Shade gardens are beautiful, but they can definitely be tricky. That’s why you need shady tips you can actually trust! Today’s post is all about shade gardens and how to grow one successfully. Stick around for our best, shadiest tips ever.

What Are Shade Gardens?

Shade gardens are quiet, serene, and often much cooler than their sunnier surroundings. This is because it grows in an area where there is little or no direct sunlight. You will find shade gardens that grow naturally underneath a large canopy of trees, but you can also plant one in any shady area of your yard. You just need to know what to plant!

What To Plant In A Shade Garden

Plants that live happily without any direct sunlight are the plants that thrive in a shade garden. Think of a thick, forested mountainside or woodland area, and the plants that you find indigenous to an area like that are the plants that are perfect for your own shade garden. Here are a few examples:

• Huecheras
• Hostas
• Fern
• Shade-tolerant flowers including Astilbe, Foxglove, Bleeding Heart and Hydrangea

How To Grow Shade Gardens

Locate your perfect shade garden spot. This might be underneath a tree canopy, or on a north-facing side of your backyard, or a hidden corner that doesn’t get more than 4 hours of sunlight each day. Visit your local plant nursery and find out what shade-loving and/or shade-tolerant plants do best in your particular area.

Your shade garden won’t need as much watering as the sunny areas of your garden, and it also won’t need as much weeding {now that’s a definite plus!}. But be aware that if your shade garden is located underneath some trees, you will need to watch for the little tree seedlings that love to sprout. Pull them before they get too big.

Watch for plants that don’t dry well after watering–they may develop fungal diseases that more prevalent in shade gardens.

Most of all, be sure to really enjoy your shade garden! Put a comfortable chair out so you can relax and enjoy the quiet, serene spot you create.