FIVE OF THE BEST SHADY CHARACTERS

1 ASARUM SPLENDENS

Chinese wild ginger forms a compact mat of dark green, silver-mottled leaves that conceal curious funnel-shaped purple flowers.

2 BRUNNERA MACROPHYLLA ‘JACK FROST’

Calf-high clumps of heartshaped, green and silver variegated leaves are topped with sprays of tiny, lightblue flowers.

3 EPIMEDIUM ‘ SPINE TINGLER’

Foot-high sprays of yellow flowers are held above a mass of elongated, spiny-edged leaves that are bronze-red when young.

4 GALIUM ODORATUM

A lovely ground-covering plant with lightly scented, emeraldgreen leaves and short sprays of white flowers from April until u July. 5 TRILLIUM GRANDIFLORUM American wake robin produces three-petalled white flowers on 16in-high stems clothed with large, ribbed leaves.