A properly planned shade garden possesses a charm of its own, with quiet harmonies of light, colour, form and texture that are so different in character from its sunny counterpart, and in our hot climate nothing beats a shady corner of garden, filled with quiet tranquillity, sweet scents and cool breezes.
The varying degrees of shade
When gardening in the shade it’s good to bear in mind that there are varying degrees of shade. For example, under large spreading trees you will get varying degrees of shade from semi-shade to deep shade near the trunk where almost nothing will grow. Therefore, it's important to have a clear understanding of the type of shade your garden bed receives before selecting your plants.
Observe how much shade your bed receives, how dense the shade is, and at what time of the day the bed is shaded. Make sure that shade plants are always protected from the fierce midday and afternoon sun, this is especially important in very hot regions.
The shady parts of the garden are usually under trees or next to walls. Trees rob the soil of both nutrients and water, and even when it rains, very dense trees will prevent the rain from reaching the soil underneath. The rest of the garden might be wet, but the plants underneath trees will still need to be irrigated. Soil next to walls may not be impoverished but is also often dry after rainfall, so pay some extra attention to plants growing there as well. For all the reasons above, you may even have to water your shade garden more frequently than your full sun garden.
Some shade-tolerant plants are adapted to dry shade situations, while others require moist shade. The terms “damp shade” and “dry shade” refer to the moisture content of the soil, not the type of shade itself. Dry shade is the more challenging to work with, so if this is what you have click here to read my article “Gardening in dry shade”. articles/shade-gardens/gardening-in-dry-shade
Group plants according to their watering needs
Group plants that require lots of water together and those that require less water together. Irrigation systems water all the plants in the area equally, so decide how much water your bed will receive before choosing your plants.
In summer you may only have to water every few days, but when you do, water thoroughly and deeply. Light sprinklings every day do more harm than good.
A shade garden under trees requires regular feeding
Regular foliar feeding (spraying food directly onto the leaves) is by far the best and the most effective method, as the food is absorbed directly into the plant. Granular fertilisers can also be applied, starting in spring, followed by one or two further applications during the growing season. Feeding and replenishing your beds with a fresh layer of compost and mulch each spring will ensure that your plants have sufficient food to keep them healthy and growing.
In woodland situations where the trees have spreading roots, planting into pots is often the only option, and the advantage of pots is that they can be moved around to accommodate pruning and other maintenance.
Selecting your plants
Determining which plants to select is probably the most important and exciting part of your project. Do not rush this stage of your garden design, and research as many plants as you can before deciding on your final selection. Remember to choose plants that you like, but most importantly, select those that will suit the site best, so do your homework first and your shade garden is bound to be a resounding success.
Click here to find my e-book “Gardening in the Shade”
Summer flowering annuals for shade
I hope this list of flowering plants will inspire you to jazz-up your summer shade garden.
Alyssum Alyssum
If you have garden beds that receive full sun and some parts which are a bit more shady Alyssum would be perfect to use as it thrives in full sun but still performs well in light shade. It also grows well in the sandy soils of coastal gardens.
Alyssum is a compact, low-growing plant about 15cm tall and spreads about 20 to 25cm. It remains one of the most popular summer bedding plants because it is low maintenance, long flowering and very easy to grow all year round. Its honey scented flower spikes are available in lovely in shades of pink, rose, purple, mauve, white and yellow.
Use it as an edging plant in the garden, and the free-flowering plants are also great in hanging baskets and containers, mixing effortlessly with other flowering plants for months of colour.
Members can click here to read more about Alyssum
AquilegiaAquilegia, Columbine
These beautiful perennial plants remain firm favourites to plant in shade gardens because they start flowering in late spring and continue into summer. Their attractive fern-like leaves are a perfect foil for the exotic- looking flowers, which are available in shades of pink, red, blue, violet, rose and burgundy, white, yellow and orange.
There are very compact dwarf varieties that grow 13 to 20 cm tall, and the larger varieties vary from 40 to 75cm tall. Aquilegias grow in semi-shade to partial sun and are hardy to frost, but are not suited to humid or very dry regions.
Modern hybrids thrive in warmer climates like South Africa, and the plants will flower within 28 to 34 weeks after sowing seed, whereas older varieties will take two seasons to mature and flower, so if you are impatient, purchase trays of seedlings or even instant colour pots, where the plants are already in bloom.
Aquilegias give a beautiful effect if planted in drifts in woodland gardens, and the dwarf varieties are perfect for planting in pots and window boxes.
Members can click here to read more about Aquilegias
Bedding Begonias Begonias
Begonias are truly the backbone of the flower garden and bloom all season long, until the first frosts, and in warm climates they can bloom all year round, and are available in various shapes and sizes.
Small compact plants like Begonia ‘Baby Wings’ and Begonia ‘Planet’ are perfect for flower borders and come in green or bronze foliage, and blooms in various shades of pink, red and white.
The taller growing types like Begonia ‘Big’, Begonia ‘Bossa Nova’ and Begonia ‘Megawatt’ with their large red or pink flowers make a bold statement in the garden when planted in large drifts, and are stunning in large containers and hanging baskets.
