpected and lovely coppery-orange new growth (no Vortex close-up available at this time).

Here's a somewhat fuzzy shot of the Fuchsia magellanica 'Ricartonii' with a white Hydrangea and Sarcacocca ruscifolia/the tall-growing Himalayan Sweetbox in the background.



I also used various blue and variegated Hostas, Pachysandra, Galium/Sweet woodruff, Hellebores, Astrantia/Masterwort, Campanula poscharskyana, Euphorbia robbiae. Just in case someone's looking for shady-garden ideas.


Oh--I've just found a photo from earlier this fall...you can see the plants better sans the blanket of red leaves. Remember, this is a very shady garden--the only direct sun falls on the hydrangea and fuchsias in the upper left corner.