Gardening in the Shade
Shade plants are not usually showy; they are subtle. In a shady garden you must depend on broad carpets of spring bulbs and on careful juxtaposition of foliage colors, textures and forms. A shady garden is a refuge for birds, butterflies and humans alike. Turn your dark, shady areas into brilliant garden getaways.
Shade is defined as any situation with less than 5-6 hours of sun. When the sun shines in your garden is as important as how long it shines. Morning sun and afternoon shade is a very different situation than morning shade and afternoon sun. You need to discover your own unique shade situation. Discover when and where your garden is sunniest and when it is shadiest. Notice seasonal changes in the sun and shade. Note the source of the shade: trees – evergreen or deciduous, walls, houses, etc. Note whether the shade is direct or indirect. Some people do actually measure the light they receive with a meter!
You can have partial shade to full shade and in between. Partial shade occurs when the area receives a few hours of direct sun per day. This is a common situation under trees. Some trees, such as redbuds and oaks have taproots, while other trees such as maples have fibrous roots. Life under a fibrous rooted tree is more difficult than life under a tap rooted tree. Only thugs of the plant world such as lily of the valley, vinca, English ivy, pachysandra and Snow on the Mountain coexist with fibrous roots. So you must consider shade and soil condition when choosing plants. Most plants need 4-6 inches of soil to grow in. Dig some sample holes to see what kind of soil you have. Full shade occurs on the north side and under mature trees. Again soil condition can be good or poor. The amount of shade you have is what you have. Few things can be done to change it. Trees can be limbed up; fences can be painted white to reflect more light to the plants.
Winter and early spring sun combined with late spring and summer sun is an ideal situation for growing early blooming plants such as Hellebores, woodland Phlox, Lungworts, Bergenias and bulbs. This garden will then be green through the rest of the season. This highlights the great capacity of a shade garden to change with the seasons. For winter effect, Hellebores, Bergenia, Ajuga, Epimedium and Carex are good performers. Spring bulbs, such as Snowdrops, winter Aconite and species Crocus will begin to bloom in February. Next come Scilla siberica and Spanish Bluebells, then Bleeding heart, Solomon’s seal, crested Iris and Corydalis lutea.
Part of the richness of a natural shade garden is in the layering of plants. This consists of tall trees, then the understory layer of small trees and shrubs, then smaller perennials, bulbs and annuals. When designing your garden, this is a good model to recreate. Create a path that travels through your shady area, this helps to focus attention where you want it. A path also helps to improve the soil by guiding footsteps away from the planting beds. Fertilization and soil building are very important in a shade garden.
Partial Shade
Woody Plants:
Abelia
Roseshell Azalea (Rhododendron prinophyllum)
Blackhaw (Viburnum prunifolium)
Boxwood
Bottlebrush Buckeye (Aesculus parvifolia)
Chamaecyparis
Red chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia)
Dogwood
Oakleaf Hydrangea
Inkberry (Ilex glabra) –wet
Oregon Grape Holly (Mahonia aquifolium)
Japanese Holly (Ilex crenata)
Japanese Kerria
Juddii Viburnum
Redbud
Serviceberry (Amelanchier)
Summersweet Clethra
Thuja ‘Teddy’
Leatherleaf Viburnum
Prague Viburnum
Virginia Sweetspire (Itea)
Winterberry (Ilex verticillata) –wet, acidic
Witch Hazel (Hamamelis)
Yew (Taxus)
Herbaceous Plants:
Ajuga
Amsonia hubrectii
Amemone x hybrida
Aquilegia
Astilbe
Bergenia
Bleeding Heart (Dicentra)
Buttercup (Ranunculus – some are THUGs)
Calamintha
Clematis
Coral Bells (Heuchera)
Corydalis
Epimedium
Eupatorium Golden Star (Chrysogonum virginianum)
Forget Me Not (Myosotis)
Geranium
Germander (Teucrium)
Geum
Ginger
Goatsbeard (Aruncus)
Hakonechloa grass
Helleborus
Heucherella
Hosta
Iris siberica
Ivy (Hedera)
Japanese fleeceflower (Fallopia) - THUG
Ladybells
Lamb’s Ear (Stachys)
Leopard’s Bane
Lily of the Valley (Convallaria) -THUG
Liriope -THUG
Lobelia cardinalis –moist
Lungwort (Pulmonaria)
Lysimachia -THUG
Mazus
Meadow-Rue (Thalictrum)
Mock Strawberry
Northern Sea Oats
Pachysandra
Persicaria ‘Red Dragon’
Phlox
Plumbago (Ceratostigma)
Purple coneflower (Echinacea)
Ribbon Grass
Sagina
Snow on the Mountain (Aegopodium) -THUG
Solomon’s Seal
Spiderwort (Tradescantia)
Spotted Dead Nettle (Lamium)
Spurge (Euphorbia)
Strawberry - variegated
Tiarella
Tricyrtis
Vinca -THUG
Viola
Yellow archangel (Lamiastrum -THUG
Ferns:
Christmas fern (Polystichum)
Japanese painted fern
Lady fern (Athyrium)
Northern Maidenhair fern (Adiantum)
Ostrich fern (Matteuccia)
Bulbs & Corms:
Arum italicum
Bloodroot
Cardiocrinum
Common Snowdrop (Galanthus)
Crocus tomasinianus
Cyclamen
Eranthus
Great Merrybells (Uvularia)
Ornithogalum
Siberian Squill (Scilla sibirica)
Spanish bluebells
Striped Squill (Pusckinia)
Sumner Snowflake (Leucojum)
Surprise Lily (Lycoris squamigera)
Annuals:
Begonia
Caladium
Coleus
Impatiens
Polka dot plant (Hypoestes)
Saxifraga
Wish Bone Plant (Torenia)
Full Shade
Woody Plants:
Japanese Holly (Ilex crenata)
Kerria japonica
Yew (Taxus)
Herbaceous Plants:
Bloodroot
Christmas Fern
Epimedium
Golden Star (Chrysogonum)
Great Merrybells (Uvularia)
Helleborus
Ivy (Hedera)
Japanese Painted Fern
Lady Fern (Athyrium)
Lily of the Valley
Liriope
Lungwort (Pulmonaria)
Lysimachia
Mock Strawberry (Duchesnea)
Northern Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum)
Pachysandra
Snow on the Mountain
Solomon’s Seal (Polygonatum)
Spotted Dead Nettle
Spurge (Euphorbia amygdaloides)
Sweet Woodruff
Tiarella
Vinca
Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia)
Woodland Phlox