The larger upright to trailing types of Begonia like ‘Dragon Wings’ are hard to beat in containers and hanging baskets.
Although begonias will grow in quite a lot of shade they flower best in positions where they receive dappled or bright shade. Varieties with green leaves will tolerate more shade than those with bronze leaves. In deep shade the plants will become leggy and less floriferous.
Members can click here to read more about the various garden Begonias
Browalia 'Bell Blue' Picture courtesy Ball Horticultural CompanyBrowallia, Bush Violet
Browalia is a lovely mounded, sprawling plant which is related to petunias, and flowers just as profusely all summer and into late autumn. Hybrid varieties are available in vibrant shades of purple, blue, violet or white, and are cultivated as a summer annuals, growing quickly to around 25 to 35cm tall.
It grows beautifully outdoors in sheltered positions, and its sprawling habit lends itself to hanging baskets, window boxes and containers of all kinds, where it can spill over the edges
Browalia grows well at the coast and inland, taking both heat and humidity. It does best in a warm, bright, semi-shaded position, or morning sun. In very hot and dry regions midday shade is essential. Also, ensure that it is sited where it is protected from strong winds.
Members can click here to read more about Browalia
ColeusColeus, Painted Nettle
Coleus is cultivated in shady gardens worldwide because it is durable and easy to grow. Hybridization has produced compact, dwarf varieties, and an almost infinite number of leaf shapes and colour combinations which include most colours of the spectrum, except true blue.
The lower growing dwarf varieties will create a colourful border, while the taller types provide a dramatic background planting, livening up any corner of the garden they are planted in. Coleus is also the perfect container candidate, so fill your balcony boxes, hanging baskets and pots with them.
Most varieties prefer bright semi-shade and good, moist, well-drained soil. Plants grown in too much sun may wilt, and those grown in too much shade may become leggy.
Members can click here to read more about Coleus
Forget-me-notForget-me-not
This charming plant is treated as a spring and summer flowering annual in South Africa, and produces an abundance of tiny azure-blue flower spikes. It grows quickly to about 20cm tall and 15cm wide, and has small hairy, green leaves.
Forget-me-not seed is sown directly into prepared garden beds in spring. Germination can take 7 to 14 days and the plants should bloom within 90 days.
Even though the individual flowers are very small, the overall effect is a lovely carpeted effect in the garden which is the mainstay of the English cottage garden, and Forget-me-not's also blend beautifully with bulbs. Plant them in rock and pebble gardens, in woodland gardens and as a border plant.
Forget-me-not grows throughout SA but is sensitive to humidity. Although it can be planted in semi-shade or sun, in hot and dry regions it must be grown in semi-shade, and it must be watered regularly throughout summer.
Members can click here to read more about Forget-me-not
Foxglove 'Dwarf Foxy' Mix Picture courtesy Ball StraathofFoxglove
Seedlings of modern foxglove varieties that bloom in their first year are usually planted out in spring or autumn. The main bloom time is in spring and early summer but occasionally additional flower stems are produced later in the season, especially if the main flower stalks are cut after blooming.
There are many cultivars available which vary in height, but most of the modern strains are quite compact and grow about 60 to 90cm tall and 25 to 30cm wide.
Foxgloves are particularly effective when planted in groups to bring dramatic and richly coloured vertical accents to garden beds and borders, and they make excellent cut flowers if picked when the blooms are half open.
Foxgloves prefer cool climatic conditions where rainfall is good. They will grow in semi-shade to sun, but in regions where it gets hot very early in summer, its best to plant them in a cool position. They are hardy to cold and frost, but also do well in sheltered coastal gardens.
Members can click here to read more about Foxgloves
New Guinea ImpatiensImpatiens, Busy Lizzy
Gardeners have relied on the common old Busy Lizzy Impatiens for generations for their ease of growth in difficult shady areas, and their wide range of colours. Busy Lizzy thrives in semi-shade to light sunshine, and in hotter regions they will need protection from the fierce midday sun and excessive winds, which will cause the flowers and leaves to scorch.
Today gardeners are spoilt for choice when it comes to Impatiens, and breeders continue to surprise us with brilliant new garden hybrids.
The irresistible 'New Guinea Impatiens' is taller growing than the common Busy Lizzie, with large flowers in vibrant colours, and often with colourfully variegated leaves. And, although they can take a lot more sun than ordinary Impatiens, they still need some shade, especially in very hot and dry regions. 'New Guinea Impatiens love full morning sun or bright shade throughout the day, and really don't like total shade. In very hot regions, protect them from the fierce midday sun and excessive winds, which will cause the flowers and leaves to scorch.
Today we are also blessed with 'Sunpatiens' which grows in full sun or semi-shade, and even thrives in hot, humid weather, greatly expanding the area in which Impatiens can be grown in South Africa.
