BBC-Gardeners-World-Gardening-For-Shade-Sampler

GARDENING FOR

SHADE

PLANT SOLUTIONS

AROUND YOUR GARDEN

GROW YOUR OWN

P 100 plants for shade P How to get year-round colour P 10 border plans

P Pruning & growing tips P 25 pot recipes P Lawn care for shady plots

P Top 10 fruit to grow in shade P Easy-care veg P Tasty herbs

SEASONAL STAR PERFORMERS

Spring Early spring is one of the easiest seasons in a shady garden, as there’s a huge range of plants to choose from. Taking advantage of the low winter light levels, they come into flower before the tree foliage shades them out, carpeting the ground with colour. These plants have to rush to achieve everything before the canopy closes over them, depriving them of light and rainfall.

Seasonal favourites include dog’s-tooth violets, primulas, pulmonarias, epimediums, corydalis, brunneras, dicentra and fritillaries.

Revelling in damp shade, most trilliums are by nature woodlanders, opening their dramatic flowers in mid-spring

SEASONAL STARS

Tiarella & euphorbia Against a backdrop of lime-green euphorbias, tiarella provides easy ground cover, with attractive leaves and pretty, frothy flowers that light up a shady border in late spring.

Hellebore & lophomyrtus The pink petals of Helleborus x hybridus complement the burgundy foliage of Lophomyrtus x ralphii ‘Magic Dragon’. Both plants cope with shade for part of the day.

Camassia & carex The tall spires of blue camassia flowers open in late spring and are the perfect partner for Carex elata ‘Aurea’, an evergreen grass with bright yellow leaves that doesn’t mind shade. gardenersworld.com

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TYPES OF SHADE KNOW YOUR PLOT

MORNING

It’s vital to understand what kind of shade you have, so you can choose the right plants. Are you dealing with dry or damp soil?

And what degree of shade have you got? This all depends on what is casting the shade and which aspect your garden has.

The ‘aspect’ is the direction your garden faces – north, south, east or west. This affects which areas get plenty of sun and which ones are thrown into shadow for all or part of the day. The simplest way to work out your aspect is to stand by the outside wall at the back of your house with a compass and see which way is south. If south is directly ahead of you, then your garden is south facing. A southfacing garden will have little shade, while a north-facing one is likely to be in shade for much of the day.

Other factors, such as nearby buildings, trees or high hedges, can also increase the shade in certain areas. Shade also changes through the day, as the sun moves around your garden. It also changes through the year – when the sun is high in the sky in summer, the shadows cast are quite short, but in winter the sun barely rises above the horizon and shadows are long.

So, before you decide to plant anything, go outside and take a look at exactly how much sunlight your garden gets during the day and at what time it occurs.

Deep shade

MIDDAY

Found under evergreen trees, on the north side of walls or in the shadow of buildings.

These areas tend to be cold and dry. Choose shade-loving, not just shade-tolerant, plants such as ferns, hostas and ivy, or flowering plants such as daphnes and lily of the valley.

Dappled shade This is common under deciduous trees.

Dappled shade all day is equal to three hours of summer sun. In summer, when in full leaf, trees cast a patchwork of shade, but from autumn to spring let in full sun.

This is ideal for woodland plants, such as anemones and primulas, that flower in the spring sunshine before trees come into leaf.

EVENING

Partial shade Most gardens have areas that get sun for only part of the day – between three and six hours in summer – depending on their aspect, as the sun moves across the sky.

Which part of the day your area is in shade makes a difference. Alchemilla and hardy geraniums relish partial shade.

South facing You’ll have little shade and lots of sun shining onto the back of the house. The far boundary faces north, so will be pretty much in shade all day. If you stand with your back to the house, your right-hand boundary will be east facing and get morning sun, while your left-hand one will face west and get afternoon and evening sun.

Different areas will be cast into shade as the sun moves across the sky

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gardenersworld.com • Gardening For Shade

Planting tips: Climbers for the north-facing boundary include Parthenocissus henryana, Hydrangea petiolaris and ivies of all kinds, or try shade-tolerant wall shrubs such as chaenomeles or witch hazel. For foliage, add ferns and hostas, and for flowers plant daphne, brunnera and fragrant lily of the valley.

