Shade Gardening

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Shade Gardening

• The Good,
• The Bad,
• The Ugly

3/07
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Plants Need Light to Grow

• Direct Sunlight
• Reflected or Filtered Light
• Shade Muted Light, Not Absence of Light
• How muted the light degree of shade
• Ever-changing
• Time of day
• Seasons

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Types of Light Sources

• Best is morning!
• Direct sun
• Sun is lower, less intense, not blocked
• Midday sun is high, more intense
• How much sun reaches plants?
• Foliage density
• Branches how distributed
• Reflected only bounces off leaves, trunks
• Even petunia will not grow here!
• Seasonal patterns
• Full in summer sun is high
• Medium shade in spring or fall
• Sun at lower angle

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How Did You Get Into Shade Gardening?

• Inherited it from prior resident
• Put up with it want to change
• Plants grew large shade plants below

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Approaches to Shade Gardening

• You have shade doing well
• If it aint broke, dont fix it!
• Dont make radical changes
• Dont want to put in garden, just add some
  interest
  
• Add color to foreground
• Add path or other item of interest
• Do spot planting
• Have shady area set aside, want to do it right

There is Hope!
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Do YOU Appreciate Shade Gardening?

• Type A Frustrating
• Doesnt grow / bloom fast enough
• Not enough to do shade takes care of itself
• Remedy
• Put garden in sunniest area
• Let more light In
• Type B Suited to shade gardening
• Reduced work relaxed pace
• Does not need as much maintenance
• Remedy
• Increase area for shade gardening
• Place for hammock!

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Shade Always Changing

• Some light filters or is reflected
• Amount of light varies seasonally and daily
• Landscapes change over time
• Trees / shrubs grow shade area

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Good of Shade

• Foliage doesnt burn
• Flowers you get last longer colors more
  intense
  
• Less weeds most are full sun plants
• Plants grow slower
• Less maintenance (deadheading, etc.)
• Wide plant selection not just bloomers
• Protects new plants until established
• Less insect problems insects more active in
  sun
  
• Dead leaves under trees winter protection

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Bad of Shade

• Plants rarely bloom
• Concentrate on form, foliage, color, texture
• Less plants to choose from versus sun plants
• Need to plant more densely to get quick results
• Grow more slowly take time to fill in
• Plants suffer from root competition
• Area under trees messy from falling leaves,
  etc.
  
• Snails / slugs
• Mold / mildew
• Cannot grow perfect lawn
• Need to be creative to brighten dark areas

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Facts of Shade Life

• Branches or structures block air movement
• Less weeds
• Insufficient sunlight leads to leaf drop
• Tree roots compete for water and nutrients
• Not always caused by trees also structures

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Ugly of Shade Root Competition

• Robs moisture / nutrients from plants
• Hard to grow in root-jammed soil
• Hard to dig
• Perennial weeds grow by rhizomes (not seeds)
• Hard to remove (cutting causes growth)
• Hand pull or dig them out
• Never-ending challenge

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What to Do, What to Do?

• Amend soil
• Try buried containers (remove bottoms or use
  degradable)
  
• Dig larger-than-usual planting hole
• Line with newspaper temporarily keeps roots
  out
  
• Sink pots between roots plant in them
• Water new plants heavily first summer to
  establish root system
  
• Try containers above the soil
• Start plants in sun to get them to bloom
• Move to shade when flowering
• Move back into sun when blooms begin to fade
• Creeping ground covers / vines (non-invasives!)
• Fewer holes to dig / fewer plants to water
• Start with full-grown plants with large root
  balls
  
• More digging but better, competitive roots
• Remove no more than ¼ of small, secondary roots
• Clean cuts more healing less tree damage
• Keep roots intact 4 to 6 feet from trunk
• Last resort, remove trees

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Study Your Site Different Times of Day
Different Times of Year

• Do soil test!
• Make sun map
• Not sure what kind of sun you have?
• Petunia test
• Blooms / flourishes full sun
• Grows but does not bloom well part sun / part
  shade
  
• Struggles to grow shade
• Watch for changes. Anticipate amount of sun area
  will receive.
  
• Do you have leaf drop?
• Prune to allow more light / air in.
• Remove lower branches (crown raising / limbing
  up)
  
• NMT lower third of lower branches
• Stay on ground!
• Higher, use certified arborist

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Right Plants Right Light!

• Choose right plants right plant for right
  place!
  
• Shade tolerant
• Estimate future height / growth pattern make
  shade?
  
