Perennials
Hosta
One of the most decorative representatives of the group of “shade-loving perennials”. Large fleshy leaves come in absolutely different shades: from solid green or light green to variegated varieties with white, yellow, even blue spots.
Hostas can be planted separately, but it is best to use them in mixed flower beds in shady areas. These garden perennials differ from each other not only in color, but also in size: there are both very small species (up to 10 cm in height) and huge ones (from 70 cm).
Hosta is not often fertilized (once every 10-14 days) and this is done strictly until mid-summer. After that, the plant should shed its flower stalks and prepare for winter.
The only fundamental requirement of the hosta is moist soil. Do not forget to water regularly and your hostas will grow well for many years.
Heuchera
A spectacular herbaceous shade-loving plant with bright leaves shaped like grapes. But the main advantage of the foliage is not the shape and large size, but the color: even bushes growing in the shade can change the palette several times per season. From delicate yellow-green to dark burgundy-purple with clearly visible veins.
Heucheras feel great in a shaded area of the flowerbed. Regardless of the level of illumination, they bloom from late June to early August. The flowers are not decorative, they resemble pink bells on an elongated stem. Like hostas, heucheras love water, requiring two-time watering on hot summer days. If the temperature is average, it is enough to water once every 2-4 days.
Advice! If the heuchera in the composition plays the role of a decorative-leafy flower, cut off the flower stalks at the rudimentary stage. This way the plant will not waste its life force on flowering and will preserve the beauty of the leaves.
Primrose
A miniature perennial shade-loving flower for the garden is one of the first harbingers of spring. Primroses bloom early, so they are considered primroses. But to achieve successful flowering year after year, gardeners will have to pay a little attention to the primrose at the beginning of its life.
Firstly, when growing primrose from seeds, keep in mind: it can be planted in open ground only in the second year of life (at the end of May or September-October). Place the seedlings in the most shaded areas – it grows well in the shade of trees or shrubs.
Before the first winter (or every year, if the climate is harsh), the primrose must be covered with foliage or straw. In spring, after waking up, cut off last year’s foliage.
Fern
The Polypodiophyta family is one of the oldest of those currently existing. The first species appeared on Earth more than 400 million years ago and are still successfully grown: indoors, in the garden, and in the wild.
One of the secrets of the success of ferns is their unpretentiousness to living conditions. All the plant needs is partial shade and high humidity. To ensure the former, choose a place for planting near a fence or under trees or bushes. For the second, it is important not only to regularly water the bush, but also to mulch the soil with sawdust, bark, and leaves. Mulch retains moisture well, providing the best living conditions.
Important! Under direct sunlight, the fern leaves will burn, and the appearance of the plant will deteriorate.
Flowering plants
Astilbe
The most popular and beautiful shade-loving flowers for the garden. Despite the size of an adult plant (up to 120-200 cm in height), astilbe is not a bush, but a herbaceous variety of the saxifrage family.
There are quite a few subspecies of astilbe, they differ:
- Size. There are varieties that are 10-20 cm and 150-200 cm high.
- Color. Lush inflorescences can be white, purple, scarlet, pink.
- Flowering month. Early varieties are pleasing to the eye already at the end of June, late ones bloom in August.
For successful growth of astilbe in a shady garden, good humidity is important, so be sure to mulch the soil. The composition of the soil is no less important – potassium and phosphorus contribute to lush flowering, so for fertilizing, choose complexes with these elements in the composition.
Dicentra
Friendly shade-loving garden flowers, whose flowers resemble hearts in appearance. There are few shades – pink, white, less common lilac or red. Suitable for growing in a well-lit or shaded area.
Plants located in the shade are more lush, bloom later, but bloom longer. With plenty of sunlight, they will bloom earlier, but the bush itself will be stunted and small.
For dicentra to grow well and bloom actively, you need to adjust the watering. The flower loves high humidity, but if water stagnates in the roots, they can rot. Therefore, it is advisable to pour drainage into the planting site in advance. If this is not done, try to loosen the soil after each watering.
