7 Tips for Growing a Shade Garden

If you have a shady yard, meaning a yard that gets less than 6 hour of sun in a day, you might be afraid that you have little to no planting options. The good news is that even with a shade filled yard you can still enjoy lush and beautiful plants that thrive in these conditions. If you want to plant a shade garden to beautify your landscaping, here are 7 Tips for Growing a Shade Garden that you must try. These shade garden growing tips can help you create your own little haven in the shade that neighbors will be sure to notice!

7 Tips for Growing a Shade Garden

1. Grow a shade garden inexpensively with hostas. Hostas are so affordable and perfect for your shade garden. They come in dozens of sizes (like the Elephant Ear variety that grows to be huge) as well as various colors like green, blue, and white. They grow quickly and fill in spaces where you might be lacking, so they make for a wonderful option.

2. Hellebore offers blooms. If you are looking for beautiful blooms, hellebore is for you. These blooms come in a variety of colors and are perfect for sniffing and even cutting and bringing indoors. They can be planted in stages so you can enjoy blooms all season long.

3. Use Lamium for ground cover. A garden can be shaped nicely with the use of ground cover. Lamium is a beautiful ground cover that even offers some soft purple in its coloring. It can spread nicely, filling in areas and offering shape to the space.

4. Lungwort offers a pop of purple. If you think a shade garden can’t have color, you are wrong. Lungwort offers bright pops of purple and is easy to grow. Plus, the color will attract pollinators such as bumble bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.

5. Bleeding Heart is a shade garden classic. A bleeding heart plant is perfect for your shade garden, offering soft pink blooms that show their face early summer. These will return year after year looking fuller and fuller, so they are worth adding to your shade garden!

6. Fill in with some annuals. There are annuals that do well in the shade and can be used to fill in any gaps you may have. Some shade loving annuals include begonias and impatiens, which look great in flower beds and when used in borders.

7. Remember that feedings and regular care are still important. Your plants may not need a lot of sun, but you still want to offer them at least one inch of water a week as well as some slow release fertilizer on a regular basis. You also want to make sure you keep an eye out for pests, which typically like the darker conditions. Place slug traps in the ground cover and try natural repellents to keep bugs away.

No sun? No problem! If you are lacking sunshine in your yard, you don’t need to give up just yet. Give these tips for growing a shade garden a try and see what beautiful results you can achieve.