Gardening Win: White Polka Dot Annuals Brightening Up Shade Garden Spots - August 2025

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Back in June, I planted ten (10) small plugs of White Polka Dot Plant Annuals in between the Green Velvet Boxwoods that are planted at the base of the Linden espalier.   I saw these same white ones in the Morton Arboretum Fragrance Garden (the shade part) in 2021 and loved them since back then.  

They handle the shade and with their white dots on the foliage, can brighten up some of these darker spaces.  Being planted right under the trees, this area gets no direct sunlight.  It isn't SHADE, but it stays pretty dark and - when watered - damp.  

All ten of the annuals have survived and are now putting on some size.  Below is a photo showing them in late July:

Polka Dot Plant (Annual) Planted in Shade Garden

I'm already thinking about these for cut flowers as accent pieces.  And, for next year - as annuals in the backyard.  

One of my goals is to focus (more) on repetition.  These might be the annuals that I can tuck in around the back to help increase the 'legibility' through repetition.  

Location: Downers Grove, IL, USA

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