Shade Gardening

Choosing the Plants for Shade Gardening

It is crucially important to choose the right sort of plants for the shady areas in your garden: under an over-hanging roof, under trees, in the shade of your house or garden shed.

Fortunately, there are plenty of plants for shade gardening, so you will be able to create a nice garden design even in places with poor lighting conditions.

Astilbe, Coral Bells, Lily of the Valley, Oriental Poppy, Foxtail Lily, Butterfly Plant, Astrantia - all these beautiful plants are meant to bring the touch of color and elegance to the shaded parts of your garden.

Things to Consider

However, it is not enough just to know that a plant is shade loving. While choosing suitable plants for your garden, it is highly recommended to consider the following factors:

Weather Conditions

Will you be able to protect your plant, especially in winter season? Some plants are quite hardy, while the others are more delicate, with no resistance to winter frosts, so it might be necessary to keep them indoors at least for a few weeks.

Another crucial aspect is your climate zone. Depending on a climate zone, the same plant might require different methods of maintenance.

Natural Environment

Most shade loving plants can be found in the wild (Native Plants), and it is essential to replicate their needs if you choose to plant them in your garden. You should make sure that Ph. of the soil and its type is just right, as well as light and moisture conditions.

Invasive Nature of Plants

Some plants have a tendency to spread very aggressively, and it is better to decide in advance whether you can use this tendency as an advantage or it will only create problems.

Susceptibility to Diseases

Naturally, it is better to choose the plants with a high level of disease resistance. Also, try to find out whether they are susceptible to insect damage. If the answer is yes, it is advisable to get a nice insecticide beforehand, so you will be able to take immediate action when needed.

Companion Plants

Some plants are rather sensitive to other species which grow nearby. It is not a secret that plants can benefit each other or, on the contrary, prevent each other from thriving.

That is why it is important to know their preferences, especially if you are planning to create a composite flower bed with lots of different plants.

It is always best to choose the plants native to your area. Native plants require much less maintenance and have more of a chance to flourish even if you are not an experienced gardener yet.

Selecting plants for shade gardening, you should not concentrate only on flowering plants: there are lots of ornamental ground cover plants with really beautiful leaves.

And of course you should choose plants according to your aesthetic preferences: it is so rewarding to see beautiful splashes of colour in your garden.