Planting in Shady Places
By Nyle Zikmund, Anoka County Extension Master Gardener
Sometimes when we make landscaping choices, we inadvertently commit to shade gardening. If all those little trees you planted 25 years ago on your sunny lot have now become mature, you have either learned to love shade gardening, or you have learned to trim and cut down trees.
My wife and I started out with a shady yard and decided we would learn to love it. The transition was not easy at first, as most nurseries cater to homeowners with sunny yards. Over time and with persistence, we found a vast universe of shade-loving perennial plants and shrubs. We have learned that shade plants have a lot of character once you get to know them and use them in your landscape. Shade plants also tend to be lower maintenance; we water less often because shady areas remain moist longer, and many of our favorite plants seem to thrive in the less-than-fertile soil under the trees and shrubs.
Before you select plants for shade, it is important to assess the level of shade in your garden. Dappled shade means that some light always filters through the trees. Part-shade locations receive three to six hours of sunlight, while full shade gets less than three hours. You might even have areas of deep shade, where there is almost no sunlight at all. Choose plants that are appropriate for the level of shade in the space you are planting.
From a design perspective, look for plants that provide contrasting combinations of leaf color to make them pop against the dark background. Hostas, for example, come in a dizzying array of greens, from chartreuse to nearly blue. A shade garden with all foliage can be dramatic without flowers when you play with leaf color.
Another design trick is to group plants by varying height and leaf size or texture and to combine flowering and non-flowering plants. This will provide year-round visual and sensory interest. For example, you could group hostas with sedges against a red twig dogwood to keep the eye moving vertically, and then include some big-leaved asters for a fall show of color (and pollinator food). Once you add in some structure, like stones, benches, or wooden objects, you’ll have your own magical place to escape the blistering August heat!
Here are some ideas for shade trees and shrubs:
For backdrops: ‘Moon Frost’ Canadian hemlock, rhododendrons, red twig dogwood
For leafy interest: bloodroot, nettles, hostas, Solomon’s seal, ostrich ferns
For native plant groundcover: wild ginger (interesting leaf shape), palm sedge, common oak sedge and plains oval sedge
For dramatic pops of color: rue anemone, Jack-in-the-pulpit, large-leaved aster, beardtongue, celandine poppy, bellwort, meadow rue, elm-leaved goldenrod
Shade gardening can be both challenging and rewarding. We turned our reluctance into enthusiasm, and we have no regrets!
For more information about designing and planting a shade garden, visit the University of Minnesota Extension site: Gardening in the shade | UMN Extension
Meet with an Anoka County Extension Master Gardener volunteer about your yard and garden question! Plant and Insect Diagnostic Clinics: In person at Bunker Hills Activities Center on Wednesdays, June 7 - August 16, from 6 - 8 p.m. Ask a Master Gardener Online: Zoom, first Tuesday of each month, May - December, from 6:30 - 8 p.m. Visit anokmastergardeners.org for more details.