Sucessful Shade Gardening

As every gardener knows, you cannot control the weather. But, when planting your garden, you can control the amount of sun or shade the plants will grow in. Of course, that is not to say that you can make the day less cloudy or shorten the shadow your house casts. But with careful selection, you will be able to make even the shadiest parts of your yard bloom with color.

The great thing is, you don’t have to worry about placing plants in a shaded area if they prefer sun. Nature has already determined which plants should grow in what areas. All you have to do is watch your yard, or where you intent to plant, for how much shade is available.

For gardening purposes, there are three categories for lighting situations. They are full sun, partial sun and full shade. If your area gets a full day of sun, from 6-12 hours a day during the summer, that is considered ‘Full Sun.’ If the area is covered but still gets plenty of light, this is partial sun or partial shade. This could be an area that is under and awing or is covered by large, mature trees.

In the partial shade/ partial sun category, the sun is reflected off surfaces. When that happens, some of the suns energy is absorbed, but there remains enough to keep the soil warm and for the pants to use for photosynthesis.

However, “Full Shade” indicates that, even indirectly, the plants will get very little light. While the area is not completely dark, it has been dimmed because the sunlight has hit so many other surfaces and has lost most of its energy. This means there is far less energy for the plant and the soil stays cool to the touch.

While finding flowering plants for this area will be difficult, is not impossible. However, the full shade is mostly suited for many kinds of low lying ground cover, the most obvious example being moss. If you walk around a forest that is heavily shaded, you will find moss growing almost every where. Other types of fungi such as wild mushrooms will usually be growing in the same area.

Many plants will do well in partial shade, including ones that will produce beautiful flowers. They will want to be in an area that receives less than 1-2 hours of direct sunlight through the day. The ideal spot will be exposed to several hours of indirect, reflected sunlight. The sun the plants do receive directly should not be at the hottest house of the day.

One of the more popular plants for partial shade is the Hosta. It has broad leaves made to absorb the light that is available and pale flowers will be produced on long stems in late spring and early summer. Another good choice is Impatience. They have a nice orange or pink flower. If the soil is warm, Foxgloves will do well in partially shaded areas.

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