The Right Plants for a Shade Garden

If you are not blessed with a sunny spot for a garden, consider planting a shade garden. Once established, shade gardens add beauty to that bare area under a tree or character to a rock wall. They require little care and with a stone bench placed nearby they can be a tranquil place in the summer time o read a good book. Factors that really make a good shade garden are the types of plants one chooses to plant, how much sunlight the area does not get and if the soil is rich and well-drained.

The amount of sunlight a shaded area ranges from light to deep. Light shade is when the sun moves across the sky, the shaded areas move with it. An area might get full sunlight in the morning, but nothing in the afternoon or vice versa. Medium shade is what I often refer to as filtered light in that sunlight filters through the leaves of tall trees or bushes to the plants below for only few seconds or minutes. Dark shade is where no sunlight shines through because of structures

Have you soil tested for correct nutrients and pH levels. Some people decide to build a small wall around a tree base and fill with soil to plant their shade garden in. I advise caution here as this could end up killing the tree. Be sure to check the growing specification on the tree before adding any soil around the base.

There is an abundance of plants that can be used in shade gardens, but check the zone for your area so you know which ones will grow the best.

Hostas are a favorite with their leaves that come in a wide range of shapes, color, sizes, and textures. The come in solid different shades of green or variegated in colors of gold, green, white, and blue. They are very low maintenance and come back stronger and bigger each spring. Because of the different shapes and colors some people only plant varieties hostas in their shade gardens.

Ferns are also excellent perennial for shade gardens. The only problem is it will be hard to decide which ones to use as there are thousands of varieties to choose from.