Shady business

mature Norway maple.

Water?

Just to confuse you, applying the appropriate amount of water in a shady garden can mean pulling back and minimizing the amount on the north side of your house where evaporation is slower than it is in the sun. Or, it can mean applying more water more frequently in the root zone of mature trees (especially when establishing the young roots of new plants).

Soil

This is essential to your success as a shade gardener, especially under mature trees where tree roots compete with smaller plants at their feet for water. When I plant in a densely shaded area, I spread 12 to 15 centimetres of new triple mix or other quality garden soil on the existing ground, being careful not to mound soil up the trunk of existing trees. Instead, slope the soil down to the ‘root flare’ where the root flares out from the main trunk of the tree.

part shade but do not let them dehydrate as they are not good after re-hydrating. Beautiful spikes of brilliant colours. Suitable for cutting.

ground

cover

in

semi-shaded

bronze leafed varieties or the original green. Blue/purple flower in

and grow into your lawn.

won’t quit for many weeks. My hellebores greet the spring with my 20,000 daffodils. Makes me not want to leave home even

flowers of cream, pink or purple that last for several weeks. Evergreen foliage.

for their early summer colour, flowers that you can cut and bring indoors and foliage that attracts attention wherever it goes. Matures to about 20 to 50 centimetres depending on variety — and there are many varieties.

out there than I can list in this

non-native Japanese Painted fern, native maidenhair, cinnamon,

or Wood ferns. All have a place in a partly-shaded garden.

featuring a pink or creamy flower in early summer. This is like rhubarb for the shade with leaves shaped like a giant chestnut.

great looking ground cover that is evergreen. Strong: even my dog couldn’t kill it. Plant densely, about 12 centimetres apart for

about 15 centimetres high with a creamy white flower in late May or June.

indestructible, self propagating and great looking where almost

ground cover with sweetly fra- the Pulpit, and Marsh marigold are all native woodland plants. They all look great early in the spring and some continue to show foliage throughout the summer (woodruff being No. 1 in my books). When looking for great ideas for plant selection, it is always good to look at what Mother Nature is doing, in this case on the forest floor. Keep in mind that these plants are available as nursery grown plants from reliable plant retailers. Do not take plants from the wild. Ever.

And finally, there are a handful of trees that grow in dappled but quite tolerant of little sun.