Finding The Right Plants that Thrive in Shade

If you’ve done a great deal of outdoor landscaping it is quite likely that you have encountered the problem of inadequate exposure to sunlight in certain areas of your lawn and garden along the way. The good news when dealing with this particular problem is that just as all gardens are not created equal, neither are all plants. Some plants actually thrive in conditions that lend themselves to very little or no direct exposure to sunlight. This means that even in the heavily shaded areas of your home you can get that occasional pop of color or greenery that brings such joy to your exterior living space.

Some excellent choices for the eclectic gardener to grow in well-shaded areas include the following: primrose, green leaf begonias, autumn fern, tiger lilies (there excellent for that little pop of color), hostas, impatiens, and rainbow leucothoe. Of course this isn’t an all-inclusive list but it is a good start for beginning landscapers and a few ‘shade areas’ ideas. You should be certain you are selecting green leaf begonias and not the dark leaf, as the dark leaf variety needs exposure to sunshine in order to thrive.

Another thing you can do in early summer is to bring indoor plants outside and place them in well-shaded areas in your lawn or garden. This gives them exposure to a very limited amount of indirect sunlight while also exposing them to many outdoor elements that they lack when being grown inside the home. This also gives them a chance to be protected from the sun while enjoying some of the benefits of the great outdoors.

Before you begin planting in heavily shaded areas you should always test the soil. Many find that bringing in large pots or planters for these particular areas is a great way to go without the worry of much needed nutrients being robbed from plants by trees and shrubs that are greedy when it comes to these much needed minerals and nutrients often leaving the soil unattractive as a growing area for much else.

If you’ve decided that the soil is well nourished and declared the ground ready for planting here are a few other plants you may wish to consider. These particular plants should do will with even minimal exposure to sunlight which make them an excellent chose for heavily shaded spots in your landscaping area. Ginger, hosta lilies, lily of the valley, wild violets, and periwinkle are excellent ground cover selections. Some great perennials include: daylilies, ferns, and hosta lilies. Finally, if you are looking for some excellent woodland flowers you may wish to include some bellwort, foam flower, or trillium. If those aren’t enough color for you consider adding a few Virginia bluebells and wild violets into the mix as well.

The important thing to remember is that even dense shade does not exclude the possibilities for lush greenery and bright and bold colors in any area of your lawn. Use your imagination and talk to someone at your local nursery for advice and guidance when it comes to creating a masterpiece of landscaping and design.