Pelargonium
Geraniums are successfully grown not only indoors: in pots on the terrace or in open ground in the garden, they grow and bloom no less successfully. Shade areas for pelargoniums are more of a compromise than a necessity: after all, diffused bright light is best for them. But even in the shade, the bush will be able to adapt and please with its decorative inflorescences.
There may be a difficulty with growing in open ground: the fact is that geranium is not a rhizome plant. That is, it cannot overwinter right in the garden. Therefore, pelargonium must be dug up in the fall, transplanted into a pot and taken into the house. And in the spring, return it to the ground again.
Advice! If you do not want to replant every spring and fall, choose container gardening: take the flower pots outside in the spring and bring them inside in the fall.
Lily of the Valley
Low (up to 25 centimeters) bushes are ideal for the foreground in shady flowerbeds, cross-borders, rock gardens. Lilies of the valley are among the first to bloom – in early spring. In warm regions, fragrant white flowers may appear in April, in others they can be seen in early to mid-May. Not only flowers, but also leaves are considered decorative: dense leaf blades retain their appearance until August.
When choosing lily of the valley as an addition to a flower bed, remember: this plant, cute at first glance, is extremely poisonous. With its smell alone, it can displace and kill many neighbors. Ferns, columbines, and lungworts are not afraid of lily of the valley.
Advice! When choosing among small shade-loving plants for your dacha, also pay attention to forget-me-nots, violets, and periwinkle.
Shrubs
Euonymus
One of the favorite plants of landscape designers: beautiful, unpretentious, fast-growing. The year-round decorative appearance allows you to use euonymus both alone in a composition (for example, a cross-border) and in a hedge. The branches are easy to trim and shape.
Minimal care: rare watering (once every 7-14 days, no need to water in rainy summers), fertilizing twice a year (spring, fall).
Not all species grow well in the shade, variegated ones need sunlight for greater decorativeness. Example: fortunei euonymus, graceilis, emerald gold. Warty or European varieties feel good in a shaded place.
Important! All parts of the plant contain poison – not recommended for growing in areas with small children and animals.
Cotoneaster
Another unpretentious shrub with small leaves and red berries. Thanks to the combination of rich green and scarlet, cotoneaster looks very decorative.
Caring for the bush is minimal: abundant watering once every 2 weeks (in the absence of rain), loosening the soil after each watering, spraying the above-ground part from the shower (to remove dust and restore a beautiful shine). Sanitary or decorative pruning – as needed. The plant tolerates pruning well and is suitable for forming hedges.
Cotoneaster survives winter well and usually does not require additional insulation. But if there is little snow in your region and temperatures drop to -20 and below, it is better to cover the plant with a special material.
Barberry
Plants of the Berberis genus are good at any time of the year: juicy, tender young foliage appears in early spring, clusters of bright orange flowers bloom in June, and green berries appear in July. By August-September, the berries and leaves turn red, the bush literally “flares up” with autumn color.
Barberry is not for nothing considered a beginner’s plant, because growing it in the garden is no more difficult than growing a fat woman at home. The main thing is not to overwater and protect it from direct sunlight. To prevent the roots from rotting, put drainage in the hole in advance.
After the bush has taken root, it should be watered once every 5-7 days during drought, once every 14 days in normal weather. If it rains, you should refrain from additional watering.
Fertilizers containing nitrogen (once every 2-4 years), potassium and phosphorus (after flowering) are added.
Hydrangea
This perennial flowering shrub can be attributed to any of the above categories. Hydrangeas are recognizable by their lush caps of blue, purple, pink, white inflorescences. The bush can reach 3 m in height, but more often – 1-1.5 meters.
The main requirement of hydrangeas is moisture. They love water very much, so you need to water them quite often – twice or even three times a week during hot weather (depending on the soil).
As in the case of geranium, hydrangea does not like shade too much, but grows well in it. However, it is best to choose areas where the sun at least gets a little in the morning or evening. The plant should be protected from midday rays, otherwise the beautiful flowers will burn and wither under ultraviolet light.
The presence of shade on the site is not a reason to write off the shaded area. Choose the right plants, provide them with the appropriate care and enjoy the greenery near your home!