Plants for growing in the shade or under trees

There are  a few plants that will grow quite happily in the shade or under a tree where nothing else seems to survive. One of them is a tough ground cover called Polygonum capitatum that will also grow under Pine trees. A client of Villa care who has had this problem of nothing growing under the trees can now check out the garden centres for the following to plant up. Vinca major a perennial is a great ground cover, perfect for under trees with its long tendrils rooting as it spreads with blue purple flowers, put it in borders as its great for keeping the weeds at bay, and being that its evergreen it will make good work of covering bare patches.
If you want something more bold and up right then Agapanthus is known for being tough, healthy and beautiful. Again it will grow well in the shade and among the tree roots, as it likes to grow in tight clumps, as its a bulb it should be divided about every 7yrs in order for it to produce the amazing blue sphere like flowers that stand on erect stems.It will grow perfectly in pots too, as it will thrive in a potbound clump. Just remember to get best results from Agapanthus plant them in a rich earth, preferably with leaf mould. Water regularly in Summer. See pics of the above attached.