• Let more light in
• Remove large plants casting shade
• Top / trim hedges
• Prune overhanging branches
• Exploit reflected light white or light
  surfaces
  
• Enlarge open spaces so plants get more light
• Flowering plants need 4 to 5 hours of direct
  light
  
• Transplant risky but continuing failure

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Improve Soil

• Do soil test first!!
• Add organic material to hold moisture
• Improve soil texture (sand, lime)
• Add topsoil or manure

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Plan Your Garden!
A little forethought before planting will avoid
disappointments later on and go a long way to
creating the effect you have in mind. D.A.
Brown, The Shade Garden

• How does shade affect your garden?
• Young trees will make more shade as they mature
• How much sun will an area receive?
• Consider root competition
• Hard to dig up / divide plants
• Consider plant spacing
• Dont grow / fill in as in sun plant more
  densely
  
• Number of plants affect on growth rate /
  coverage
  
• Ground covers may not fill in completely
• Plan on ? plants mature size in shade
• If light shade, use full diameter in planning
• For transition areas, use plants that can take
  sun or shade
  
• Plan for upcoming major changes
• If older tree will be removed, dont do major
  flowerbed changes underneath it.

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The Fun Part - Choosing Plants!

• Easy Plant for reduced light
• Hard Plant for poor, dry soil under trees
• Buy larger not smaller, cheaper plants
• Plants grow slower in shade
• Instant results by head start
• Downside Harder to dig larger holes!
• Those that do well in less light
• Dont choose bloomers
• Few bloom readily or heavily in shade
• Occasional, seasonal bloomer okay
• Match plants, shrubs, ground covers to your
  shade
  
• Pick for foliage, texture, and color

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The Fun Part Choosing Plants! (contd.)

• Replace old trees with new ones
• Deep, less aggressive roots
• Try evergreen foliage for off-season color
• Use ground covers as filler material
• Creep like carpet
• Use sparingly not as dominant feature
• Vary heights, shapes, colors for interest

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Time to Plant! Choices, Choices, Choices

• Add to existing planting bed OR start from
  scratch?
  
• Redo existing bed
• Remove sod (recycle elsewhere)
• Sharp shovel cut into soil 2 slide shovel
  under sod lift off
  
• Remove weeds / undesirables
• Entire root system or will re-sprout!
• Add compost, peat moss, decomposed manure,
  chopped leaves, organic material
  
• Mix into top 3 4 of soil
• If soil has clay, 6 8 of soil
• Work together to 8 to 12
• Finish with thick mulch layer (also re-buries
  seeds)
  
• Pull sprouting weeds

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Pros / Cons of Redoing Existing Bed

• Ineffective and impractical
• Too much work too slow
• Traumatic to soils microorganisms
• Turning soil leads to weeds sprouting (soon!)
• Moves dormant seeds to surface and light
• Chops up and spreads invasive rhizomes
• Trees react to root cutting and soil disturbance
• To them, its pruning
• Grow many more roots within weeks
• Take over bed again
• Once again competes with your plants!

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Fast and Easy Approach Build New Bed on Top of
Soil

• Get best soil you can Extension agent has
  sources
  
• Friable
• Good structure
• No weeds
• From open pile with organic material added,
  turned repeatedly so weed roots and seeds are
  burned off
  
• Not in plastic bags living soil must breathe!
• Condition soil will take several seasons
• Collect, compost falling leaves

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Pros and Cons of Fast and Easy Approach

• No unnecessary root disturbance
• Little digging!
• Easy to accomplish
• Like Mother Nature, layers organic material
• Weed-free, root-free.
• Leaves original soil intact
• Old soil becomes new subsoil
• Subsoil microorganisms move up to new soil
• Layer (like in nature with fall leaves)
• Does not destroy natural microflora
• New plants grow in fresh, top-quality, weed-free
  soil

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Steps

• Day before
• Mow lawn or chop back vegetation
• Compost residue to enrich soil
• Get soil delivered
• Buy plants, put in shade, water thoroughly
• The Big Day
• Temporary weed barrier to protect new soil layer
• Cover bed with 5-10 sheets of newspaper
• No light weeds die, decompose
• Overlap edges, cover tears
• Ink okay, no lead
• Soak to prevent blowing away
• Cover with 8 soil (12 if no tree roots to
  protect)

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Plant!

• Will take 18 months to establish
• Just push soil aside plant the plants
• End with fairly thick mulch layer
• If unable to plant right away, cover bed with
  mulch to keep seeds out
  
• Stand back and enjoy!