TYPES OF SHADE MORNING

MORNING

MORNING

MIDDAY

MIDDAY

MIDDAY

EVENING

EVENING

EVENING

North facing

East facing

West facing

This garden will have areas of shade for much of the day, however even a north-facing surface (such as the back wall of the house) won’t always be in full shade – it’s surprising how much evening sun it will get between May and October. All but the most heat-loving plants enjoy a bit of midday shelter from the sun, which also stops pale colours burning out.

An east-facing garden gets most of its sun during the morning. Plants that like partial shade and need shelter from strong sunlight will thrive in this garden. Afternoon shade protects plants from the sun at its hottest.

Evening shade will enhance the impact of white flowers that attract pollinating moths, rather than butterflies, and are often exceptionally fragrant too.

These gardens are in shade in the morning and get sun during the afternoon and evening.

In winter, morning shade is a protective shroud for plants such as camellias. If their petals get frosted overnight, bright morning sun can thaw them out too fast, bursting their cells and causing the flowers to turn brown.

Plants in a west-facing garden or area must also be able to withstand the heat of the afternoon sun over the summer months.

Planting tips: Try woodland plants, such as hellebores, snowdrops and pulmonaria, which flower early, before the tree canopy shades out the light, and put on growth through summer despite the shade overhead. They’re ideal for areas that only get early morning sun.

Planting tips: White-flowered Nicotiana sylvestris likes evening shade and adds scent to the garden too. Plants that will cope with morning sun and cool conditions include Clematis alpina, honeysuckle and berberis.

Planting tips: Plants that will suit these conditions include magnolias and camellias, which like the morning shade, and perennials such as sedums and fuchsias.

Gardening For Shade • gardenersworld.com

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PROBLEM PLACES Every garden has tricky planting areas, whether it’s an awkward corner or a narrow dogleg. Shade can make these even more problematic, but all you need is some inspiration. So we’ve picked some star performers that will shine out from the gloom. Try planting alchemilla, with its scalloped leaves, to soften the edges of a path, or add a scented daphne or striking amelanchier at the back of a dull border and you’ll soon transform your space.

Deep Dappled shade • Gardening Partial shade

XXX shade www.gardenersworld.com For Shade

 Lady’s mantle A charming cottage-garden favourite, Alchemilla mollis has attractive fan-shaped leaves, plus frothy limegreen flowers in summer. It’s perfect for edging paths and borders in shade.

Its seedlings are very drought tolerant.

Flowers June to September Height x Spread 60cm x 75cm

PLANT SOLUTIONS | PROBLEM PLACES

 Witch hazels

 Mahonias

It can be hard to get colour into shady borders, but the vivid, sweetly fragrant winter flowers of Hamamelis mollis will brighten any gloomy spot. Plant this upright deciduous shrub beside a path to enjoy the scent as you walk past.

Flowers December to February H x S 4m x 4m

If you have poor soil and deep shade, this is the plant for you. Mahonia is tough and will grow under large trees and in shady town gardens, with scented sprays of flowers during winter. Mahonia japonica or ‘Charity’ are good choices.

Flowers November to March H x S 2m x 3m

 Daphnes These shrubs provide scented winter flowers at a time where there’s not much else happening in the garden, especially in shade. ‘Jacqueline Postill’ (pictured) is a slow-growing evergreen with highly fragrant flowers.

Flowers January to February H x S 2m x 1.5m

Gardening For Shade • gardenersworld.com

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SHADE Q&A Discover the solutions to all kinds of shade queries – from the best plants for wildlife to easy ways to add colour.

Divided into three sections, our experts provide answers to common queries on garden design, what to grow, and plant care XXX

www.gardenersworld.com • Gardening For Shade

PLANT SOLUTIONS | DRY BORDER

Design tips What to grow Care tips

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Gardening For Shade • www.gardenersworld.com

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GARDENING FOR

SHADE WHAT TO GROW

Discover 100 plants that will thrive in the shadiest parts of your garden

SHADE BORDER PLANS

Get the look you want with 10 easy planting plans to transform your garden

CONTAINER RECIPES

Use our inspiring ideas to create colourful pots and baskets in the smallest spaces

CROPS FOR SHADY GARDENS

Make a productive plot with veg, herbs and fruit for the healthiest harvests

GROWING TIPS AND ADVICE

Improve your soil, grow a better lawn, prune for the best results PLUS much more... gardenersworld.com

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