Plants for Shade Gardens

an almost PERFECT Shade Garden

Create a shady oasis |  almost PERFECT Landscaping

Make the best of the shady spots in your garden or yard by planting a shade garden. You can have a lovely display of greens and colors on the north side of a house, under tree canopies or in a corner that gets little direct sunlight, in the spots you thought couldn’t support plants. Great shade gardens use varying plant heights and types, textures, and colors. Like a walk through a woodland, a planned and properly planted shade garden can be an oasis of cool, restful shade in the heat of summer.

Many people think that shade-loving plants don’t have much color except green. It’s true that hostas, ferns and mosses thrive in the shade, but many other plants with colorful and interesting blooms like to grow with a cool and shaded rootbed, but their foliage in the light, or in a semi-shaded area. White flowers and foliage seem to add a glow in a shady spot, as do varied shades of green.

Shade shifts daily, seasonally, and over time as trees grow. Carefully analyzing where and when shade occurs in your landscape is an important first step. Also, recognizing types of shade is important as some kinds of shade are suitable for growing plants while other types are very problematic. Sometimes difficult shade can be improved by lifting or thinning the tree canopy or large shrubs so more sun or indirect light can penetrate. Sometimes the best solution for difficult shade is to convert it to an outdoor garden room enhanced by seating, garden art, mulch, hardscape, colorful containers, a water feature, a birdbath, or other focal points.

Examples of Plants for Shade Gardens are show below

Specific plant information available on plant name accompanying image.

Liriope - Part Shade Plant

Heuchera-americana

Hostas in the shade garden

Red Astilbes in the Shade Garden

Foxglove in the shade garden

Japanese Painted Ferns

VIEW SOME OF OUR SHADE GARDEN PROJECTS

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