How to Design a Shade Garden

The pleasures of a shade garden are apparent in mid-summer when temperatures rise, but throughout the seasons, nothing matches the shade garden's cool greens, calming benefits, and relative ease of care. There are a multitude of plants to choose from, but stick to a few basics and you'll enjoy your shade garden for years to come. While there are many things to consider such as soil quality, air temperature and availability of water, in this article I'll just address some basic planning ideas.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Paper and pencil
• Camera
• A basic shade garden primer

How to Design a Shade Garden

1. Take a walk around your property at different times of day and notice how the sun travels. Pick one spot to start with. Don't try to make a master plan. It can be too overwhelming. Are you starting with a border or a spot under a tree? Different plants will thrive under different conditions. Take some pictures and look at them as you go through the shade primer (see Step 2). Take some time to really think about your space. Do you want large plants? Spreading plants? Flowering plants? A fern garden?

2. Check out "All About Shade Gardening" from Ortho Books. Here you'll find an abundance of plants to choose from, depending on which growing zone you live in and the kind of soil you're planting in. Although there are many, many resources for shade gardening in books and on the Internet, this simple primer is really all you'll need to create a stunning garden that thrives in shade.

3. Think about planting in threes and in creating natural shapes. One plant by itself looks lonely, unless it's a specimen plant. More than three is okay if you want a "drift" look in a large space. But for the average space, groups of three work best. Think about texture, color, how the plants might complement each other. Tall plants go at the back of the border, working down to smaller plants in front. When deciding on an area to plant, think of curved edges rather than thinking in straight lines. Generally, only formal gardens utilize straight lines well. A natural curve always adds warmth and appeal to a garden.

4. Once you've found some plants that appeal to you, make a rough plan on a blank piece of paper. It doesn't have to be fancy. Just put some thought into where you want to place the plants before you get started. It's easier to plan ahead then to move already planted material later.

Tips & Warnings

• Visit public gardens and see how they design their garden spaces.
• Visit some local plant nurseries. Buy local and you'll have better success with your plants.
• Start out with plants like hosta, fern, bleeding heart, sweet woodruff, lily-of-the valley. They're easy to grow and will provide years of beauty.
• Don't buy too much at first! You'll be tempted to overbuy when you see all the choices available, but stick to your roughed-out plan and you'll likely have better results.