The Sunday Times - UK (2022-04-24)

14 April 24, 2022The Sunday Times

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OUT OF THE

SHADOWS

Shady spots

may be trickier

for gardeners

than sunny

spaces, but

with the right

plants these

too can thrive.

By Louise

Curley

E

ven the sunniest

of outdoor spaces

have shady corners,

perhaps under a

tree or by the side

return of the house. It’s a pity

not to make the most of these

places, as there’s a range of

fabulous plants that prefer to

be out of the full glare of the

sun, but matching the right

plant to the right type of shade

is key to avoiding expensive

plant-buying mistakes.

The two determining

factors are: the aspect of the

garden — does it face north,

south, east or west — and what

structures are casting shade.

Even if a garden faces south

there will be the east-facing

side that gets the cooler

morning sun and the west-

facing side that gets the warm

afternoon and evening light,

and perhaps most

importantly, the boundary

opposite the house will be

north-facing. Add to this a host

of other subtle variations

caused by structures within

and beyond the garden’s

boundaries, and planting for a

particular amount of light

or shade can be tricky.

DEEP SHADE

There’s nothing you can do

about buildings casting deep

shade, but when it comes to

trees and shrubs it is

sometimes possible to let in

some light to the soil below.

Lifting the canopy by pruning

out lower branches and

thinning out some of the

higher branches can

transform deep shade to more

dappled light levels. It isn’t

suitable for all trees and

shrubs, so it’s worth

consulting a qualified tree

surgeon. It’s also best done

incrementally over a couple

of years, otherwise it can be

too big a shock for the plant.

While there are only a

handful of plants that will

thrive in deep shade, it is still

possible to create a verdant

feel rather than having to stare

at bare earth. Make a beeline

for ferns — Dryopteris

wallichiana and D.

erythrosora, polystichums and

the glossy, bottle green fronds

of the native hart’s tongue,

Asplenium scolopendrium, are

all easy, low-maintenance

plants that will turn a gloomy

corner into a summer oasis.

Epimediums are essential in

a shade-planting tool-kit —

they’re robust, unfussy, with

beautiful heart-shaped foliage.

There are lots of options; some

require moist soil while others

are happier in drier conditions.

Hostas, especially the large-

leaved and giant types such as

“Sum and Substance” and

“Empress Wu”, will create a

bold architectural display.

Winter box (Sarcococca) is

an unassuming evergreen

shrub with glossy, light-

reflective leaves and superbly

fragrant winter flowers; “Pink

Stem” is a particularly

attractive cultivar.

DAPPLED SHADE

Woodland plants thrive in

dappled shade, making

the most of the spring

sunshine to produce

their flowers before the

foliage of the tree canopy

emerges. Perennials such

as pulmonaria,

primroses, hellebores and

corydalis, as well as the

plants mentioned above for

deep shade, will all be happy

in the filtered light under

deciduous trees. Add in

spring-flowering bulbs such as

Cyclamen coum, snowdrops

and wood anemones for extra

pops of colour.

There are plants that will

provide colour and interest

right through to autumn. The

grass Melica altissima “Alba”

grows to about 24in (60cm)

high and has slender, pale

green leaf blades with delicate

rice grain-like flowers in early

summer that catch the light

and appear to sparkle.

Kirengeshoma palmata is a

herbaceous perennial that

produces a mound of foliage

above which tall stems are

topped with lemon yellow

flowers from July to September.

PART SHADE

This can be, I think, the

trickiest type of shade to deal

with. Too much light and

leaves will scorch and flower

colours can bleach; too little

and a plant won’t grow as

vigorously or flower as

profusely. So it can be a bit of

trial and error to see what

suits a particular situation, but

if a plant doesn’t seem happy

then don’t be frightened to

move it to a different spot.

Many garden favourites

such as hardy geraniums,

geums, herbaceous potentillas

and foxgloves are all suited to

part shade, as are shrubs such

as hydrangeas, Viburnum tinus

and osmanthus. In my front

garden I’ve found that

astrantia, London pride

(Saxifraga x urbium),

geranium “Orkney Cherry”,

Persicaria affinis “Darjeeling

Red” and the statuesque

Actaea simplex “Queen of

Sheba”, intermingled with

panicum grasses, have been

able to cope with the mix of

sun and shade admirably well.

Main: ferns,

including

Dryopteris

wallichiana.

Above:

Epimedium ×

youngianum

‘Be My

Valentine’.

Clockwise from

bottom left:

Asplenium

scolopendrium;

Epimedium

‘Sunshowers’;

water droplets

on epimedium

foliage

RM FLORAL, JOHN RICHMOND, JOHN MARTIN, C J WHEELER / ALAMY