Shade garden planting and care tips
When planting your shade garden, let the outlines of your bed follow the shadow lines cast by the trees or buildings.
I find that smaller plants are easier to tuck in between tree roots than larger plants. The smaller the planting holes, the less you have to chop away at roots.
For shade plants, it's a good idea to work in a little extra humus as you dig holes for individual plants.
After planting, give your shade perennials some transplant fertilizer and water them well.
Mulch your shade beds
bleeding heart (foreground) in my garden
Photo: © Y. Cunnington
To finish the planting job, imitate nature by sprinkling leaf mold (composted leaves) or a layer of wood chip or shredded bark mulch around the plants a couple of inches thick.
You can also mulch the bed with leaves in the fall. If you shred the leaves first (either with a leaf shredder or by running the mower over them), they won't mat and will decompose faster.
Mulch helps keep the soil moist and turns into nice woodland humus as it decomposes, creating perfect soil for gardening in the shade.
Just be sure to keep the stuff off the crowns of the perennials, and don't heap it up right against the bark of tree trunks.
Watering your shade perennials
This is one more job to get your shade plants off to a good start and keep them going, especially if they're growing under trees. Water regularly, especially during dry periods.
If there isn't enough rain, give the bed a deep soak once a week to encourage your plants to root deeply. Once-a-week deep watering is better than more frequent shallower waterings. (See more watering tips).
Regular water is vital for perennials and shrubs growing in the shade under trees, as trees guzzle moisture and leave precious little for other plants growing underneath them. And, of course, your watering and mulching helps the trees too.
Besides the fact that a shade garden tends to be lush and cool, here's something else to like: aside from watering and mulching, shade gardens are a cinch to care for because lower light levels and mulch put a damper on weed germination.
So what's not to like about shade - especially on a hot summer day?
Related information:
How to improve the soil in your shade garden
Also for shade - Japanese Painted Fern
Hostas - queen of the shade perennials
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