Gimme shelter: Shade gardening in summer

DIRECT sunlight makes gardens thrive. We ourselves bask in it and it’s the driving force of any planty backyard retreat. But shade plays an equally important role.

Without the balance provided by shade, our gardens would be like parking lots, baking under an oppressive, uninterrupted glare. Shade, in fact, enhances sunlight in our gardens by reducing its influence and giving us some control over summer’s greatest friend and foe.

The cooling effect of shade helps gardens breathe. What might otherwise come off as an overly lit botany lab or a farm-like plot becomes a loungy oasis with a more human touch. But although refreshing shade may rend gardens more hospitable to humans, our plants are not always so keen to be covered.

Knowing what kinds of plants will flourish without direct light is crucial to any balanced garden. It’s important to familiarise yourself with the cycles of light in your garden and which corners are most affected by shade. Remember the degree of shaded light (dappled, reflected or fully sheltered) will be varyingly appropriate for different kinds of plants.

You are likely to find the shadiest extremities of your garden are also among the least fertile. Perpetually shaded areas are often free of weeds but when the shade is due to a rooty tree overhead, the soil may be acidic and generally less rich in quality. You may therefore need to enrich the soil with organic matter.

Organic matter recreates the conditions of a leaf-laden forest floor, where natural debris decays under an enveloping canopy and supports a variety of low-light ground dwellers. Mulch and compost can approximate this effect but be careful not to simply spread extra topsoil under a tree as it could disrupt the root system of your shade provider.

The most straightforward approach to adding life to a shady area is through the use of hardy, slow-growing greenery. Blanketing mosses, ornamental ivies, clovers, ferns, green succulents, herbs and groundcovers often grow well in limited light and provide a lush but understated aesthetic. Try to create a mini-ecosystem in the shady areas rather than showcasing one bold and beautiful plant. Broad leaf foliage and strong textural contrast are your best tools when greening up a dark part of the garden.

It is true most brightly coloured flowers prefer more hours of light but it’s a myth that all the shade-lovers are pale and monotone. Some plants, such as the common bloodleaf (or iresine), will display even more brilliantly if cultivated in darker areas. 

Clivias will also blossom in shady areas and exhibit a soft, almost pastel orange. Croweas (also called waxflowers) reward low-light environments with bright pink star-shaped blooms. Hundreds of species of begonia thrive in the shade and produce warm colours across a wide spectrum. 

Many nurseries and garden shops now categorise plants according to their tolerance for light and shade. Be sure to consider the amount of shade and light a particular plant will need and the daily patterns of sunshine in the part of your garden where you wish to plant. If you choose carefully, even an utterly sheltered patch of ground can bristle with life this summer.