Shady area conundrums
Help is at hand for problematic parts of the garden
As horticulturists here at RHS Rosemoor, answering people’s questions is part of our role and a very common query from our visitors is: ‘Wwhat on earth can I do with a dark, cool, shady area of my garden”?
Gardens shaded by trees and buildings are increasingly common as gardens get smaller and housing developments become more crowded. Although north or east facing gardens can be cool and shady for much of the year, they can present some creative opportunities with well-chosen shade tolerant plants.
To grow healthy plants in shady areas, it is important to match the degree of shade that a plant will tolerate with available light. Unfortunately, very few plants will thrive where shade is very dense, particularly when coupled with dry, impoverished soil. From experience, most shady areas can be defined as either 1. Dappled shade, which is mainly reflected or diffused light, for example through fairly open tree canopies, or 2. Moderate shade, which may receive sunlight for two or three hours a day in midsummer.
North or East facing walls and fences often receive very little direct sunlight, but that doesn't mean you can't grow climbers or wall shrubs; here is a small selection that are tried, tested and easily sourced:
Garrya elliptica ‘James Roof’ AGM. Racemes of silky tassels in late winter.
Hedera helix ‘Oro di Bogliasco’. Pink stemmed, with golden centred leaves.
Hydrangea anomala subsp. petiolaris AGM. Showy white flowers in clusters.
Lonicera japonica ‘Halliana’. Highly fragrant, white/yellow flowers.
Pyracantha 'Orange Glow' AGM. Long lasting, showy bright orange berries.
Shade loving plants will perform well, but may need watering. The addition of plenty of well-rotted farmyard manure, garden compost or leaf mould will help improve soil structure and moisture retention and aid in the establishment of the plants. This can be either dug in before planting or applied as mulch every year after planting. If conditions are excessively dry or waterlogged for prolonged periods, try using pots to grow plants in, keeping them well watered and use a John Innes No 3 compost. Particularly robust plants for deep shade include, Dicentra ‘Stuart Boothman' AGM, Dryopteris affinis AGM, and not forgetting the ever lovely Snowdrop: Galanthus nivalis AGM.
Here are a few more plant suggestions, well worth a try in your shady spots:
Dappled shade
Anemone × hybrida ‘Honorine Jobert’ AGM. Branched stems with single white flowers with golden stamens in late summer.
Geum rivale ‘Leonards Variety’. Copper-pink orange-tinged flowers mid and late summer.
Brunnera macrophylla 'Jack Frost' AGM. Large, heart-shaped silver leaves, and sprays of small blue flowers in spring.
Astilbe 'Fanal' (× arendsii) AGM. Dark stems bearing red-green, divided leaves with dense spikes of crimson flowers in early summer.
Moderate shade
Geranium phaeum ‘Lily Lovell’. Purple-mauve flowers on branched stems in late spring and early summer.
Pulmonaria ‘Blue Ensign’ AGM. Blue-violet flowers in spring.
Alchemilla mollis AGM. Rounded lobed pale green leaves and tiny greenish-yellow flowers from early summer to autumn.
Tricyrtis formosana. Spotted lance-shaped leaves, clusters of star-shaped white flowers, spotted purple in autumn.
Garden jobs to consider throughout May and June
Continue to divide congested perennials and keep on top of weeding.
Plant out tender perennials once you’re sure there will be no hard frosts.
Give your container plants a balanced liquid feed every two to four weeks to promote healthy growth.
Do the ‘Chelsea chop’. It’s time to take the secateurs to later-flowering herbaceous perennials. Prune about a third of the stems by a third, another third by two thirds. This delays flowering in those stems, and increases the overall flowering season.
Support your tall growing perennials like delphiniums, peonies and Fuchsia with circular plant support hoops, or bamboo canes with string.
Start slug prevention. Biological Nematodes are a very effective alternative to slug pellets.
Look after your finished spring bulbs for next year. Once they’ve gone over, let the tops die naturally and add liquid fertiliser all around the clumps.
Mow and edge your lawn - it makes your garden look better instantly.
Remember to open greenhouse vents and doors on warm days.
Deadhead roses and herbaceous perennials as often as you can when they're in full flower.
Optimise your watering regime, watering early and late. Start collecting and recycling water.
Richard Wilson
Horticulturist, RHS Garden Rosemoor