Shade Garden

This garden demonstrates the range of plants that can be included in a true shade garden (less than 4 hours of sun per day). I don’t know how many times someone has said to me: “We have a lot of shade.” As if shade, when it comes to gardens, is a liability. It is not. Just the opposite. True, shade gardens, generally, don’t blaze with color the way a border in full sun might. However, by combining a variety of leaf textures and sizes, variegation, and multiple shades of green, a shade garden’s quiet beauty is no less satisfying, and, I think, often somewhat more peaceful and meditative, the perfect place to relax and center yourself. Also, shade does not mean you have to forego color. Plenty of shade and part-shade plants deliver outstanding blooms, and by choosing the right annuals and bulbs, shade gardens can deliver color from spring through fall.