The unique challenges of creating a thriving shade garden

“I can’t grow anything – my garden is too shady.”

Sound familiar? While a shady garden might mean that you can’t grow sun-loving tomatoes or peppers, it certainly doesn’t mean that it is beyond hope for anything else.

What plants are suitable for a shade garden? Certain perennials are a good start. My all-time favourite has to be the beautiful, elegant hosta. Hostas come in a wide variety – from demure, low growing hostas to the giant, crinklyleaved hostas. They range in colour from the new almostwhite varieties to chartreuse to variegated to blue-green. They are relatively slow growing but will provide years and years of beauty to your garden.

Ostrich ferns are always a favourite for shade gardens, providing good height and interesting foliage. They spread readily, so you can easily expand your plant inventory. And they are a very dramatic “statement” plant in a perennial bed. They are not prone to very many pests or diseases, but because of their long, delicate fronds, they can break easily in the wind, so you might have to do some housekeeping once in a while to remove broken stems.

Lily of the valley is a fragrant addition – it is beautiful right from the time it begins to come up in the spring. The leaves are swirled cones of delicate green, and the fragrance of the flowers is almost breathtaking. The flowers are dainty