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Man-Made Shade

• Inanimate objects / structures cut off sunlight
• Buildings, walls, fences
• Is dense shade NO light filters through all
  day
  
• If lucky, some reflect useful light
• Do petunia test!
• Remedies
• Plant in containers, then move them to lighter
  areas
  
• Paint walls white or pale color to reflect light
• If possible, remove object / structure

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Designing for Shade General Principles

• Emphasize texture, form, arrangements
• Keep it simple!
• Design around foliage, not flowers
• Use variety of evergreens
• Use 1/5 of plants to retain year-round foliage
• Create off-season interest in trees with
  colorful, unusual shapes or textures
  
• Use subtler shades

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Design Essentials

• Color Use color wheel or do what pleases you
• Analogous soothing to the eye 2 colors on each
  side of one color on color wheel
  
• Complimentary exciting colors across from each
  other on color wheel contrast so they stand out
  
• Greens dominate dark to lime
• Dark colors get lost in shade surround with
  lighter plants
  
• Light colors whites, pale, silver, light pink,
  pale blue tone down excessive intensity and
  brighten
  

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Design Essentials (contd.)

• Variegates stand out, create splashes of
  color
  
• Some less vigorous (white areas lack
  chlorophyll)
  
• Dont use too many together
• Using many, separate with green foliage
• Get some color from flowers
• Plant in pots move to sun to bloom then shade

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Cool and Warm Colors

• Put cools in bed front warms in back for depth
• Cool
• Calm / tranquility
• Makes areas seem larger
• Greens and blues things look farther away
• Warm
• Stimulates eye, so gives energy
• Stands out
• Makes areas seem smaller and closer
• Creates sunshine patches

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Texture

• More impact glossy rather than dull leaves
• More interest use varied textures
• Fine leaved ferns
• Medium leaved astilbe
• Coarse / bold leaved large hostas
• Want calm / tranquility? Use fine and medium
  textures
  
• Want striking look? Use fine and bold
• First, plant by spots of texture to create
  effect
  
• Second, repeat to create sense of harmony

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Form

• Less likely to hold debris (leaf / needle drop)
• Smaller-leaved plants
• Plants with downward pointing leaves
• Most likely to hold debris
• Large-leaved plants
• Upward pointing or horizontal leaves
• Design around plant or outline of leaves
• Consider growth patterns
• Upright / columnar best as shade accents
• Rounded, weeping, spreading spaciousness

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Plant Selection

• How do deciduous forest plants respond to
  available light? Try to do the same!
  
• Perennials bloom 2-3 weeks in spring
• Shade tolerant plants produce foliage / blooms
  while sun penetrates overhead foliage, then go
  dormant
  
• Select summer, fall, winter foliage for interest
• Consider your personal taste
• Suitable for your site?
• Hardiness (we are now zone 8)
• Available moisture
• Soil types
• Extent of shade
• Resistance to pest, diseases, mildew, deer
• Consider leaf shape

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Understand Plant Tags

• Empty circle full sun
• Half darkened circle / half light or light with
  cloud partial shade
  
• Completely darkened circle / full cloud shade

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Do You Have Wet or Dry Shade?

• Dry shade is most common
• Hardest to garden
• Root competition take water first
• Umbrella canopy on large trees with heavy
  foliage
  
• Naturally dry soils (sandy, stony) water flows
  through
  
• What to do?
• Dont significantly change soil within drip line
  as it will damage or suffocate roots.
  
• Remove small roots
• Mix in lots of organic materials
• Fertilize heavily (one for tree, one for plants)
• Use organic mulch retains moisture / prevents
  evaporation

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Do You Have Wet or Dry Shade? (contd.)

• Use drought resistant, shade tolerant plants
• Landscape with water conservation in mind
• Meet plants water needs, especially when freshly
  planted
  
• Irrigation well
• Mound 2 to 3 around plant
• Fill with water let slowly drain
• After 1 year, rake soil even
• Slopes
• Terrace extreme slopes
• Use moisture retaining soils
• Keep mulch moist
• Run soaker hoses parallel
• Plant spreading plants at base (naturally
  moister)

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Moist Shade Shade Reduces Evaporation

• Easier than dry shade
• Constant moisture choose plants that like it
  moist or wet
  
• Better plant selection more shade plants
  tolerate moisture than dry conditions
  
• Raise bed 1' above moist area with well-aerated
  topsoil
  
• Provides constant water source!
• Draw water away
• If wet all year, few plants will survive
• cannot live while dormant AND wet

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Turf Why Wont My Turf Grow?

