Gardening in shady areas can be challenging, but with some planning and the right plant selections, you can have a beautiful and productive garden even in partial or full shade. There are many flowering plants, vegetables, herbs, and other plants that actually prefer shade and will thrive without full sun. Here are some key tips for successfully gardening in the shade.
Assess Your Shade
The first step is to analyze the type and amount of shade you are working with. Is it light shade with a few hours of sun per day? Or deep dense shade from trees or buildings blocking most direct sunlight? Observe over time how the sunlight reaches different areas at different times of day and during different seasons. This will guide your plant choices.
Amend the Soil
One common challenge with shade gardens is soil that is too compressed or lacking in nutrients. Work in several inches of compost or other organic material to break up compacted soils and provide nutrients. You can add compost annually each spring to boost nutrition for your plants. Well-amended and loose soil will allow better root growth.
Choose Shade-Loving Plants
There are many plants that naturally grow well in shady forest understories or other low-light environments. Use these shade-adapted plants as a starting point for choosing what to grow. Great options include hostas, astilbe, bergenia, coral bells, pulmonaria, hellebore, bleeding heart, ferns, begonias, impatiens, coleus, and many more. Do your research to pick varieties suited to your regional climate and shade conditions.
Use Leafy Greens and Root Crops
Many vegetables that are naturally grown for their abundant leaves or roots will grow well with partial sun. For example, plant lettuces, kale, spinach, Swiss chard, arugula, beets, turnips, carrots, potatoes, and radishes. Focus on heavy leaf producers instead of fruiting vegetables that require more sunlight.
Adapt Planting Strategies
Pay attention to sun patterns in your yard and plant shade-loving plants under trees, on the north side of buildings or fences, and in other naturally shaded spots. For vegetables and herbs, use succession planting to replenish harvested plants. Concentrate most plants in brighter shaded areas near the “edge” of shade. Use borders and pathways to optimize sun distribution.
Provide Extra Light
Consider removing lower tree branches or pruning shrubs to open the canopy and allow more ambient light to filter through. This can make a big difference for partial shade areas. You can also supplement with solar-powered garden lights or well-placed spot lighting. Just a few extra hours of light can help plants thrive.
Improve Soil Moisture
Shade gardens often struggle with dampness and poor drainage. Improve drainage by installing raised garden beds filled with amended soil. Or plant shade gardens over gravel beds. Adding organic material like compost helps soil dry out. Space plants appropriately so air circulates and foliage dries quicker after rain or watering.
Mulch Generously
A thick 3-4 inch layer of shredded bark, leaves, pine needles or other organic mulch helps shade gardens succeed. Mulch conserves soil moisture so you water less often. As the mulch breaks down, it further improves soil nutrition and drainage. Replenish mulch annually.
Water Smartly
While shade plants don’t need as much water as sun-loving plants, they still require consistent moisture, especially during summer heat. Develop an efficient watering routine. Focus more frequent watering on shallow-rooted plants. Let the soil dry slightly between waterings. Add moisture-conserving features like rain barrels.
Use Shade-Tolerant Annuals
Annual flowers and foliage that tolerate shade provide pops of color through the seasons. Caladiums, impatiens, wax begonias, coleus, sweet alyssum, and pansies grow well in shade and can be replaced yearly. Use them along with perennials and shrubs.
Try Woodland Plants and Ferns
For very deep or dense shade, create a natural woodland-style garden. Plants like wild ginger, foxglove, trillium, epimedium, bleeding hearts, lily of the valley, and varieties of fern thrive in low light. Hostas also come in many shades-tolerant, large leaf varieties.
Let It Grow
Embrace natural-looking shade gardens by allowing plants to spread out and seed around informally. This creates rich layers of foliage and an intimate feel. Use groundcovers like ivy, violets, lamium, and liriope to cover bare ground between plantings naturally.
Add Structures and Decor
Place decorative trellises, arbors, statues, pottery, gazing balls, and garden art throughout shade plantings. This adds interest and dimension. Position these elements to capture and reflect what ambient light is available at appealing angles.
Do a Trial Run
When unsure if a plant will grow well in your specific shade conditions, start it in a pot. Observe how it handles the shade and moisture levels before putting it in the ground. Adapt your methods if needed to help finicky plants thrive better.
Relax Your Standards
Shade gardens have different aesthetic rules than sunny borders. Appreciate shade gardens for their own more subtle beauty – varied textures, foliage, spring ephemerals that disappear by summer, delicate flowers and woodland effect. Don’t expect precisely manicured or visually heavy, dense plantings.
Have Patience
Gardening in shade may require some experimentation at first. Certain shrubs or perennials may fail to thrive and need replacing. Annuals and vegetables will likely need replanting a few times as greens bolt or other plants fade out. Build up amended soil over successive seasons. View shade gardening as an evolving process.
Tips for Gardening in Partial or Full Shade
Don’t shy away from planting beds, borders and vegetable plots in shady areas you previously thought couldn’t support plants. With the right approach and plant selection, partial and full shade areas can be just as bountiful and beautiful as any sunny garden area. Use these key practical tips to transform problematic shadows into a lush shade oasis your whole yard can enjoy.