Members can click here to read more about Impatiens
LobeliaLobelia
Lobelia has been bred to produce a profusion of tiny flowers in shades of blue, lilac, purple, pink, carmine and white. Some varieties have bronzy foliage and others bright green leaves. These easy-to-grow little plants deserve a place in every garden, large or small.
They vary slightly in height but the modern varieties are very compact and will grow about 15cm tall, making them invaluable edging plants, and because of their dainty, compact growth, are perfect combined with bulbs.
The cascading varieties produce billowing masses of flowers up to 30cm long and are favourites to mix with other plants in hanging baskets and containers.
Lobelia can be grown almost throughout the year in South Africa and is semi-hardy to moderate frost. It will grow in semi-shade or full sun but in hot regions the plants do better if planted in semi-shade. Water regularly, especially in dry regions and plant in good, well-drained soil.
Members can click here to read more about Lobelia
Mimulus 'Magic Blotch' MixMimulus, Monkey Flower
These cheerful and rewarding little plants are moisture loving and thrive in semi-shade, making them ideal to plant at water-side margins, and in moist areas of the garden. They are also stunning if planted into hanging baskets, window boxes and pots, or as a border to the flower garden.
Monkey Flowers grow about 30cm tall and 25cm wide but there is a smaller variety that only grows about 15cm tall. Their gay summer flowers are available in single or mixed shades of bright scarlet, pink, white, yellow, ivory, and orange, and there are clear and bi-colours available.
Monkey Flowers are tender to frost and are generally grown as summer annuals in South Africa. They do extremely well in the summer rainfall regions and are not suited to very hot, dry, or humid regions. Plant in semi-shade, and protect them from the hot midday sun.
Members can click here to read more about Mimulus
Hypoestes Mix. Picture courtesy Nu-leaf NurseryPolka Dot Plant
Polka dot plants have tons of personality and their brightly spotted leaves stand out in the crowd. They grow just as easily in bright light indoors as they do outdoors.
New garden cultivars are very compact and bushy, growing to a height of about 20cm and spreading 15cm, and there are several spotted or mottled varieties available in shades of blush, pink, rose, red, and white. In summer the bushes may produce tiny, solitary pink or purple flowers at the nodes, and the fruit is a many-seeded capsule which splits open to release the seeds.
In subtropical regions the plant is a spreading perennial, which may become quite rampant. In cold and frosty regions it is grown outdoors as a summer annual, and is planted once all danger of frost is over.
These plants are not especially difficult to grow, but require a protected spot in the garden where they will receive filtered bright light, but not too much direct sunlight which can burn the leaves.
Polka dot plants are perfect little ‘filler’ plants for mixed plantings in garden beds or pots, and are used to accentuate parts of the garden in much the same way as flowers would
Members can click here to read more about Polka Dot Plants
SalviaSalvia
The beautiful Salvia splendens is available in vibrantly coloured flower spikes, from bright red to pink, purple, scarlet, rose, cream, and white. Tall and dwarf varieties are available ranging in height from 15 to 90cm tall.
Although salvias can be grown in full sun, in our hot climate they do very well in full morning sun or partial shade. In areas with very hot summers, protect them from the harsh midday sun.
If watered well they will flower all summer and autumn. Cut your plants back after each flush of flowers and new growth will soon emerge, keeping them blooming continually.
The taller varieties will add accent to flowerbeds, and the dwarf varieties make excellent border plants and work well in containers, mixed with other summer flowering annuals.
Members can click here to read more about Salvia
Bacopa Sutera, Bacopa
Sutera remain firm favourites with gardeners for their ease of growth and profusion of flowers throughout spring and summer. This short lived perennial plant is tender to frost and is most often grown as a summer annual. It can be grown both inland and at the coast.
Sutera are vigorous low-growing plants which can spread 50 to 60cm, while only reaching a height of 15 to 20cm. Plant breeders have developed many new and improved strains which not only flower even more profusely, but also have larger blooms. Sutera are available in beautifully delicate shades of blue and pink, to lavender and white, with some varieties even sporting lovely yellow foliage.
They are perfect to plant in hanging baskets, window boxes and pots for a colourful summer display. Planted in mass they make a wonderful groundcover and will stabilise the soil on slopes. They also make lovely rockery and edging plants for the garden.
Members can click here to read more about Sutera
ToreniaTorenia, Wishbone Flower
These delightful flowers have an intense colour range, from light and dark blue, to burgundy, pink, lavender and white, and they will bloom consistently all summer, and through autumn until the first frosts.
Torenia are wonderful edging plants and if planted in groups will make a charming display. They are also very showy in window boxes, pots and hanging baskets, as long as you don't allow them to dry out.
Torenia can take heat, humidity and shade, and there are not many annuals that can accomplish that! They do not like very much hot sun and require rich well-drained soil and regular watering, especially during hot, dry periods. They will grow quickly to about 20cm tall and 15cm wide
Trays of seedlings are sold at some nurseries and seeds are also available. Seed can be sown in seedling trays in spring and early summer. Germination will take 7 to 18 days, and flowering will start about 12 to 14 weeks after sowing. Grow your seedlings in a cool place.