Get some shade garden design ideas and inspiration (with pictures) for both small front yard garden beds and larger backyard woodland gardens
This garden designer is a pro at plantings for shade. She did the heavy lifting so you don't have to. Find plants here for a colorful shade garden.
So you want to have a beautiful yard filled with plants that will add character, but you have no sun because your entire yard is covered with trees? Do you have a back covered patio that’s in need of some refreshing and updating? Well, we at Garden Valley Farmers Market, have got you covered with our seven favorite perennials that will absolutely THRIVE in the shade, and leave your house looking like a home for years to come…
Shade gardens are a great place to showcase your love for green! From perennials to evergreens, here are 5 shade gardens to inspire your back yard!
Private Garden in Burlington, ON We are heading into November, which is a bit of a grey and gloomy month. By late fall, winds have stripped the garden of most of its autumn color. Neutrals like tan, brown, grey and black carry the garden through the winter. This seems like a perfect time to be talking about the uses of grey in the garden. A grey church steeple in a garden in Rosedale, ON. Shades of grey and beige are restful colors. They are undemanding and that makes them feel calm and serene. In this pathway, grey and beige work together to great effect. Brain Folmer's garden near Walkerton, ON To break up to endless variety of green in any garden, the natural tendency is to think of foliage variegation. Grey foliage can the same job. Liz Mallcki's garden, Mississauga, ON The Harrison sister's garden in Hamilton, ON Not only does grey sing sweetly in amongst the greens, it also provides a nice foil for brighter colors. Blue Seakale, Crambe maritima in front of blue Salvia at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Hamilton, ON Brain Folmer's garden near Walkerton, ON Vivid colors seem even more vibrant against a neutral backdrop. In terms of grey foliage, there are leaves splattered with grey like this Lungwart, Pulmonaria. Lost Horizons Nursery Here is the Pulmonaria in a garden (see lower left corner). (Going forward, I am trying to make a point of photographing plants in the context of a garden and not just doing close-up glamour shots.) And there are also leaves broken with grey like this Brunnera 'Jack Frost' ... or this Coral Bells, Heuchera, 'Berry Marmalade'. Here is another Heuchera to show you an example of how this plant might be used in combination with other perennials. There are also solid greys like Lamb's Ears. (And here is Lamb's Ears in a garden setting.) A lovely bonus of grey foliage is that often it has a soft, downy texture. In the next part of my grey series, I will look at some of the many grey plant options.
Is there anything lovelier than a shade garden on a warm day? It's hard to beat!
I think I struck a cord with my last post highlighting a small suburban shade garden. Obviously gardeners are hungry for planting suggestions for shade. In this…
Turn a shady spot into a thriving garden with HGTV.com's top shade-loving plant picks.
If your border is short on sunlight, fill it up with this lush, shade-loving combo. Your garden will look fresh all season long.
Follow Gal Pal Life and stay up to date on new posts, deals and offers
Looking for shade plants that can make your not-so-sunny garden look great? These are some of the best!
Learn how to grow hostas for a beautiful garden! Get tips on ideal planting location, soil preparation, watering, fertilizing, pruning & deadheading, and more.
