What Plants Are Suitable for Shade?

In short: Many plants thrive in shade, including bellflower, lily of the valley, violets, monkshood, peonies, rhododendrons, azaleas and ground covers such as bugleweed. Before planting, work compost or manure into the bed to a depth of 40–60 cm. Shade plants are often less demanding because the soil dries out more slowly and humidity is higher.

Shade Plants

We often ask ourselves whether plants we grow in shade will survive? And will they bloom as beautifully as flowers grown in sunny spots?

Shade garden - if we choose the right species and proper location, our shade plants will create a magnificent garden and even in a shady corner we can have a flowering bed. Every garden has a spot that the sun doesn't visit, or we have an entire garden located in a shaded position.

Shade and shade isn't always the same. Light shade isn't as bad as "deep shade," for example directly under a house wall. Areas that are shady and additionally dry are a problematic zone of the garden. However, these parts can also be planted nicely if you select suitable shade plants. Shade also has its advantages. Every grower usually knows that plants suitable for shade are less demanding to grow than their sun-loving relatives. And let's be honest - if you have a large garden, it's an argument that will quickly convince you.

Why are shade-loving plants less demanding?

• There are several reasons - you won't feel weather fluctuations as much when growing them, soil doesn't dry out as quickly, and the leaf canopy above the plants ensures increased air humidity, which creates optimal conditions for growth.

And not only for plants, but also for people, shade, especially in hot summer, is a sought-after place. You create seating areas in shade, something that owners of sunny gardens can only dream about.

Selecting Shade Plants

We proceed as follows:

• prepare the soil for planting. Dig compost or farmyard manure into the soil to provide long-term nutrient supply for plants. Work the bed to a depth of 40-60 cm. For better soil pH, we recommend adding peat moss as well. This can be added around plants year-round.
• select the right plants that are designed for growing in shade.

Which Flowers to Choose for Shade?

There's a large selection of plants available, even if it didn't seem that way originally. Choose plants according to flower color that you like best and that fits best into your garden composition. You can also select from fragrant flowers, which we most often place near various seating areas, gazebos and pergolas.

• Flowering shade plants: bellflower (Campanula latifolia), lily of the valley (Convallaria), lily (Lilium margaton)

• Fragrant shade plants: monkshood (Aconitum), violets (Viola), ornamental tobacco (Nicotiana) and peonies.

• From exotic plants, try the Coffee Plant, which thrives even in a dry, dark flat.

Lily - looks stunning and smells amazing. This regal plant will bloom in your garden too!

Fast-Growing Plants

• If you want to create shade quickly, Cherry Laurel (lat. Prunus laurocerasus) is suitable, as it grows rapidly. It stays green in winter and blooms with white flowers in spring. Its twigs make lovely decorations for bouquets. In our garden, this shrub grows in the permanent shade of the house wall. It tolerates calcareous soil well.
• Bamboo also grows quickly. However, it needs filtered shade. The disadvantage is that it creates runners and spreads rapidly across the garden. Therefore, it's better to grow it in a pot.
• Abundantly flowering shade plants include rhododendrons and azaleas. Unfortunately, these don't tolerate calcareous soil.

For a romantic shady garden, choose ground cover plants that genuinely thrive in shade. Suitable options include: moss and daisy (Bellis perennis). Bugleweed (Ajuga reptans) also covers areas quickly, blooms with blue flowers in spring, and tolerates locations from sun to shade.

A great advantage of shade-loving plants is that they're not harmed by drought either.

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