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There are lots of different levels of shade! Make no mistake about it! So to make the right choice of plants for your garden you need to understand what time of day that it is shady and for how long is it shady.
Defining Shade
Questions:
- Area receives direct sun all morning until 11 am and no sun the rest of the day. What do you do? Plant sun loving or shade loving plants?
- How about the opposite conditions - No sun in the morning until noon and then full all afternoon. What to plant, sun or shade loving plants?
- How about an area under a large deciduous tree like a big-leaf maple - in this example the area receives direct sun in winter and spring until the leaves emerge and then the area gets filtered sun all day.
One secret I will share with you that helps me every single day as I design gardens is this:
Shade loving plants are tolerant of morning sun until about 11 am. Sun loving plants require the heat and intensity of the afternoon sun. They tolerate morning shade but need direct sun from 1 or 2 pm until 6 or 7 pm.
Answers:
- Area receives direct sun all morning until 11 am and no sun the rest of the day. What type of plants do you use? Shade loving plants.
- How about the opposite conditions - No sun in the morning until noon and then full sun till dark? What type of plants do you use? Sun loving plants.
- How about an area under a large deciduous tree like a big-leaf maple - in this example the area receives sun winter and spring until the big-leaf maple leaves emerge and then the area gets filtered sun all day. What type of plants do you plant here? Shade plants!
The Challenges of Shade
You won’t have as many plants to choose from. Most shade plants will grow in a sunny spot, but few sun plants will grow in a shady one. The good news is there are lots and lots of plants to grow in shade.
Flowering plants rarely bloom abundantly in shade as they do in sun. In shade gardens we focus on form, texture, and foliage color rather than flowers.
Plants grow slower in shade. If you want a good looks quickly, it may be necessary to plant more densely.
Shade garden plants often suffer with severe root competition from large trees for water. Here it is important to add organic matter to the soil, select plants for dry shade and use drip irrigation systems.
Slugs can wreak havoc in shade gardens! Use Sluggo (non toxic alternative) as plants emerge in spring.
You can’t grow a perfect lawn in shade. Shade tolerant groundcovers make great lawn substitutes.
Dark colors become invisible in shade, use variegated and golden leaves plants instead.