You can grow plants in a shady garden if you take into account just how shady it is and
choose plants that will grow in that degree of shade.
It might seem impossible to grow plants in a shady garden, but providing some sunshine gets through and you select plants that are tolerant to the
degree of shade in your garden, it is very possible.
These are the two things you need factor in to grow plants in shady gardens;
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The different degrees of shade in your garden.
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Which plants can tolerate and thrive in that degree of shade.
You might be surprised by the number of plants that will
grow in shade, it is quite a long list.
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Annuals; Shade tolerant flowering annuals do well in light to medium shade, but do not bloom well in heavy shade. Some
annuals in fact prefer light shade to full sun. Impatiens. Browallias, Coleus, Wax begonias and Dwarf salvias all tolerate light shade.
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Bulbs; Some spring flowering bulbs can tolerate even deep shade and providing the leaves receive full sunlight for most of the
day and are left to die back naturally to build up food reserves for the next blooming cycle, will establish and come up year after year. Bulbs like Crocus, Scillas, Snowdrops, and species
tulips bloom and produce leaves before the trees are fully in leaf, so that they receive the light they need to blossom annually. Daffodils and English bluebells are natural to our hedgerows
and open wooded areas.
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Perennials; Most perennial woodland plants flower very early in the season and will grow and flower in light shade,
and some even in fairly dense shade, they are muted and delicate in colour rather than bold and brightly colored. Most perennials only flower for a few weeks, but even
when flowering is over, their stems, foliage, seed pods and sometimes bright berries add variety and interest to a shade garden. Some shade loving perennials, such as hosta, lilies
and Ferns don't flower at all, but are planted for the interesting leaf shape and colour.
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Ground cover plants like wild violets, lilies of the valley, goutweed, wild
ginger, Japanese spurge, periwinkle and English ivy will survive in the shadiest and most hostile parts of a shade garden. These perennial ground cover plants need minimum
maintenance, but plants like Ivy are invasive and spread quickly.
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Herbs and Vegetables
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Some herbs, particularly the mint family do quite well in lightly shaded areas, they need
moist fertile soil and it is easier to control fertility and water when planting them in containers. Containers can also be moved around to catch what light gets into your garden and control
the spread of invasive herbs like mint.
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All Vegetables do best in bright all-day sunlight , but a few of the leafier types
grown for greens rather than for fruits or roots will grow in light or partial shade.
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Shade tolerant vegetables include lettuce, spinach, Swiss chard, kale and mustard greens. You
may get smaller, thinner and paler coloured leaves when grown in light shade, but the taste will be the same.
Obviously in a garden with light
shade the choice of plants will be greater, in deep
shade choice will be limited. Providing deep shade plants are positioned in the shadiest area and so on, most plants iI have listed can be used. I have listed a few more shade tolerant plants toward the bottom of this page.
If you like growing from seed,
flowering annuals can be started indoors or in a greenhouse and then when big and sturdy enough, transplanted into the ground or containers.