I've given many presentations on Ornamental Grasses over the years and always include Japanese forest grass, also called Hakone grass. Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra) is native to Japan and prefers partly shaded sites and moist soils. It's important to note that some degree of lighting will allow for the best coloration of certain varieties as seen with the 'All Gold' Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra) seen above in a beautiful foliage composition with hostas (Hosta sp.) and 'Mocha' coral bells (Heuchera villosa). Moist, well-drained soil is preferred for this perennial grass and while the variegated and golden forms prefer some shading to avoid summer scorching, the greener varieties can tolerate more sun without the "summer burning." I think that Hakone grass has been my most photographed perennial ornamental grass over the last couple of years as it is so valuable for color and texture in the shadier garden setting. There are many options out there and look further down for some more information on this exciting grass and some fun varieties. We had a productive morning both inside and out in the gardens. Today was the warmest at 32 degrees F for the next two weeks. It will be bitter cold by tomorrow. It was perfect weather for Urban, Ron W., Terry, Pat, Larry and Big John to get outside and bring in more lights and other elements from the Holiday Lights Show (HLS). This is a long process, affected by weather, that will continue for months. Vern, Jim and Ron Y. continued work on their carpentry projects. Dr. Gredler came in for painting while Gary B. continued his priming efforts. Maury ran errands, Dick H. helped here and there and we also saw Rollie, Gary S. and many others. Mary W. was in to work on some horticultural therapy fact finding and Janice was in briefly as well. Some members of our Horticultural Therapy Committee met later in the afternoon as well. Notice directly above how nicely the cascading habit of the 'Aureola' Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra) works to soften the edge of a pathway. While any variety of Hakone grass will lend itself as a textural component as a solitary specimen or in a grouping, the varieties with additional coloration add more visual interest in shadier areas. We use lots of the 'All Gold' variety at RBG for some "illumination" and bright coloration in our shadier garden setting. Keep in mind that some dappled lighting or bright indirect light is essential for the best coloration of the brighter varieties. Hardiness for this grass is usually listed as Z5 but I've heard many examples of this grass in colder climates with some winter protection and/or screening. I've never observed insect or disease problems and struggling specimens have usually been the result of dry soils and/or too much sun. You'll note some varieties below that have summer tinting (red/pinks) that becomes more prominent in fall. These are nice but keep in mind that the best tinting is very late in the season and some of the other varieties ('All Gold' and 'Aureola') will also get some pinkish fall tinting. Regardless, there are about a dozen varieties of Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra) out there and I like every one of them. Understand that mature size may vary with the standard green selection getting the largest at 30" tall with a similar width (see directly below) and 'Fubuki' (see below) at only 12" tall and 12" wide or so. I've seen Hakone grass used well as specimens, repeated textural components, container elements and as a mass groundcover with multiple clumps. the standard green Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra) 'Albostriata' variegated Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra) a textural carpet of Japanese forest grass 'Aureola' Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra) compared to the standard green form on the right specimen of 'Aureola' Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra) at Olbrich Botanical Garden (Madison, WI) 'Aureola' Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra) same as above in a container 'Aureola' Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra) repetition clumping groundcover of 'Aureola' Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra) 'Stripe It Rich' Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra) 'Sunny Delight' Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra) 'Fubuki' Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra) 'Beni-Kazi' Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra) - red tints in late summer (look for 'Nicolas' and 'Naomi' for two other selections with significant tinting) 'All Gold' golden Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra) 'All Gold' golden Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra) 'All Gold' golden Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra) at RBG same as above in a container clumping groundcover of 'All Gold' golden Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra) mass planting of above at Chicago Botanical Garden decent winter interest of Hakone grass (until buried by wet snow or ice)
Learn which Hosta companion plants will look the best in your yard with lots of shade garden pictures to provide inspiration and ideas.
These shade garden ideas, plant suggestions, and photos will inspire you to add bold, beautiful colors, even in the shadiest reaches of your yard.
Use this guide to find the best shade perennials for your garden, plus get care tips for helping these plants thrive in your landscape.
In my last post, we finished off at the entrance to the one sunny pocket in the backyard garden. Let's head under the arbor and look around. Before we move away to explore the rest of the garden, I wanted to show you this pretty, little Japanese birdbath. I also want to point out the interesting way the gardener has managed to combine rock of different scales both in this bright, sunny corner and in other areas of the garden. On the left, she has created a dry stream bed using river rock with a flagstone edging. On the right, she has mixed flagstone with pea gravel to create a path. Pea gravel has a nice crunch under foot, but flagstone is easier to walk on. Assorted groundcovers soften and blend the edges of the path into the rest of the plantings. And speaking of groundcovers...I like Creeping Jenny, but I always stress over its aggressive spread. This gardener obviously does not share my worry, because as you will notice, she has it planted throughout the garden. It does make an interesting textural matt under this Japanese Maple doesn't it? She had this Black Bamboo, Phyllostachys nigra planted in a partially buried pot (initially slow to spread, but be warned, it can also be invasive). I love the skirt of ornamental grass that hides the pot. Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola' Moving to the left, we enter an area of half-shade with dappled sunlight. Among the flowering plants and shrubs are pink Astilbe and a number of hydrangeas. As you can imagine, she waters both frequently! In terms of foliage plants, the homeowner has planted a variety of hosta, heuchera and variegated Jacob's Ladder (see lower right corner two photos back). There are also Ostrich Ferns toward the back of this flowerbed. In the far corner of the garden, there are a number of mature trees and full shade conditions. Added to the combination of hosta and heuchera, there is a Japanese Painted Fern, Athyrium niponicum var. pictum on the left. I am going to make a wild guess that the perennial on the right is a Heuchera,'Southern Comfort'. Always pretty for shade: Siberian Bugloss, Brunnera macrophylla, 'Jack Frost' I thought this was a fun idea. Hanging from the tree branches are several birdcages with plant pots inside. No room for a full-sized pond? Check this out! This pond was no bigger than a bucket. I messed up this shot a little and missed the last word expressed in the sentiment on the little pebbles in the foreground. The rocks say, "Hello, have a nice day!" I pass that sentiment on to you.
