Made for shade
Don’t despair! These brilliant gems can bring even the gloomiest corner to life...
BEFORE I moved to the South Coast, I owned a house in London where I was able to grow all sorts of desirable species in a sunny back garden. Now, you might think that a garden close to the sea would present similar planting opportunities, but nothing could be further from reality. My current plot is completely north-facing with parts that get only a few hours’ sun a day.
The lack of light means there’s no chance of filling the space with cottage-garden-style perennials, roses or Mediterranean beauties. Even maintaining the lawn is a struggle as it requires about four hours of sunlight a day – any less results in poor, patchy growth.
It’s not just those of us with north or east-facing gardens that have to deal with gloomy conditions. Just about every garden in the country has a shady patch where nothing seems to thrive, whether it’s under a tree, or the base of a hedge or border running down the side of the house.
Some abandon these tricky spots in the end or use them as the site for something mundane, such as a compost bin or shed. Yet there’s no need to admit defeat. It’s possible to create a beautiful garden by manipulating your space to improve light levels and by picking plants that can cope or even thrive in shady places.
A common misconception is that only ivies, ferns, hostas and a handful of other foliage plants do well in shadow. In fact, there are countless suitable shrubs, climbers, perennials, grasses and bulbs. Among them are hydrangeas, Japanese honeysuckle, hellebores, Bowles’ golden grass (Milium effusum ‘Aureum’) and snowdrops.
Before planting anything, it’s worth trying to improve the amount of light your garden or a shady pocket receives. Obviously there’s nothing you can do about shadows cast by buildings, but you can tweak the shape of trees and shrubs.
SOME shrubs will become large and leggy if ignored, so thin out branches to allow more light to penetrate. Start by removing old or dead wood in the centre, then snip out crossing branches and about a third of the remaining stems. Work is best carried out while plants are dormant, from late autumn to early spring.
The lower branches of some trees can be removed completely to improve light levels at its base, providing the perfect conditions for perennials or small shrubs. Known as lifting the canopy, this technique should be carried out with care to avoid disfiguring the tree. For a natu- ral look, eliminate only branches up to half the height of the tree.
Every chink of light is valued when you have a north-facing garden, so don’t block it out by letting hedges grow too tall. Reducing the height of these barriers can make a massive difference, but take care not to cut conifer hedges back too hard as they seldom regrow from old wood.
If part of your garden gets between two to four hours of direct sunlight a day, then you’re dealing with partial or semi-shade. Witch hazels, hydrangeas and camellias will all provide a splash of colour. Another group of plants to consider are hardy fuchsias, such as Fuchsia magellanica var mollinae ‘Sharpitor’, and Fuchsia ‘Hawkshead’ with its dainty white flowers. Dappled shade is the name given to those areas where the sun is filtered by the branches of deciduous trees. There are plenty of shrubs that will excel in these places, including Japanese maples, several cotoneasters and mahonia. For something more architectural, try Tasmanian tree ferns, cordylines or Chusan palms.
MANY associate perennials with a sunny border, but there are loads that will flower their socks off in lower light. Lamprocapnos spectabilis, Brunnera macrophylla ‘Jack Frost’ and bergenias will all turn heads in spring, while acanthus, heucheras and astilbes and will keep the show going well into summer.
For my money, the most desirable of all perennials for shade are hellebores, a large tribe of clump-forming plants that generally flower between January and March. The showiest are a group known as ‘Ashwood Garden Hybrids’, whose flowers come in many bright shades, and are sometimes speckled, splashed or adorned with contrasting markings.
Heavier shade is harder to conquer. Not only because of little available light, but because the ground is often bone dry. Prior to planting, improve the soil by digging in plenty of leaf mould or garden compost. Mulch the surface each spring with a thick layer of composted bark or similar material to help retain moisture.
Viburnum davidii, euonymus, box and several other evergreen shrubs are tough enough to cope with semidarkness. Underplant with tiarella, x Heucherella and Euphorbia amygdaloides var robbiae. Another winner is Geranium phaeum var phaeum ‘Samodor’. It has maroon flowers held on 2ft-tall stems during late spring and early summer.