Pulmonaria with the fresh foliage of ferns in my woodland garden
Gardening in shade is often seen as a challenge rather than something to be celebrated. One of the first questions town dwellers ask when confronted with an expert is “What can I grow when my garden is so dark?”. Certainly, if little sun permeates it can be difficult, but so long as you get a modicum of light and a little sun for part of the day, there are many plants that will thrive happily and create a very particular and, to my mind, very beautiful style of garden.
When I first began gardening, I had a south west facing plot where there was no shade to speak of, so I never gave any thought to what one should do with a space that didn’t get much sun. I was rather perplexed, then, when I began the work on my second garden, to discover shady areas near the house and wondered what on earth would grow there. My lack of knowledge meant I planted many things that were unhappy and had to be moved, or worse still, did not survive. As I learned in time however, there were plenty of plants that liked the conditions and although not showy like their sunshine-loving cousins, they had a charm of their own, and the meld of leaf texture and form these woodland plants give, combined with occasional modest and diminutive flowers, has since become one of my favourite styles of planting in any garden.
The fabulous fronds of ferns unfurling (try saying that quickly!)
First of all, I would have to vote for ferns. Ferns are fabulous plants. Easy and uncomplaining, they will grow in places where other things will not, are good ground cover and, when their fresh green leaves are unfurling in early spring, they look magical. I am always amazed at how, when I view them in my current garden, from one day to the next, I can almost see them moving. I cut the previous year’s foliage off in April to reveal the nubby brown crosiers (the tightly coiled buds) hidden underneath, waiting to do their stuff for another season. Ferns are ancient plants - and they look it, with their ammonite-like, un-coiling leaves - dating back 360 million years and spread by spores rather than seed. There are many different types and it’s possible to find ferns for most conditions from very dry soil (so long as they are kept well-watered until established) to damp or even boggy ground.
New foliage on a hart’s tongue fern at the base of a multi-stemmed birch
I grow them in several areas – all are places where shade prevails to varying degrees. At the base of a multi-stemmed birch in one of my borders that gets sun for only part of the day, I have several of the hart’s tongue fern with its evergreen, shiny, strap-like leaves. They each put out silvery new growth every year and are beautifully sculptural in their form. Alongside them I grow elegant Solomon’s seal, the white flowered narcissus, Thalia, graceful Dicentra spectabilis ‘Alba’ with its pretty, cut foliage and heart shaped flowers for spring, and then Thalictrum, to flower later in the year. All of these are happy in partial shade.
Beneath and behind the old apple tree that sits at the heart of the garden, there was grass when I arrived. It always looked scrappy owing to the dark conditions and so, I decided to replant, and now grow a mixture of ferns partnered with bluebells, primroses and golden deadnettle. There is also hazel there and, even though this is a small area, it has the feel of being my very own piece of woodland.
There is Pulmonaria too, with its pretty silver-speckled leaves and pink, blue or white bell-shaped flowers and this is, I always feel, one of the loveliest harbingers of spring. It is a slow spreader, forming a neat clump of leaves and doesn’t need much maintaining but can easily become overshadowed by taller plants so it’s important to give it a little space and not allow other plants to encroach on it.
Ferns with bluebells, the foliage of Euporbia robbiae and the variegated leaves and flowers of the yellow archangel
When you’re gardening in dry shade, Euphorbia robbiae is a good “doer” and its lime green bracts shine out of the gloom for weeks in the spring. It is a spreader, which is a bonus when there is lots of ground to be covered but it needs to be kept in check or it will end up popping up all over and, indeed, gradually taking over. Another useful groundcover plant, but also one to be wary of is Lamium galeobdolon, commonly known as the yellow archangel or golden deadnettle: I have it planted in several places under shrubs to keep the weeds down and for its variegated leaves and yellow flowers. It does a good job, but it can easily become troublesome itself and at the current moment is creeping stealthily onto my primrose lawn, so I will need to do some serious clearing of it sooner rather than later!
Galium odoratum or sweet woodruff, is a great plant for ground cover in shady places as it forms a low growing mat of whorls of bright green leaves with clusters of tiny white flowers from late spring through to July. Fairly unassuming, it goes about its own business, creeping into all the places you want it cover, and then keeps going, so again, one needs to keep an eye on it. In areas of dappled shade, the blue flowers of Ajuga reptans (bugle) appear in spring above the rosettes of shiny, low-growing leaves that carpet the ground around taller plants and shrubs. I found this hard to establish but it seems to have got going now and is spreading nicely.
Something that doesn’t find it hard to spread at all, is a white comfrey that was in my garden when I moved in, seeds all over and grows happily in the most inhospitable of places. The fleshy leaves look fresh in the spring when it begins to flower, but as the season wears on, become scrappy and benefit from being cut back. I keep it out of the more cultivated areas, pulling out the fleshy roots when I see it, but leave it to spread in the wilder part of the garden where I am also growing white bluebells and hazel saplings in the area around my shed.
Geranium macrorrhizum with unfurling ferns
I grow various hardy geraniums in different parts of the garden as they work well with lots of other plants, especially roses. In the woodland areas I have Geranium macrorrhizum with its magenta flowers and also Geranium macrorrhizum ‘Ingwersen’s Variety’, a pretty plant with pale, lilac-pink flowers on dark red stems. These cranesbills score on several fronts with their flowers that last for months as long as I deadhead, and attractively shaped foliage that is fragrant when crushed and colours a little in the autumn. Both varieties gradually spread to form a dense mat so, again, are good for ground cover and smothering weeds.
Last but not least, are the Hellebores that bring such cheer when they appear in the drab of the winter garden. Their blooms in varying shades of lime green and white through to pink and burgundy, often stay in flower well into spring. My one frustration is that the heads hang down so one has to lift them up to see how beautiful they are. I once saw them planted on a bank above a path and this was definitely the best way to show them off to their best advantage.
When I was learning about what to grow in shade, I found one nursery particularly useful: Long Acre Plants in Somerset https://www.plantsforshade.co.uk specialise in plants for shady places and sell collections suited to differing soil conditions. I think you can visit the nursery but they certainly do mail order, so I have had my plants delivered.
Ultimately, I have learned, that if I follow the mantra of “Right plant, right place” attributed to the legendary gardener, Beth Chatto, and choose plants that will thrive and be happy in a shady environment, I will rarely be disappointed. I have moved from once seeing these as dull places to appreciating them for the calm and restful mix of green textures they create.
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I use Ajuja , creeping violet , tiarella ( prolific seeder caution ) geranium pheum , astrantia , sweet cicely , summer flowering monkshood
You do what I do !