Colorful and shade are not to adjectives many people would think belong in the same sentence, but today I want to show you a front and back garden where the hom…
Looking for some plants that will grow in the shade and help to hide bulb foliage? This list of shade perennials to plant with spring bulbs is perfect!
HGTV shares some of the best shrubs for shade gardens, including shade shrubs such as oakleaf hydrangeas, Euonymus, viburnum and elderberries that will add color to your garden with their flowers and foliage.
These shade loving shrubs will fill in the space under trees with beautiful flowers and interesting foliage to beautify those shady areas.
In the shade of large oak trees, Better Homes & Gardens Test Garden® manager Sandra Gerdes plants hostas and other perennials in drifts for a sense of movement, with leaf colors and textures rather than flowers driving most of the design. In a foliage-heavy border, a large shrub that looks good through several seasons gives you a focal point. Here, ‘Incrediball’ hydrangea’s white flowers brighten the scene in summer, fading to rosy pink that lasts into the fall.
photo by Didier Willery What is evergeen, deer resistant, thrives in shade, has flowers and comes back every year? You could answ...
Whether you need foundation plants, want to plant a hedge or add to a garden bed, these evergreen shrubs for shade will look good all year.
Learn just how easy Hellebore care is with these tips on planting, fertilizing, and pruning Lenten Rose (as well as some great varieties)
Get ideas for designing a shade garden. See pictures of shady gardens and learn about plants that thrive in the shade.
Use this tough plants for dry shade guide to find the best plants for dry shade. These drought-tolerant perennials, ground covers, and shrubs are the plants that tolerate dry shade.
Shade garden plants can be difficult to shop for. Find tons of ideas on this list of 17 of the best perennial flowers for low light areas.
Follow Gal Pal Life and stay up to date on new posts, deals and offers
Does your shade garden need a pick-me-up? Check out these two combos that will liven up any shady border with color and texture from spring to fall.
Beautiful varieties of plants that grow in shade! Plant a few of these in the shady areas of the garden or yard and they'll thrive!
Learn how to grow hostas for a beautiful garden! Get tips on ideal planting location, soil preparation, watering, fertilizing, pruning & deadheading, and more.