• Sun plant
• Suburban trees maturing
• Roots
• Blocking sunlight to turf
• Turf growth lags behind (less sun means less
  photosynthesis)
  
• Weeds and diseases move in
• Still want to try? Assess your site
• Shade 70 of day is hopeless!
• Shadows from trees or structures
• Tree shade
• Root competition
• Prune
• Dry or wet shade?

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Want to Start from Scratch?

• Shade tolerant varieties
• Fertile / friable soil
• Rake or roll for good soil contact
• Top dress ½ top soil or compost
• Sow twice amount of recommended seed
• Mulch lightly
• Keep moist
• Ease up when grass comes up
• Use water responsibly
• Comply with restrictions
• Conserve water prevent run off

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Have Serviceable Lawn, Want to Improve?

• Roughly rake area
• Overseed with improved, shade variety at 1½
  recommended rate
  
• Keep well watered practicing conservation

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Turf Maintenance (Shade Tolerant Grass Up and
Established)

• Moisture need more than non-shade turf
• 1½ weekly penetrate to minimum of 6
• Turf competes with roots
• Fertilize
• Shade turf is starved even if fertilized
• Hungry turf spreads slowly
• Leaves bare patches
• Weeds move in
• Increase fertilizer rate by one-half
• Follow soil test report recommendations
• Cool season (Fescue, etc.) Sept., Oct., Nov.
• Warm season (Bermuda, Zoysia) Apr., May, June.

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Mow More Blade Surface, More Ability to Make
food

• Let turf grow ½ to 1 higher than normal
• Be careful!
• Less blade area cut less plant stress roots
  grow and are better able to handle root
  competition
  
• Keep mower blade sharp and balanced!
• Cut top third of blade cut to
• Fine fescue / rye 2½
• Tall fescue 4
• Kentucky bluegrass 3
• Bermuda / Zoysia 1"

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Prevent Disease

• Shade turf -- an easy target
• Stress of shade growing
• Poor growing conditions
• Most turf diseases caused by fungi
• Fungi love shades moisture
• E.g., powdery mildew
• Try
• Reducing shade
• Increasing air flow
• Only real solution Remove cause of shade!

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Dont Have Shade Need It!

• Building on a sunny site
• If good type trees, keep some
• Create dappled shade by pruning lower branches
• Tailor garden to land
• Loss of shade tree (Isabel Syndrome)
• Replace with right kind, fast growing
• Shade plants with loose cover
• Rapid growers can shade slower growers
  underneath
  
• Success depends on local climate and season of
  year
  
• South in fall, winter, spring some time to
  recover
  
• South in summer plants will burn

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Dont Have Shade Need It! (contd.)

• Plant shrubs
• Grow / fill in faster than trees
• Less aggressive roots
• Make shade but not dense
• Plant vines
• Plant giant or tall growing annuals
• Plant tall sun plants to shade the non-sun
  plants
  
• Add shade structures

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Read More About Shade Gardening

• Making the Most of Shade, 2005 Larry Hodgson,
  Rodale, Inc., USA
  
• Taylors Guide to Shade Gardening, 1994, Houghton
  Mifflin Co., New York
  
• Gardening in the Shade, Christopher Starbuck,
  Missouri Department of Agriculture, University of
  Missouri Extension
  
• The Garden of Revival Expert, Dr. D.G.Hessayon,
  2004, Transworld Publishers, London, Published in
  New York
  
• Readers Digest 1001 Hints and Tips for Your
  Garden, 2000, The Readers Digest Assoc., Inc.,
  Pleasantville, NY
  
• Southern Living Landscape Book, 1998 and 2000,
  Oxmoor House, Inc., Birmingham, AL
  
• Ortho Home Gardeners Problem Solver, 2004,
  Meredith Corp., Des Moines, IA

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Good, Bad, and Ugly of Shade Gardening

• Described shade and light effects
• Challenges and realities of shade gardening
• How to garden in the shade
• Working with what you have
• Starting completely from scratch
• Designing for shade
• Dry or moist shade
• Turf in shade
• Dont have shade need it!
• Want a satisfying challenge? Garden in the
  shade!
  
• We have soil test kits!

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• Need more information?
• Call or Visit Us!
• www.nnmastergardeners.org
• Ms. Peggy Fox
• Newport News Horticulture Programs Coordinator
• 757-591-4838
• Master Gardener Helpline
• 757-591-4838