Shade Gardening

Shade Gardening

First of all, I am going to define my terms. This spot is not about woodland gardens, although most of the plants here would be natural for gardening in the woods. This article is devoted to shade gardening. This can be an area on the north side of your home, or an area that gets filtered sunlight, such as under the canopy of trees. Woodland gardening takes shade gardening a step further, and presents challenges that go beyond shade gardening.

No matter where you live, even if you have just built your home and there is not one mature tree on your property, you will have some place that gets shade. This is usually on the north side of a building, in this case your home. There are many wonderful plants that will do well in such a situation.

Perhaps the number one plant to grow would be the hosta. It used to be that hostas were limited in variety and size. That is certainly not the case today! Hostas are exploding onto the plant scene, and are finally coming into their own.

Without going into too much detail, I will say that there are miniature varieties, giant varieties, and plants that fall in between. Some have gold leaves, some are blue, and of course, some are green. There are variegated varieties. In other words, the sky's the limit! This is one plant that is easily found in any garden center, and selection should not be a problem. Of course, mail order sources continue to offer the most variety and the newest offerings.

Hostas are hardy throughout the region, and can tolerate most of what we throw at them. They are low maintenance, and other than being rather tasty to slugs, they have few concerns with regard to pests or disease. As far as slugs are concerned, there are many organic controls that can help keep these relatives of the snail at bay. My favorite method is to set out some shallow saucers filled with beer. It's cheap and effective, it doesn't wreck the environment, and the slugs drop in and drown. Happily, I hope!

If hostas are a natural for the shade, then ferns are their natural partners. Here again, there are many varieties ranging from small to large, from evergreen to deciduous. Most ferns are hardy in our region, and you can usually find a good selection locally. If you purchase ferns from a catalog, do be aware that there are a very few that are not hardy in our Zones 5a to 6a region.

Most ferns require a deep, loamy soil in the shade that retains moisture. If you meet these requirements, they will grow quite well. Perhaps the prettiest, in my estimation, would be the lady ferns. The fronds are delicate and never overwhelming, and they are easily found at most local garden centers.

There are many flowering plants that do well in shady spots. Astilbe, Cranesbill, Cimicifuga, and Bleeding Hearts are but a few. You can tell when buying these plants by looking at the plant labels. They will show the light requirements for these plants.

Some shrubs to consider on a shady site would include many of the lower growing azaleas and rhododendrons. Hydrangeas and viburnums also do well in filtered shade.

Ground covers include Cornus canadensis, or bunchberry, ajuga, vinca minor, and Sweet Woodruff. If you plan on growing your plants against a tree, be aware that many trees have surface feeder roots. They will be competing with your plants for water and nutrients. When planning a planting bed against a tree, you also want to be careful not to bank soil more than a couple of inches or so against the base of the tree. If you add too much soil around the tree, it can smother and die. To me, it is easier not to grow around a tree, but by the tree, within its canopy. Everyone seems happier in that situation, and it looks much more natural than a tree parked in the middle of the yard with a perfect circle of plants around it.

Without getting too scientific, there are certain trees that leach substances into the soil that prevents many plants from growing well beneath the canopy. Black Walnuts are a classic example. The Black Walnut releases a substance known as Juglone which stunts many plants or prevents them from surviving. There are some plants that will grow near Black Walnuts, the hosta being one of them. Often it is a case of trial and error, finding suitable plants. I have read books, asked other gardeners, and surfed the net to find more information. Mainly, as I have said, it is a case of trial and error.

Be sure that you plant these shady ladies in good loam, with lots of compost and organic matter. Most of these plants love a moist location, with moist meaning just that, not boggy. If your soil does not drain well, you might need to berm up the area or place your plants in a raised bed.

As you can see, the possibilities are endless. Shade can be a challenge, but it need not be limited to a few plant choices or colorless. In the heat of Summer, there is a certain cooling effect offered in the shade garden that the sunny perennial border cannot supply. Just looking at the cool greens and blues of the ferns and hostas, as well as the other plants, seems to make the heat and humidity drop down a notch or two. Add a glass of lemonade, a good book to read, and this is living!

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