Choose The Right Shade Growing Plants
If you're a new gardener you might think that shade growing is an uphill battle. I'm here to tell you that shade gardens can be a beautiful, lush, peaceful addition to your landscape. As someone who has been gardening in the shade of huge trees for more than 20 years, I know that shade growing is entirely possible. With some careful planning and patience you can create a shade garden to be proud of.
The most important thing to realize about shade gardening is that success all depends on what plants you choose. There are a variety of shade growing trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals, and bulbs.
Now that you've picked out your shade plants, think about where to locate them in the garden. Remember, plants need some light to grow (nothing grows in complete darkness). Your plants are going to need at least a few hours a day of light, even if it is not direct sunlight.
The best thing you can do for your shade growing plants is to give them good soil to grow in. Preparing the soil for a shade garden is pretty much like any other type of garden; you need to make sure there a good mixture of organic compost and mulch in the soil. You also need to ensure that the soil drains well. You don't want overly wet or mucky clay drowning the roots of your shade plants. To check to see how the soil drains, dig a hole and fill it with water then come back in a couple of hours to see if the water has drained. If not then you will need to mix sand into the soil to help with drainage.
Once you've considered the soil, check that the surrounding trees are not stealing all the light, moisture and nutrients. This is one of the most common problems if you plant a shade garden under large trees. Your plants will be competing for food and water with the trees, so regular feeding and watering is required so the plants aren't too depleted for nutrients.
Evergreen conifer trees such as cedars tend to make the soil dry and acidic. You can have the soil tested and if you find that it is overly acidic for what you plan to grow, just add some dolomite lime powder. But the good news is that many shade growing plants actually like acidic soil. Examples include rhododendron, mahonia (oregon grape), and ferns.
Shade from a building or wall will also affect what you can grow in your garden. Consider the placement of the building or wall: if your garden is in the front of a north-facing wall it will be in shade most of the day. In addition, the garden will be exposed to the elements like the prevailing winds and frost during the fall and winter.
Take a look at where your house is placed on your property, and how that affects where the sun is at various times of the year. For instance, where the sun is in the morning isn't going to the same in the evening, especially the later in the season it is.
So the most important things to remember in growing a shade garden are plant selection, the degree of shade you are dealing with (light, medium or dense), good soil and drainage and sufficient water.
Want to know more about Shade Growing? Visit Barbara Bakker's site to get recommendations on the best shade plants for your shade garden.
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