Shade gardens have a quiet tranquility offering a cool summer refuge from the hot summer's heat.

 

Not all plants can grow in shade and many of the shade plants are grown more for their foliage than for their flowers. Choosing the right plants for the right area is important to the success of growing a shade garden.

 

There are different degrees of shade with different types of soil conditions. Light shade is an area that is shaded but is still bright and may only have the sun blocked for a few hours during midday, or it could be filtered sun due to a lightly branched tree. There are many plants that can thrive very well in these lightly shaded conditions as many sun loving plants will tolerate some shade.

 

Then there is partial or medium shade which would be an area that receives only early morning or late afternoon sun but for the rest of the day there would be no sun.

 

Full shade would be no sun at all during any part of the day due to a building blocking it or if you want to plant under a heavy branched tree or trees.

 

Different shaded conditions also mean different soils. If the shaded area is under mature trees the soil will be dry and plants will often have to compete with the trees roots for nutrients and moisture. Other shaded areas such as the north side of buildings could be moist because there is very little sun to dry out the soil. Sometimes conditions can change as the landscape matures. What was once a sunny location can become shady due to trees becoming larger and providing shade. It is possible to add light to the landscape by cutting off the lower limbs of trees but you do not want to change the shape of a tree either.

 

Another factor is the type of tree. For example if there are deciduous trees you can plant early blooming bulbs that may not like shade but because there is no foliage on the trees in early spring the area is brightly lit. Then later you can plant suitable shade annuals or perennials as the foliage appears on the trees.

 

If the area is heavily shaded the plant list is limited. There are several perennials that will grow in medium to heavy shaded areas such as different varieties of Hosta, Bleeding Heart, Ferns, Ajuga, Lungwort, Lily of the Valley, Sweet woodruff, Lamium. Goutweed, Bergenia, Meadowsweet, Ligularia, Ladies Mantle, Bugbane, and Astilbe. Shrubs that can be grown in shade include Arrowwood, Burning Bush, Cranberry,Coral berry, Russian Cypress, Dogwood, Elder, and Snowberry. The list of annuals include begonia, Coleus, Dracaena, Dusty Miller, fuchsia, Impatiens, lobelia, Pansy, Ornamental Kale, and Torenia.

 

These are some suggestions but there are more plants that can grow in shade. When looking at plants read the label as it will tell you what type of conditions the plant will grow in.

No sun! No worries! As there are lots of plants that will grow in shade you just need to look for them.