I've given many presentations on Ornamental Grasses over the years and always include Japanese forest grass, also called Hakone grass. Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra) is native to Japan and prefers partly shaded sites and moist soils. It's important to note that some degree of lighting will allow for the best coloration of certain varieties as seen with the 'All Gold' Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra) seen above in a beautiful foliage composition with hostas (Hosta sp.) and 'Mocha' coral bells (Heuchera villosa). Moist, well-drained soil is preferred for this perennial grass and while the variegated and golden forms prefer some shading to avoid summer scorching, the greener varieties can tolerate more sun without the "summer burning." I think that Hakone grass has been my most photographed perennial ornamental grass over the last couple of years as it is so valuable for color and texture in the shadier garden setting. There are many options out there and look further down for some more information on this exciting grass and some fun varieties. We had a productive morning both inside and out in the gardens. Today was the warmest at 32 degrees F for the next two weeks. It will be bitter cold by tomorrow. It was perfect weather for Urban, Ron W., Terry, Pat, Larry and Big John to get outside and bring in more lights and other elements from the Holiday Lights Show (HLS). This is a long process, affected by weather, that will continue for months. Vern, Jim and Ron Y. continued work on their carpentry projects. Dr. Gredler came in for painting while Gary B. continued his priming efforts. Maury ran errands, Dick H. helped here and there and we also saw Rollie, Gary S. and many others. Mary W. was in to work on some horticultural therapy fact finding and Janice was in briefly as well. Some members of our Horticultural Therapy Committee met later in the afternoon as well. Notice directly above how nicely the cascading habit of the 'Aureola' Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra) works to soften the edge of a pathway. While any variety of Hakone grass will lend itself as a textural component as a solitary specimen or in a grouping, the varieties with additional coloration add more visual interest in shadier areas. We use lots of the 'All Gold' variety at RBG for some "illumination" and bright coloration in our shadier garden setting. Keep in mind that some dappled lighting or bright indirect light is essential for the best coloration of the brighter varieties. Hardiness for this grass is usually listed as Z5 but I've heard many examples of this grass in colder climates with some winter protection and/or screening. I've never observed insect or disease problems and struggling specimens have usually been the result of dry soils and/or too much sun. You'll note some varieties below that have summer tinting (red/pinks) that becomes more prominent in fall. These are nice but keep in mind that the best tinting is very late in the season and some of the other varieties ('All Gold' and 'Aureola') will also get some pinkish fall tinting. Regardless, there are about a dozen varieties of Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra) out there and I like every one of them. Understand that mature size may vary with the standard green selection getting the largest at 30" tall with a similar width (see directly below) and 'Fubuki' (see below) at only 12" tall and 12" wide or so. I've seen Hakone grass used well as specimens, repeated textural components, container elements and as a mass groundcover with multiple clumps. the standard green Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra) 'Albostriata' variegated Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra) a textural carpet of Japanese forest grass 'Aureola' Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra) compared to the standard green form on the right specimen of 'Aureola' Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra) at Olbrich Botanical Garden (Madison, WI) 'Aureola' Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra) same as above in a container 'Aureola' Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra) repetition clumping groundcover of 'Aureola' Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra) 'Stripe It Rich' Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra) 'Sunny Delight' Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra) 'Fubuki' Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra) 'Beni-Kazi' Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra) - red tints in late summer (look for 'Nicolas' and 'Naomi' for two other selections with significant tinting) 'All Gold' golden Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra) 'All Gold' golden Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra) 'All Gold' golden Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra) at RBG same as above in a container clumping groundcover of 'All Gold' golden Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra) mass planting of above at Chicago Botanical Garden decent winter interest of Hakone grass (until buried by wet snow or ice)
Learn which Hosta companion plants will look the best in your yard with lots of shade garden pictures to provide inspiration and ideas.
30 shade-loving perennials to plant before spring.
How to create a low maintenance shade garden. This area gets no sun and now it is full of shade flower plants that come back every Spring.
Not all plants are created equal in terms of soil and lighting requirements. Come find out the best shade plants to plant to bring color to your home garden.
How to create a low maintenance shade garden. This area gets no sun and now it is full of shade flower plants that come back every Spring.
These shade garden ideas, plant suggestions, and photos will inspire you to add bold, beautiful colors, even in the shadiest reaches of your yard.
Photographer: Joanna Kossak - The Morgan Stanley Garden for Great Ormond Street Hospital, path made from paving slabs surrounded by Asarum europaeum (asarabacca), Hosta 'Devon Green', Hosta 'Big Daddy', Hakonechloa macra 'Alboaurea'. Designer: Chris Beardshaw- Sponsor: Morgan Stanley
Shade garden plants can be difficult to shop for. Find tons of ideas on this list of 17 of the best perennial flowers for low light areas.
Get some shade garden design ideas and inspiration (with pictures) for both small front yard garden beds and larger backyard woodland gardens
Rodgersia — a great, big plant for shade, no matter where you garden.
Use this guide to find the best shade perennials for your garden, plus get care tips for helping these plants thrive in your landscape.
