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Growing in the Shade - Shade Gardens




What lurks in the shadows... Beautiful Plants!
Do you have a landscape that involves trees, shrubs, and bushes? As you walk about your garden, you may find that certain trees and bushes have created shaded areas at certain times of the day. You can take advantage of the different degrees of sunlight that reach an area by creating specific Shade Gardens.

While you may think that shade in the garden is a "grey" place, it actually can be a spot that bursts with various colors and texture. There are different qualities of shade, but no matter how much shade is in your landscape, there are flowers, plants, bushes and bulbs which will grow under particulatr shady conditions.

To get a sense of what is possible, take a stroll through the woods in your nighborhood. Notice how the sunlight hits some areas, illuminating the ground while leaving adjacent spots in shade. And, of course, some parts of the ground are in the shade all the time. Yet resourceful plants of different kinds have learned to thrive in areas of reduced sunlight. You will need to choose the plants that are "right" for the type of shade you have, be it partial, dense, full, or filtered shade.

Filtered shade is an area where indirect sunlight filters down to the ground between leaves, branches, and other bushes. The sunlight gives a dappled appearance to the plants below the trees and bushes - highlighting leaves and other parts of plant here and there throughout the day.

Partially shaded areas of your garden are different from filtered shade areas. These are portions of your landscape or garden that actually get direct sun for four or five hours a day, but then remain in the shade of a tree or house the rest of the day. This partially shaded area can occur in the morning or the afternoon depending upon the direction of the sun. For afternoon shade consider using plants that are sensitive to the high temperatures that occur in the later hours of the day.

Full shade areas of your garden are those spaces that remain in the dark for most of the day. Sunlight may shine in this area of the landscape when trees loose their leaves or for less than an hour each day. Plants that mature in the spring or produce flowers in the fall are the plants that grow in this portion of your landscape.

Dense shade is thar rarer area of a landscape where the sun never shines, there is not even a time of partial shade. Dense shade areas of your landscape include those that are beside fences, houses, in the thickest parts of the wooded areas.

How do you create a shade garden? One of the easiest shade garden to work with is the filtered shade garden. The first thing to do is to examine the trees or bushes that are creating an area of filtered shade in your garden. With a filtered shade garden, you do want a certain amount of sunlight to fall into that garden below the tree. Depending upon the surrounding growth, you may need to "open up" your trees or shrubs to allow some additional light into different spots. Prune off certain lower branches on taller bushes and on the trees to make a path for sunlight into your garden.

This is also a good time to thin out any bottom saplings that are trying to grow from the tree(s), to keep them from darkening the garden in the future. Unwanted underbrush and thorny bushes should be cut down or dug up at this time, too.

The next step is to work the soil and get it ready for the new garden. It never hurts to add organic materials including more soil, compost, manure or other types of nutrients to the area before you plant.

Try not to, if you can, disturb the roots of the tree(s) that border the shade garden area. Cutting or roughly disturbing the roots of trees can cause enough damage to weaken or even kill the tree over time.

As you work and add needed nutrients, build your garden bed about six inches deep or whatever growing depth is required by your chosen shade plants.

After planting your first shade plants in the garden continue to water them every few days until the roots have taken hold and can support the plants. When placing your plants in the soil of your new garden, don't forget to mulch around the plants to hold the water in the soil and prevent any weeds from sprouting.

What plants should you pick out? This depends upon your local climate and the actual sunlight that is available. There are a great variety of plants to choose from including herbs. Check with your local nursury for specific suggestions. Read the information that is available when purchasing plants that you want to place in shade gardens. Look for data on exactly how much or how little light a plant will tolerate.

When parts of your landscape are filled with shade during certain times of the day, they can still support many wonderful plants, flowers and colors. Exploring the world of shade gardening can provide you with various opportunities to change your landscape and to enhance the tree line of your yard. Shade gardens give many gardeners a place to cool down and relax. Save room for a chair in your new shade garden, so you can watch all the wonderful life around you.

About the Author:  Scott Harker is the publisher of several websites including: Path To God - Spiritual Journeys, Tinnitus - The Internal Ringing, Aikido, Mystic Cards Esp Trick and Aromatherapy - Essential Oils For Sale.







News about Shade Gardens


NBA: Nuggets shade Suns 77-72 in chilly outdoor pre-season game
Bangkok Post, Thailand - Oct 12, 2008
The milestone event attracted a sellout crowd of 16236, on a floor that was constructed above the stadium court at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Palm ...


66th ANNUAL BULB & PLANT MART
Houston Chronicle, United States - Oct 4, 2008
Also new this year are gardens to go, packages with everything you need to plant a butterfly, courtyard or shade garden — including a design plan, plants, ...


The Australian

Tree for all occasions
The Australian, Australia - 20 hours ago
Pictures: Holly Kerr Forsyth What provides shade when you need it; is a garden sculpture when bare? What flowers in a rainbow of scented colour? ...


Daily Mail

A fern favourite: The plant with a rich and ancient history
Daily Mail, UK - 7 hours ago
Challenging as this may appear, shaded courtyards, the shadow of mature trees and even buildings offer the shelter, shade and moist space that these plants ...


Powdery mildew attacking your cukes? Here's what to do
Chicago Tribune, United States - 6 hours ago
The problem often starts in humid weather, usually on plants growing in too much shade or with too little air circulating around them. ...


How to pick wildflowers for your garden
Los Angeles Times, CA - Oct 11, 2008
Does well along paths and borders in semi-shade with other native irises. Can tolerate full sun but will burn up midsummer. Cut it back and wait for it to ...


Christian Science Monitor

From stony soil, verdant beauty
Christian Science Monitor, MA - Sep 25, 2008
This is a garden of atmosphere, and the shade garden is its dark, mysterious heart. Framed by the barn’s broad rear door, it beckons with a view of a stone ...


See changes of the season in Coweta's gardens
Newnan Times-Herald, GA - Oct 11, 2008
Ticket price for the tour, which includes the five gardens and dinner in the shade garden at Country Gardens are $30 each. Tickets for separate garden tours ...


Breast Cancer Tree of Hope and Remembrance dedicated Sunday
SalemNews.net, OH - 8 hours ago
By KEVIN HOWELL, Salem News staff writer SALEM -In a dedication ceremony for the Tree of Hope and Remembrance in the newly established Meditation Garden ...


Houston Chronicle

Grow great salads
Houston Chronicle, United States - Oct 12, 2008
I don't know how much shade it can tolerate, but it might produce even in bright shade, and will grow in pots. After you have fertilized the soil, ...

shade garden - Google News



How to Create a Relaxing Shade Garden


Video source courtesy of www.ezmoviesites.com.


John Peters and Kimberly Bird from Calloway's Nursery show us how to create a breezy, cool, relaxing, oasis in your back yard. First, figure out your sun exposure with our sun calculator.

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