If you’re a new gardener you might think that shade growing is an uphill battle. I’m here to tell you that shade gardens can be a beautiful, lush, peaceful addition to your landscape. As someone who has been gardening in the shade of huge trees for more than 20 years, I know that shade growing is entirely possible. With some careful planning and patience you can create a shade garden to be proud of.
Look for plant recommendations for shade growing trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals, and bulbs. You’ll be amazing at the selection of plants that thrive in the shade.
Having chosen the best shade growing plants for your garden, next give some thought as to where the plants are going to live. Few plants can survive in complete shade. Plants need a certain amount of light, combined with good soil, good drainage, and sufficient water to thrive.
Now let’s talk about the soil that your shade growing plants will live in. For best results, make sure there a good mixture of organic compost and mulch in the soil. To check to see how the soil drains, dig a hole and fill it with water then come back in a couple of hours to see if the water has drained. If not, you will need to mix sand into the soil to help with drainage.
In addition to the soil, the shade and roots of any surrounding trees will need to be looked at. Your plants will be competing for food and water with the trees, so regular feeding and watering is required so the plants aren’t too depleted for nutrients.
Speaking of trees, if the trees doing the shading are evergreen conifers, the soil tends to be acidic (low ph). So have the soil tested and adjust the soil ph accordingly for what you plan to grow (adding dolomite lime will raise the ph).
Are you wondering where all that shade is coming from? Buildings and walls can create just as much shade as big trees. If you choose the right shade growing plants, shade from a building or wall will actually be a help to your plants. Think about how buildings and walls affect your garden: if your garden is in the front of a north-facing wall it will be in shade most of the day, plus the garden will be exposed to the elements like the prevailing winds and frost come fall and winter.
What you need to do is look at where your house is placed on your property, and how that affects where the sun is at various times of the year. For instance, where the sun is in the morning isn’t going to the same in the evening, especially the later in the season it is.
The critical things to remember in growing a shade garden are plant selection, the degree of shade you are dealing with (light, medium or dense), good soil, drainage and water. I encourage you to try a shade garden. You’ll love it!
Want to know more about Shade Growing? Visit Barbara Bakker’s site to get recommendations on the best shade plants for your shade garden. You can get a unique content version of this article from the Uber Article Directory.
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