Shade Gardens
As much as people
enjoy being in the sunny areas of a colorful garden, they
also like to spend time in a shady part of the garden. Shade,
with its refreshing moist smell, is inviting as a get away
from summer heat. More defined beauty of a shade garden helps
us to appreciate its foliage, textures and shades of greens.
As much as shade
plants have their place in this habitat, it is also place
for benches, statues, bird baths or water features. Having
an arbor to define the space of a shade corner might enhance
the effect of the special place that you enter to relax.
If you are thinking
of planting a shady spot, you can benefit from the beauty
of Yew trees (Taxus), Rhododendrons, Hydrangeas, Hostas, Astilbes
and ferns. You might want to keep in mind that Hydrangeas
complement Rhododendrons. They flower in late summer; on the
other hand, Rhododendrons open their showy flowers in the
early spring. To ensure co lour in the middle of the summer,
you can plant Astilbes or hardy Geraniums, which grow well
in the sun or in the shade, and Daylilies. For attractive
foliage, Hostas take the lead together with ferns, but I would
also like to draw your attention to Ligularia ‘Desdemona’,
which has a dark red purplish leaf co lour contrasting with
yellow flowers. Another shade loving beauty is X Heuchera
‘Silver Streak’ which can play the role of a groundcover
or be planted individually to create contrast with its dark
red leaves that have silver streaks in them.
The biggest challenge
for shade gardens is usually not the plant selection. The
most likely shade spot is located under trees. When planting
directly under a large tree, we have to consider that our
success is going to be undermined by hard soil lacking oxygen,
nutrients and water. Top dressing this area with rich topsoil
mixed with compost, peat moss and organic fertilizer is a
good idea. Frequent watering and fertilizing is necessary
especially when plants are getting established. If you are
not ready to give your plants this special attention, you
can turn the same area into a place of beauty by carefully
choosing attractive mulch -like pine cones or birch bark or
simply by covering it with rock.
Shade should not be to the gardener’s
disadvantage; it should be an inspiration for creation. The
creation of a place where people enjoy the gifts of nature.
Viktorie Hladik
Horticulturist
Landscape Designer
|
