Creating a garden that thrives in shade can be both a challenge and an opportunity.
While shade gardens might not receive the same amount of sunlight as their sun-soaked counterparts, they can offer unique beauty and serenity, often becoming lush, green sanctuaries full of textures.
With careful planning, selection of suitable plants, and proper care, you can create a vibrant and thriving shade garden.
This article will guide you through the process, from understanding the types of shade to choosing the right plants and maintaining your garden.
What are the various levels of shade?
The secret to shady gardening success lies in understanding the subtleties of shade and knowing which plants will thrive in your shady areas.
This is not an easy task since shady conditions change from season to season and the sun’s path across the sky changes daily.
For these reasons, it’s important to observe and analyze your garden over time in order to understand how much sun or shade your landscape receives.
Shade can be categorized into several types:
- Full Shade: Areas that receive less than two hours of direct sunlight per day, such as spaces under dense tree canopies or on the north side of buildings.
- Partial Shade: Areas that receive two to four hours of direct sunlight per day, usually in the morning or late afternoon.
- Dappled Shade: Areas where sunlight filters through the leaves of trees, creating a pattern of light and shadow.
- Light Shade: Areas that receive filtered sunlight for most of the day or receive full sunlight for a short period.
To determine what kind of shade your garden has, start by taking a walk around it on a sunny day, especially during the summer.
Observe where the shadows fall throughout the course of the day and note how long the shadow lasts.
Keep in mind that bare branches can cast heavy shadows, while trees with leaves provide light-filtering coverage.
Also, buildings and walls can throw shadows that are different from those cast by trees and shrubs.
How to choose the right plants?
If you don’t choose plants suited to the light conditions in your shade garden, it’s likely that they will struggle.
Plants that are not well-adapted to the site will have wimpy foliage, poor flowering or no fruiting, and are more prone to disease and insect pests.
To prevent these problems, it’s important to remember the mantra “right plant, right place.”
After choosing a suitable planting scheme for your garden, select plants with varying shapes and colors.
This will provide contrast and interest throughout the seasons, and it’s a great way to add texture and depth.
Once your shade garden is planted, it’s time to give it the care it needs. Immediately after planting, water your garden thoroughly to settle the soil and give new growth a good start.
The dense canopy of trees and impervious overhangs often block rainfall from reaching the ground underneath, so it’s important to check your garden regularly for moisture levels.
If needed, water your shade garden several times a week until you can see the moisture in the soil.
What are the top plant choices for a shade garden?
Selecting plants that thrive in shade is crucial to the success of your garden. Here are some plant categories and examples that are well-suited for different types of shade:
Perennials
Perennial plants are a great choice for shade gardens as they come back year after year. Some popular shade-tolerant perennials include:
- Hostas: Known for their large, textured leaves and variety of colors, hostas are a staple in shade gardens.
- Ferns: Ferns, such as the Japanese painted fern or the maidenhair fern, add delicate texture and a lush, green backdrop.
- Astilbes: These plants produce beautiful, feathery plumes of flowers and thrive in moist, shady conditions.
- Heucheras (Coral Bells): Known for their vibrant foliage, heucheras add color and interest to the shade garden.
Annuals
While annuals only last one season, they can add bursts of color and variety to your shade garden. Consider these shade-loving annuals:
- Impatiens: These colorful flowers are perfect for brightening up dark corners.
- Begonias: With their variety of colors and leaf shapes, begonias are versatile and attractive.
- Coleus: Known for their striking foliage, coleus plants can add dramatic color contrasts.
Shrubs
Shrubs can provide structure and height to your shade garden. Some shade-tolerant shrubs include:
- Hydrangeas: These popular shrubs produce large clusters of flowers and prefer partial shade.
- Rhododendrons: Known for their large, showy blooms, rhododendrons thrive in dappled shade.
- Azaleas: These shrubs offer bright, beautiful blooms in spring and do well in partial shade.
Groundcovers
Groundcovers help suppress weeds and add a lush, green carpet to your garden. Consider these options for shady areas:
- Pachysandra: This low-growing plant forms a dense mat and thrives in full shade.
- Vinca minor (Periwinkle): Known for its small, periwinkle-blue flowers, this groundcover is ideal for shady spots.
- Liriope (Monkey Grass): With its grass-like foliage and small flowers, liriope is both decorative and practical.
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How to design without plants?
In areas where conditions may not be equipped to grow plants, consider incorporating outdoor spaces that can extend the interior.
Outdoor patios, ponds, or pathways can create a garden area that invites relaxation and provides a beautiful focal point for the yard.
When planning outdoor spaces, consider the dense foliage of tall trees and overhanging structures nearby.
As with any landscaping project, it’s helpful to create a plan before you begin. Taking into consideration the size of your garden, how much sunlight you receive and the type of flowers or shrubs you want will help determine what plantings will work best for the space.
It’s also a good idea to choose plants that are native to your region.
Check the USDA PLANTS database for information on provenance and if you’re not sure, contact your state’s plant society for guidance. Using native plants will also ensure that your garden becomes a natural part of the local ecosystem.
