Five ways to bring dark corners to life

WONDERING which plants do well in shade, or what to plant in a garden that doesn’t get much sun? When it comes to plants that flourish in poorly lit spaces, it turns out there are different types of shade to consider – from full shade to partial shade, filtered or dappled.

“The thing is, there’re loads of different sorts of shade. It’s just not all the same,” says gardener and writer Susanna Grant, co-founder of Linda (hellotherelinda.com), a shade-plant specialist and planting design consultancy.

Here are some of Grant’s top tips...

1. CLIMBERS

“If you’re planting them in the ground, make sure they’re around 50cm away from any walls or fences, so they’re not in a rain shadow and can receive rain.

“You also need to give them adequate support. Clematis can look beautiful scrambling through trees, but plant it 1m from the trunk and then train it towards the tree.”

2. SHRUBS

Grant says certain shrubs are small enough and tolerant enough to survive in part shade. Grant’s top three shrubs to style up your small space are chaenomeles speciosa ‘Geisha Girl’ (flowering quince); fatsia polycarpa ‘Green Fingers’ and viburnum x burkwoodii.

3. FERNS

“Ferns are one of the first plants people think of for shade. Evergreen options can add structure and winter interest, and the perennials often have the most magical unfurling foliage in fresh greens, coppery-pinks or silvers – there’s a wonderful variety of foliage shape and size to explore,” says Grant. Three of Grant’s favourite ferns are adiantum venustum (evergreen maidenhair), dryopteris erythrosora (copper shield fern), and niponicum var. pictum (Japanese painted fern).

4. GRASSES

Many work in pots or planters and are invaluable for balcony planting. Most grasses can deal with some shade, but do check the requirements, just in case.

Grant’s top three suggestions to up your grass game are hakonechloa macra (Japanese forest grass), luzula nivea (snowy woodrush) and melica uniflora f. albida (Siberian melic).

5. PERENNIALS

Since most annuals prefer a sunny spot, perennial plants are essential to the shade gardener. Grant’s top three perennials to pretty up your place are begonia grandis subsp. evansiana var. alba (white hardy begonia), thalictrum delavayi ‘Splendide White’ (Meadow rue) and lamprocapnos spectabilis ‘Alba’ (white bleeding heart). Shade by Susanna Grant is priced £12.99.