Gardening in the shade (2024)

Maybe it’s just room for a few plants under a shade tree. Or a large woodland garden. Either way, measure the plantable space and keep that in mind when selecting your plants. Plants should have enough room to grow to their full, mature size.

Check plant labels, catalogs or the Plant Elements of Design plant database for specific plant information. All the plants in the following lists include the mature size of the plant.

Being “zone hardy” means a plant can survive the temperature extremes in a particular area. For the most reliably hardy plants:

• Find your hardiness zone.
• A plant’s cold hardiness information can be found on plant labels, in catalogs, reference books, databases and on reputable websites.
• Choose plants listed for your hardiness zone.
• If you decide to try growing a plant from a warmer hardiness zone such as zone 5 or 6, have realistic expectations that this plant may not live through the winter.

Shady areas are microclimates or areas within your landscape where the conditions (wind, light, moisture, temperature) vary from the surrounding landscape. Some common microclimates:

• Evergreen trees and shrub plantings provide year-round shade and create a cooler space that is protected from the wind.
• Areas where soil remains consistently moist and may thaw last in your landscape due to less sunlight and cooler temperatures,
• Areas where soil remains consistently dry due to protection from rain by structures, overhangs, etc.
• Areas where the ambient temperature is higher due to intense sunlight and lack of cooling winds.
• Areas where the ambient temperature is lower due to shade from trees.

Spend time observing the light levels in your landscape and how they change throughout the day and seasons. Put a thermometer in different areas of your landscape and observe the changes as the sun moves through the sky. For example, morning sun is less intense and thus provides full sun conditions without extreme heat whereas afternoon sun is stronger and temperatures warmer.

Light levels of shade:

• Dappled shade:light filtering through a tree canopy
• Light shade or part shade:about 3-6 hours of sunlight
• Full shade:less than 3 hours of sunlight
• Deep shade:almost no sunlight

Although areas with part shade receive direct sunlight for a small portion of the day, the light intensity can still be quite bright.

• There are numerous plants that grow in part shade such as woodland wildflowers.
• Certain herbs and leafy greens can be grown in dappled to part shade conditions.
• Some plants tolerate relatively low light levels and a few actually thrive.
• Many groundcovers do well in shady areas.

Soil affects everything you do from planting flowers and trees to growing a healthy lawn to building structures like decks, patios and terraces. For plants, it supplies plants with nutrients, water, microbes and air for the healthy growth of roots, and provides a means of support to keep plants firmly rooted in the ground.

A solid understanding of the soil on your property is key to knowing which plants will grow well in your landscape. A soil test is a good place to start and the most reliable way to gather specific information:

• Test your soil every 3-5 years at the UMN Soil Testing Lab.
• Test your soil when you convert an area of your landscape to something new such as lawn to a vegetable garden.
• Soil can vary throughout a landscape, especially on urban sites, due to construction, soil amendments, erosion, etc.

Shade gardens typically retain soil moisture due to cooler temperatures and protection from sunlight. This can benefit plants that prefer cool, consistently moist growing conditions. However, this means a shade garden may warm up later in the spring. Moss and slugs may also be problematic in shade gardens.

Slugs in home gardens

As a microclimate, dry shade is one of the most limiting for gardeners and plant lovers. Dry shade is created by:

• Tree canopies.
• Eaves and overhangs of a house.
• Competition from other plants for light and soil moisture.
• Building foundations and structures that block rainfall.

Growing plants beneath large trees or under the overhang of a building is challenging because they prevent even plentiful rainfall from reaching the plants. The dry soil and lack of sunlight create difficult growing conditions for plants.

Selecting plants that grow in dry shade will help reduce (but not totally eliminate) supplemental watering. Supplemental watering will be needed occasionally in dry shade plantings. Use a drip hose, irrigation or hand water to saturate the top 3 to 4 inches of soil when it’s dry.

Most shade plants grow well in moist, well-drained organic soil. However, adequate nutrients maintaining soil fertility can be challenging in shady sites.

• Trees and some shrubs have extensive root systems or “feeder roots” in the top 18 to 20 inches of soil that compete with other plants for space, nutrients and water.
• Test your soil to better understand how to improve your soil especially if plants have special soil requirements such as acidic soil pH.
• As a general recommendation, apply a balanced fertilizer such as a 15-15-15 (N-P-K) in spring followed by one or two applications as the season progresses.