Looking for some plants that will grow in the shade and help to hide bulb foliage? This list of shade perennials to plant with spring bulbs is perfect!
In my last post, we finished off at the entrance to the one sunny pocket in the backyard garden. Let's head under the arbor and look around. Before we move away to explore the rest of the garden, I wanted to show you this pretty, little Japanese birdbath. I also want to point out the interesting way the gardener has managed to combine rock of different scales both in this bright, sunny corner and in other areas of the garden. On the left, she has created a dry stream bed using river rock with a flagstone edging. On the right, she has mixed flagstone with pea gravel to create a path. Pea gravel has a nice crunch under foot, but flagstone is easier to walk on. Assorted groundcovers soften and blend the edges of the path into the rest of the plantings. And speaking of groundcovers...I like Creeping Jenny, but I always stress over its aggressive spread. This gardener obviously does not share my worry, because as you will notice, she has it planted throughout the garden. It does make an interesting textural matt under this Japanese Maple doesn't it? She had this Black Bamboo, Phyllostachys nigra planted in a partially buried pot (initially slow to spread, but be warned, it can also be invasive). I love the skirt of ornamental grass that hides the pot. Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola' Moving to the left, we enter an area of half-shade with dappled sunlight. Among the flowering plants and shrubs are pink Astilbe and a number of hydrangeas. As you can imagine, she waters both frequently! In terms of foliage plants, the homeowner has planted a variety of hosta, heuchera and variegated Jacob's Ladder (see lower right corner two photos back). There are also Ostrich Ferns toward the back of this flowerbed. In the far corner of the garden, there are a number of mature trees and full shade conditions. Added to the combination of hosta and heuchera, there is a Japanese Painted Fern, Athyrium niponicum var. pictum on the left. I am going to make a wild guess that the perennial on the right is a Heuchera,'Southern Comfort'. Always pretty for shade: Siberian Bugloss, Brunnera macrophylla, 'Jack Frost' I thought this was a fun idea. Hanging from the tree branches are several birdcages with plant pots inside. No room for a full-sized pond? Check this out! This pond was no bigger than a bucket. I messed up this shot a little and missed the last word expressed in the sentiment on the little pebbles in the foreground. The rocks say, "Hello, have a nice day!" I pass that sentiment on to you.
Haven er ikke rigtig natur - vel snarere kultur. Den ved det bare ikke, for dens forudsætning er ganske som naturens - en hvis mængde lys, de rette temperaturer, væde, næringsstoffer og så videre. Hvor tæt en have bringes mod det naturlige afhænger af dens mennesker, eftersom haven jo er menneskeskabt. Poul Henningsen brugte for mange år siden vendingen: "Naturen, det billige skidt". Han ville som altid provokere og motivet var klart nok, det handlede om i tide at tage vare på den natur vi skal forvalte og senere efterlade til de kommende generationer. Flere af de viste billeder har jeg anvendt i forårets foredrag. Jeg har besøgt havekredsene i Mariager, Sakskøbing og Svendborg og det var forfriskende at møde havefolk de forskellige steder og opleve fulde huse, og stor spørgelyst. Renæssance-mennesket, naturvidenskabsmanden og teologen Niels Steensen med det latiniserede navn Steno, udtalte i 1673 de tre sætninger, som skulle blive hans mest berømte ord: 'Skønt er det vi ser. Skønnere er det vi forstår. Skønnest er det, vi ikke fatter'. Det var stor livsvisdom på den tid og er det vel endnu i dag. I hvert fald taler det til mange menneskers behov for, at der stadig er hjørner af tilværelsen, hvor ikke alt ligger forklaret. Gennem arbejdet i haven oplever mange mennesker at vende tilbage til noget oprindeligt. Naturen er forbilledet for mange havefolk, hvor der ofte tænkes økologisk. samtidig med at haven styres hen mod en mere naturpræget havestil.
Colorful and shade are not to adjectives many people would think belong in the same sentence, but today I want to show you a front and back garden where the hom…
So you want to have a beautiful yard filled with plants that will add character, but you have no sun because your entire yard is covered with trees? Do you have a back covered patio that’s in need of some refreshing and updating? Well, we at Garden Valley Farmers Market, have got you covered with o
