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Shade-Loving Plants for Shady Gardens

It is fairly obvious that shrubs that demand shade in our gardens grow in the wild among trees and on the north slopes of hills. Their roots would be in the cool, fed by accumulated humus from fallen leaves, and the hottest sun would be tempered by cooler air. In our gardens we can provide the shade and the humus but not always the cooler air.

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All shade loving shrubs and plants benefit from more than the average amount of humus-compost or peat-at planting time. In dry areas and on sandy soils it is beneficial to plant several centimetres/a few inches below the level of the ground, leaving a shallow basin around the plant which will collect and hold moisture and fallen leaves. While we may not all possess a small wood where conditions would be admirable, the scattering of flowering and fruiting trees through a garden often creates a cooler mini-climate than in an open, sun-drenched area. Even if we cannot provide shade for the whole of the day, the shadow of a tree can take the heat of the sun away for  two to three hours; the place to choose for a shade-lover is where this shadow stays during the hottest part of the day. Shade from trees tends to make shrubs rather open and lanky and it must be remembered that though the over-head canopy of leaves may keep the ground reasonably cool, the underground competition of roots may result in dryness.

There is however another sort of shade which is invaluable in the garden- the shade provided by a house, wall or fence. There we can provide the coolness required without the dry soil. There was a time when the south-west wind prevailed over most of the year in Surrey, but I am not sure that it does now. At all events a piece of ground shaded by a high building to the south-west wind. But if the ground is cool and moist when shaded by a tall building the conditions are just right for many shad-lovers. The following shrubs will thrive in shade if other requirements are met.