Tips on Shade Garden Plants

Shade gardens are some of the most beautiful gardens to design. Most shade gardens are found under trees, but some are tucked into the corners surrounding homes. You will need to make sure you add soil nutrients to your shade garden, because when they are planted under trees they are in competition with the tree for nutrients.

Shade plants that are tucked in corners of your home do not get much sunlight, so you need to take that into consideration when you pick out plants. Nurseries will have areas that have plants just for shade gardens. Some plants that are exceptionally good for shade gardens are hostas, and there are over 100 different species of these plants. They come in all sizes, shapes, and colors, and are leafy and low lying plants. They will flower with a long stemmed flower, but some people cut these off so they can have just the foliage.

Ferns are another plant that thrives in the shade. They also have a beautiful green foliage and leaves that come in different sizes and shapes. When you have a shade garden that does not get much sunlight, you can grow moss, as this is also considered a foliage plant and fits in well with ferns and hostas.

Shade gardens under trees will need to have some mulch put around them to keep them moist. They are exposed to indirect sunlight, so it will make the soil dry out faster. Some favorites for these shade gardens are lily-of-the-valley, caladiums, astilbe, bleeding heart, and begonias. A shade garden is the perfect place to put a bench or large rock to sit on and enjoy the wonders of your garden.