SHADY garden characters

As horticulturists here at RHS Rosemoor, answering people’s questions is part of our role. A very common query from our visitors is “what on earth can I do with a dark, cool, shady area of my garden”?

Gardens shaded by trees and buildings are increasingly common as gardens get smaller and housing developments become more crowded. Although North or East facing gardens can be cool and shady for much of the year, they can present some creative opportunities with well-chosen, shade tolerant plants.

To grow healthy plants in shady areas, it is important to match the degree of shade that a plant will tolerate with available light. Unfortunately, very few plants will thrive where shade is very dense, particularly when coupled with dry, impoverished soil. From experience, most shady areas can be defined as either dappled shade, which is mainly reflected or diffused light, for example through fairly open tree canopies, or moderate shade, which may receive sunlight for two or three hours a day in midsummer. North or East facing walls and fences often receive very little direct sunlight, but that doesn’t mean you can’t grow climbers or wall shrubs. Here are a small selection that are tried, tested and easily sourced:

• Garrya elliptica ‘James Roof’ AGM. Racemes of silky tassels in late winter.

• Hedera helix ‘Oro di Bogliasco’ (v) AGM. Pink stemmed, with golden centred leaves.

• Hydrangea anomala subsp. petiolaris AGM. Showy white flowers in clusters.

• Lonicera japonica ‘Halliana’ AGM. Highly fragrant, white/yellow flowers.

• Pyracantha ‘Orange Glow’ AGM. Long lasting, showy bright orange berries.

Shade loving plants will perform well, but may need watering. The addition of plenty of well-rotted farmyard manure, garden compost or leaf mould will help improve soil structure and moisture retention and aid in the establishment of the plants, this can be either dug in before planting or applied as mulch

Richard Wilson RHS Rosemoor Horticulturist

every year after planting. If conditions are excessively dry or waterlogged for prolonged periods, try using pots to grow plants in, keeping them well watered and use a John Innes No 3 compost. Particularly robust plants for deep shade include, Dicentra ‘Stuart Boothman’ AGM, Dryopteris affinis AGM, and not forgetting the ever lovely Snowdrop, Galanthus nivalis AGM. 

Here are a few plant suggestions for shady spots:

Dappled shade

• Anemone × hybrida ‘Honorine Jobert’ AGM. Branched stems with single white flowers with golden stamens in late summer.

• Geum rivale ‘Leonards Variety’. Copper-pink orange-tinged flowers mid and late summer.

• Brunnera macrophylla ‘Jack Frost’ (PBR) AGM. Sprays of small blue flowers in spring.

Moderate shade

• Geranium phaeum ‘Lily Lovell’. Purple-mauve flowers on branched stems in late spring and early summer.

• Pulmonaria ‘Blue Ensign’ AGM. Blue-violet flowers in spring.

• Alchemilla mollis AGM. Rounded lobed pale green leaves and tiny greenish-yellow flowers from early summer to autumn.

I have been at RHS Garden Rosemoor since May 2015 as a member of the Formal Gardens team, responsible for the Cool Garden and one of our two woodland play areas. I live in Fremington and enjoy contributing to a number of voluntary projects including Torrington in Bloom. I run competitively for Torrington AAC, enjoy cycling and am currently walking the SW Coast path during the summer months