The term “shade” has many variations in gardening. A shade in gardening could possibly mean a dimly lit area beneath tall trees, a bright but a non-sunny spot or an area that gets sunlight for a few hours in the morning and shade for the remaining day.

There is a wide variety of plants that have been categorized as shade garden plants. A well-landscaped shade garden or a shaded garden has a charm of its own. Choose the flowering plants that grow well in the shade. The bloom color of the plants should complement each other to harmonize the appearance of the garden. The shade garden provides a cooling and soothing effect to one’s eyes in summer. Landscaping plays a prominent role while developing a shaded garden.

A few things that you need to take into account before planning a shaded garden are the type of shade and soil texture. There are two types of shades – partial shade and total shade. This is an important criterion to choose the plants according to degree of the shade.

The soil-texture of the area should also be considered. The soil-texture could be either damp or dry. You need to prepare the soil before planting. You can mix mulch with the soil to create a perfect soil texture.

Like the plants that grow in sunlight, the shade garden plants also require regular watering. If you are planning for a shade garden under the tall trees, remember, the trees would guzzle moisture leaving very little for the shade plants. Hence, it is wise to water the plant regularly or depending on the basis of the soil-texture.

A Few Shaded Plants

You need to understand the degree of shade of the site you have chosen for a shade garden. Remember, the shades vary from dense shade to partial shade. Choose your shade garden plants accordingly. It is always better to choose the plants that match the conditions of a proposed site, instead of changing the pre-existing conditions. Here are the examples of some of the shade garden plants.

Monkshood – This plant is ideal for partial or dapple shade. The blooms of the monkshood would last for a couple of months. This plant is pest and disease resistant.

Fern – Fern is one the plants that is widely used in shade gardening. It has a unique appearance and grows well in all degrees of shades.

Golden Dead Nettle – This plant is one of the plants that would make a wonderful ground cover. It would make an ideal border plant for the garden. Golden Dead nettle is one of the preferred plants for container gardening.

Japanese Yew – There is a wide variety of colors in Japanese yew. It is mostly used as a foundation plant and would also make an excellent border hedge. This plant is commonly used in rock gardens.

Turk’s Cap Hibiscus – This plant blooms in summer and autumn. It is a perennial plant and would make an ideal plant for shade gardens. The bright colored flowers attract butterflies and small birds such as hummingbirds.

Wood Anemones – This is one of the perennial plants that grow well in shady areas. The blooms are star-shaped and are known as sepals. There are two types of blooms – white-colored and blue-colored.

Shade gardening is one of the many types of gardening techniques that is in vogue. Some of the plants that are preferred by gardeners for shade gardening are lily of the valley, bunchberry, shooting star, forget-me-not and many more.

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