How Can I Improve Shady Part Of My Garden?

Does the shade comes from buildings and walls?

Do you already have shade-loving plants planted in these areas?

Is your garden in a dappled shade cast by deciduous trees?

Is the shade cast by low-hanging tree limbs?

If a wall is responsible for the shade your plants are experiencing, you can try painting the wall bright white. The white will reflect any light that strikes it, providing the plants with good illumination even if they don’t have direct sunlight. This trick will be particularly effective with a north¬facing wall. If you can’t paint the wall, you could get around the problem by securing a light-colored screen between the wall and the plants. Screens with a smooth surface are more effective than those with texture, but all light-colored backgrounds will reflect some light.

Shade from buildings and walls is deep. However, the orientation of the wall can make a difference in the garden. Plants growing along an east-west wall, for example, receive some light every day. If a plant thrives in partial shade, it is likely to grow well in this location. Plants growing to the north of a wall receive almost no light in winter. However, since they get indirect light in summer, perennials that die back in winter and shade-loving summer annuals can do well in these spots.

If your shade is dappled from shadows cast by deciduous trees, you can plant a colorful spring garden of sun-loving plants. The earliest bulbs, like snowdrops, crocus, early daffodils, and Spanish bluebells, all grow well under almost any deciduous tree. Bulbs that bloom in mid-spring, like many daffodils, corydalis, and windflowers, grow best under trees that leaf out late. Early-blooming perennials, like astilbe, American columbine, Virginia bluebells, and primroses, will also thrive under trees that leaf out late in the spring. Many of these spring-blooming plants become lovely focal points later in the season thanks to their foliage.

If low-hanging tree limbs are casting shade on your garden, the answer is to carry out some careful pruning. In late winter or very early spring, remove the bottom limbs from the trees. If you cut just beyond the collar it ensures that the wound will heal quickly. Remove only a few limbs from each tree, taking care that the growth is balanced around the trunk and that you leave enough branches to keep it healthy. You may want to hire a professional for this job with greater expertise and the tools required.

Planting white and pastel flowers, as well as plants with gray leaves, can make shady areas more prominent. Choose a tall background plant, like foxglove (Digitalis grandiflora) or kirengeshoma (Kirengeshoma palmata) for a site with damp soil and fairy bells (Disporum flavum) for a dry one. Using the shade-loving plants fill in the area with a selection of white and pale-blooming plants that will brighten it up. Choosing appropriate plants for your site is your best guarantee of success. In addition to knowing if a plant grows well in shaded conditions, you must also know whether it grows well in damp or dry conditions.