Gardens aren’t always the bright suntraps we’d like them to be. Whether they face the wrong way or are overshadowed by buildings and trees, they can be tricky places to work with. But no matter what you’ve been led to believe, shady gardens can be enjoyable to spend time in. Here’s six solutions for turning an unloved shady garden into an attractive green space.
Embrace The Shade
Perhaps one of the easiest solutions is to simply embrace the shade. Rather than spending lots of time and energy trying to turn your garden into a suntrap, you could work with the shade instead.
You can do this by planting trees, shrubs and flowers that thrive in cooler and darker conditions. It’s a good idea to go with plenty of evergreens, like Japanese aralia, pieris and hebe shrubs, to stop your garden looking drab and dreary during the autumn and winter months. Foliage-heavy plants tend to do well in shady gardens, but you want a bit of variety to boost the interest. So, try a mix of ferns, hostas and grasses. For extra colour, consider plants like hydrangeas, viburnum, berberis and mahonia.
Set Up A Woodland Garden
You could take this a step further and create a woodland-style garden. The beauty of having lots of cover from trees and other plants is that you end up with a private and peaceful hideaway. It also gives you a diverse and nature-friendly space, making it all the more enjoyable to spend time in.
If you have the space, you could plant a mix of native trees such as crab apple, rowan and hazel. These trees are loved by birds and don’t have overly dense canopies, so they will still allow daylight through. Underneath you can grow flowers such as bluebells, snowdrops, anemones and foxgloves for seasonal colour.
Design A Japanese Garden
A twist on a woodland-style garden is a Japanese-inspired one. Japanese gardens also have a peaceful atmosphere and they make the perfect space for meditation and stress relief. Japanese gardens mimic natural landscapes and use a mix of earthy elements including foliage, stone and water to create a calming ambience.
Gravel paths and rocky borders both suit a Japanese garden. Moss is also used quite heavily in the design and this is something that does do well in shady gardens. You could add a stone or wood bench for seating and install a small water feature to enjoy the trickling sounds of water. To give it a more exotic feel, you could plant a mix of Japanese acers. Varieties such as Aconitifolium, Black Lace and Pixie are all perfectly happy in partial shade.
Create A Private Seating Area
As we’ve already discovered, a shady garden can offer a great deal of privacy. So, a shady garden can be a real advantage when it comes to creating outdoor seating areas. And you could make this the main focus of your garden. Surrounded by lots of leafy foliage, you could make an attractive and secluded space for entertaining friends and family and enjoying more intimate, cosy evenings.
There are two ways you could go with this type of seating area. You could lean into the lower light levels by using darker materials. This can add drama and when it comes to paving, it can disguise dirt and algae. On the flipside, you could combat the dullness of the space by choosing bright, cheery colours and patterns.
Go Wild For Wildlife
One way to make a shady garden shine is with water. Wildlife ponds are great for siting in areas with dappled shade. Out of bright sunlight, they’re less prone to algae growth. At the same time, the water’s surface is great for reflecting glints of the sun.
You could surround your pond with yellow flag iris, water mint, marsh marigold and water forget-me-not to provide a haven for creatures like dragonflies, bees and butterflies. But do make sure there’s a shallow, sloping side to your pond. So, frogs and other wildlife can get in and out of the water.
Bring In More Sunlight
If you’re not content to let your garden stay in the shade, your best solution is to bring in more sunlight. To do this, you need to clear a route for the rays to hit.
If your garden is surrounded by high walls and fences, you could consider lowering them to maximise the light – although you may need to talk to your neighbours first. Similarly, tall trees can block out a lot of sun. However, you don’t necessarily need to cut them down or lose your privacy. Light tree trimming to thin or reshape the crown might be the answer. Once you have some sunlight coming into your space, you can extend its reach through the use of garden mirrors.
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