Shade Gardens

By Lyn Hayes, Forsyth County Master Gardener

TownLoafer Magazine, August 2008

How to fill those shady spaces.

As the hot, humid days of summer linger like the think aroma of magnolias, Georgians tend to limit their activities to the cool solace of shade. Gardening, though primarily an outdoor pursuit, can be one of those activities. Creating a shade garden is certainly an enjoyable project. The idea of a shady area in your landscape does not mean you are doomed to a bed full of hostas as plant material for shady areas are vast.

When I moved to Georgia, I had a large shady area at the back of my property but no clue what to plant there. I soon discovered that there were many plants that would add light and interest to my garden. When we think of a garden, we typically think of all things blooming. The idea of a shade garden is to create interest with color and texture. The plants available for shade may not always have blooming flowers, but the variety of leaf color and texture is very exciting.

You first need to determine the degree of shade your planting area receives. This will determine the plants you choose.

• Heavy shade • Light shade
• Medium shade • Dappled sunlight

When choosing plants requiring drier conditions, locate them where the morning sun will dry off the dew. This will keep the plant healthy. Shade areas tend to have poor soil conditions, so it is recommended to increase the organic matter in the beds you intend to plant. Be careful not to dig too deep into the soil if you are under a tree canopy as this may damage the roots of the existing tree.

Don’t forget to add spring bulbs to your plant list. They will add color to your garden until your trees become full again. Bulbs are wonderful in a woodland setting. You can also improve the moisture in the bed by adding mulch on top of your plantings.

In areas that you believe the shade is too heavy for plant material, you can always add mulch paths or hardscape areas to enhance the garden and create a flow from one area to the next. Adding moss to these dense areas around rocks/flagstones soften this effect. You may also consider adding colorful containers for color plantings that will “pop” in the landscape.

Use light and dark foliage to complement each other. Plant a dark leaf next to a light or variegated leaf, or a smooth, large leaf next to a frilly fern. This technique will make the plants stand out and not look like a mass planting of the same thing. Consider using shade loving shrubs as the focal point of the area. This will add height and structure to the garden.

No matter how you structure your shade garden, it will serve as a poignant addition to your landscape and provide a welcome respite from the heat of the summer sun.

Shade Garden Plants:

• Azalea
• Dogwood
• Hydrangea
• Camellia
• Rhododendron
• Hosta (many different leaf colors, be creative)
• Perennial Geranium
• Astilbe (best in dappled sunlight)
• Bellflower (African blue lily)
• Japanese painted fern (beautiful silver-gray fronds stand out in shade)
• Autumn Fern (evergreen)
• Caladiums (bulb plant)
• Lungwort (funnel-shaped flowers come in blue, red, pink, white, and purple)
• Peacock moss (bluish hue, spreads over time to fill in beautifully)
• Columbine (bell-shaped flowers; attracts hummingbirds and butterflies)
• Hellebore (cup-shaped blooms, evergreen foliage; blooms winter and spring)
• Heuchera (Coral bell; light shade, evergreen foliage; blooms April-August)
• Fringed bleeding heart (Rose/pink flowers, fern-like leaves; blooms spring-summer)
• Pachysandra Terminalis (small, white flowers; spreads by underground roots; good ground cover)