Shade Gardens Offer Lots of Lovely Possibilities

Executive Summary by: Barbara Philips-Conroy

There are many plants that love to grow in a shade garden.

• Perennials Can Thrive In a Shade Garden

Over the years I’ve started a number of shade perennials from seed. It grows to 60 cm in height and width, has lovely white bell-shaped flowers and simply blooms its little brains out.

garden shades

If you are looking for a pretty, low care plant for the shade – Fuchsia ‘Gartenmeister Bonstedt’ is the one for you. The leaves are a lovely dark green tinged with maroon and as a bonus, the stems are the same dark maroon colour as well.

I’d classify it as an easy plant to propagate – my success rate is about 90% with these cuttings.

• Blossoms Under Big Shade Trees

When I designed the garden five years ago, I decided to choose plant material that had either flowers or leaves in combinations of white, yellow and blue – fortunately these are colours that are easy to find in plants that enjoy shade. So if your garden has lots of shade, don’t despair.

Shade Garden Tips – How to Design a Relaxing, Beautiful Shade Garden

Executive Summary by: Costas Peppas

Lots of gardeners are more in favor of sunny spots and will avoid placing their gardens in the shade. Start by investigating that shady spot you’re thinking of: are there any weeds growing?

• What Type Of Plants To Include In Your Shade Garden

Shade garden plants should have white or pastel flowers… they’ll stand out in the dark of the shady areas of your garden!

I like plants with big, coarse leaves and shrubs like viburnum and hydrangea. I have lots of people ask me: “What if my flowers have difficulty growing in the shade?”

Just use pots or containers to plant your flowers and place them in your shade garden.

Healthy Soil Tip: Make sure you test the pH of your soil! (Most woodland plants grow best in soil that’s slightly acidic… that’s a pH of 6 to 6.5.

Also, check out my other guide on garden flowers and garden designer