Most people don't know how beautiful these gardens can be. If they have a shadowy area in the garden they often just leave it uncared for, thinking that nothing will survive there and regretting that not all the garden is filled with sunlight.
If they knew how easy it is to make the shade beautiful, they would change their opinion about these areas immediately.
Perennial shade gardens are very easy to maintain and because of that they are convenient for busy people.
Why choose perennial shade flowers
Most people don't have the time to re-plant their flowers each year or to water them every day. Choosing perennial shade flowers is the perfect answer for this. Perennial shade flowers don't require as much care as other types of flowers.
They need shade and moist soil... and that's it. If areas of your garden are in shadow, take advantage of it and make your own beautiful perennials shade flower garden. It's very easy.
Although perennial shade flowers need less care than other flowers, you should still keep a few things in mind before you decide to plant them. Not all kinds of gardens are suitable for perennial shade flowers.
What type of shade garden is suitable for perennial shade flowers
First of all, a garden that is exposed to sunlight all day is not suitable. If your garden is too sunny, you should plant the flowers close to a wall or under the trees, you must ensure they are not exposed to direct sunlight at midday.
There are many degrees of shade and each of them support different kind of perennial garden.
Heavy Shade
There is heavy shade, which is found under large trees with dense branches. For example, evergreen trees. The northern side of buildings are also good places with heavy shade.
To plant in these areas you should choose plants that can survive in low light and conditions that are mostly moist, as they are under trees and shrubs.
Dappled Shade
Dappled shade can be found under trees, where the branches block some of the sunlight, but not all, leaving the sun rays to reach to the ground through the leaves. This kind of shade is ideal for most of the perennial shade flowers. Particularly if the soil is enriched and the area sheltered from hot dry winds.
Best perennial shade flowers that can be planted under dappled shade are bluebell, bluestar, false indigo, plantain lily and thrillium.
Bright Shade
Another kind of shade is the bright shade. You can find bright shade at the outer edges of tree canopies, a place which receive sunlight only in the early morning and in the evening, but not at midday.
The best perennial shade flowers that can be planted under bright shade are columbine, foxglove and daylily.
Ideal
The ideal perennial shade garden has both of the last two places, and not many areas which receive sunlight all day long.
Start Planting Perennials
The ideal time to start planting perennial flowers in your garden is spring.
This way they have time to get strong and grow before the hot days of summer arrive. If the plants are planted too late they won't be strong enough to survive the hot summer days.
Winter or summer are not good times for planting flowers, because the plants won't have a chance to develop their roots.
Perennial shade flowers need a lot of water, actually most of them need more than other types of flowers. Make sure that the soil of your garden has the moist conditions that these flowers need.
If you have the optimized conditions in your garden as explained above, I am sure you will have a beautiful perennial shade garden. Believe me, it's worth all the effort and the planning.
After planting the perennials you won't have very much to worry about as they will bloom every spring again and again, giving you the pleasure of admiring their beauty every year.
