Is there an area in your yard that gets little or no sunlight? Have you been frustrated trying to grow plants in the shade that never seem to make it through the season? Here are a few helpful tips for creating a shade garden.
First, you need to think positive thoughts. That shaded portion of your yard should be viewed as a wonderful opportunity to create a garden landscape that is unique and refreshing. Don’t think of it as a “problem area.”
Before beginning, you need to determine the degree of shade (or amount of sunlight) for that specific area. Deep Shade / Full Shade is defined as an area receiving no more than 1-2 hours of early morning or late day sun, or no direct sunlight at all. Partial Shade is defined as having no more than 3-4 hours of direct or dappled sunlight.
Next, you need to determine the amount of moisture received in that area. Most shady areas beneath trees are usually quite dry. The tree canopy acts as an umbrella diverting most of the rainfall. Any plants beneath a tree must compete with the tree’s root system for the limited rainfall that made it through the canopy. Remember, even though your other gardens may have gotten sufficient moisture from a rainstorm, most shady gardens under trees will still need watering.
Because of the lack of sunlight, plants in a shade garden get most of their energy from the surrounding soil, It’s important that the soil be organically rich in nutrients. Adding a 3-4” layer of a soil and humus mixture is recommended.
Now your shade garden is ready for plants. Focus on contrasts. Create a garden that contains a mix of foliage colors and shapes. Add plants of differing heights. Add ground covers. There’s an extensive assortment of blooming shade plants such as impatiens that you can use to accent your garden with color. When selecting your plants, remember that while Full Shade plants will tolerate partial sun, Partial Sun plants will not tolerate full shade.
Lastly, you may want to consider adding a birdbath, statue or bench to complete your shade garden.
