This post was originally published on DIY Network’s blog Made + Remade in May 2013.
My north-facing front yard garden soaks up about 4 hours of sun in the morning, followed by 9 hours of shade in the afternoon. The backyard’s not much better, fully shaded at least 8 hours of the day. For a girl who wants lush, radiant, sun-loving gardens, I’m living in the wrong spot. In trying to work with this, I’ve been doing some research and learning more about what sun/shade and shading-loving plants I need to embrace to populate our landscape. Because I can only plant so much pachysandra …
I know, though, that before planting anything, it’s important to have a plan. This photo gallery offers an understanding of the essentials, and there’s a ton more info in the Landscape Design section of DIYNetwork.com, including a handy article on Creating a Shade-Loving Landscape.
Among my favorite shade or sun/shade plants are the Lenten rose, nasturtiums (which I have grown in the past very successfully), lungwort, begonia, woodruff, and the trusty hosta. Of course there are many other options out there that will work with a varying level of sunshine and your landscape needs. I always liked moss planted between bricks and stones, and ferns are both easy to transplant and maintain in shadier scenarios. And if you find yourself really stuck, head for some larger plants, like rhododendrons, holly, boxwood, and mountain laurel.
Do you have other trusty go-to plants for a shady yard? Share them with me here in the comments!
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