GARDENING IN THE SHADE
Every one has some shade—cast by houses, fences or trees. Cloudy days are shady days and are a good time to plant or transplant. Shade aids the garden in helping to retain moisture by reducing transpiration.
TYPES OF SHADE
There are different values of shade and plants must be carefully chosen for each type of light. If a sun-loving shrub is planted in too much shade it will become leggy and have few to no blossoms.
| Part Shade |
Direct sun until mid day ideal for a mixed border. In it you may plant a variety of sun tolerant and shade loving plants with great success. |
| Light shade |
Dappled or moving shade filtered by an airy canopy of light leaves such as black locust or ash trees. The under planting will have good air circulation and adequate sun with protection from the heat of the mid day sun. This situation is ideal for stewartias, kousa dogwoods, and broad-leafed evergreens such as camellias, mahonia and rhododendrons. Deciduous shrubs like the viburnums, mock orange and hydrangeas will thrive in this location. |
| Full shade |
Cast by mature evergreens or big high limbed deciduous trees with big leaves. The garden is in substantial shade during the growing season. Other conditions are good air circulation, the soil is fertile and well drained and moisture retentive during dry spells. The condition limits plant selection, but there is still much to chose from. |
| Dense and difficult |
Typically occurs under evergreen trees such as Western Red Cedars or Douglas Firs. While the tops cast full shade the root systems of these trees are invasive and will rob every bit of moisture from the soil. A mature Doug fir can remove 100 gallons of water from the soil on a hot day). In addition the soil will be very acidic from the needle drop. Usually plants fail in these conditions not because of the shade but the other factors just mentioned. |
Planting
As in all garden situations you should provide 4-8 inches of loose loamy soil to help your plants root out and thrive. If possible spread a good layer soil over the entire bed and then plant. If conditions do not allow this dig the planting hole as deep as the root ball and twice as wide cutting roots of existing trees if necessary. Once your garden is planted it needs one inch of rain or irrigation each week. If you are planting in dense and difficult shade the garden will need two inches of water a week to compensate for the water needs of the shade trees.
Regardless of light situation the best thing any gardener can give to their plants is mulch. It covers the bare earth with decaying matter which feeds the soil, conserves water, prevents erosion, protects shallow roots inhibits weed seed germination, reduces the soil temperature in summer heat and assists with retention of heat in the winter.
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