We understand that every garden is different. Whilst many people are blessed with a south-facing sun-drenched garden of their dreams, others are tentatively tending to a somewhat shadier piece of land. Much frustration is borne from putting time and effort into growing plants that don’t thrive without lots of sunshine. Emerald Plants have put together a list of shade-loving plants so that aspiring gardeners of shadier gardens can create a beautiful outside space.
Not only this, they have created several shade loving plant bundles, the complete package for a shaded area of the garden!
Let’s get to it…
First, you need to establish what sort of shade you have in the garden. Does is it have patchy sunlight caused by nearby trees? Does it get sunlight throughout the day, just not direct bright sunlight? Depending on the type of shade you have you can buy plants that thrive in those conditions. All the garden plants listed on our website have care labels, showing if the plant grows well in full or partial shade.
Snowdrops
These delicate white flowers bloom at the end of winter and despite their gentle looks, are quite hardy. They can often appear through frozen ground and will continue to bloom through winter. Snowdrops will survive in full shade.
Digitalis (Foxgloves)
The Digitalis or Foxglove plant offers a range of different colours for its striking trumpet-shaped blooms. Whether you are looking for a summer yellow Digitalis, pink Digitalis or a pure white Digitalis the varieties are endless! Bringing colour into a shady garden will add texture and depth and keep it from looking gloomy. There are many varieties of Foxglove most of which will grow well in the partial shade however some do need more sunlight so be sure to check when you buy.
Dicentra (Bleeding Heart) Plants
The Dicentra plants boast stunning pink heart-shaped blooms which hang from arched stems which make it look particularly pretty. It will do well in lighter shaded spots and comes in a variety shapes, shades and sizes! The Dicentra Formosa is a popular pick with our customers, due to its shade loving tendancys and sticking pink flowers in April and May.
Ivy
The striking leaves of Ivy can create thick, lush greenery in the darkest corners of any shady garden. Ivy is evergreen so it makes the perfect plant for covering any unsightly areas and for keeping the garden look rich with life all year around.
Dryopteris Wallichiana
Leafy ferns tend to survive just fine in shade and this variety is evergreen, especially the Dryopteris Wallichiana, so again, providing some vitality throughout the colder months. There are lots of fern varieties so you can play with height and texture. We have created our Fern Plant Bundle which showcases the best of the ferns for shaded gardens!
Hosta
Hosta is a popular garden plant that will thrive in shady conditions. It has stunning lightened leaf edges which means it will ‘pop’ from borders and lighten the gloomy corner of any garden. In Summer, it will provide tall purple flowers, adding further colour to borders. The Hosta Aureomarginata has everything you need, beautiful, yellow/green leaves and lovely flowers.
Fuchsia
For a final splash of colour amongst the greenery, the stunning blooms of a Fuchsia will not disappoint. The gorgeous hanging flowers will be a haven for birds and insects, and it loves to be kept in the shade. The Fuchsia Tom Thumb variety is no exception, beautiful colourful foliage which has a pink tinge, and wonderful flowers in June all the way through to October!
What Do You Think?
A lot of gardneing comes with trial and error, so why not sure you best garden plants for shaded spots of your garden? Comment below or email us!