Shady characters

Hope for the low light areas of your garden

Now that the sun is finally shining, it is time to talk about shade. The subject of shade is a perennial subject in May. Tree buds are starting to appear, letting us know what lived or died through the Winter. That said, some trees leaf out late, so don't be discouraged, until June.

If you don't see leaves on your trees in June, call your arborist.

Gardeners love to throw plant names and terms around with abandon.

Until you take one or two steps into the arcane world gardeners inhabit, it can seem a bit silly to contemplate a discussion of shade. After all, shade is the opposite of sun, right? You have one or the other, or both.

But the type of shade you have determines the plants that will thrive (versus those that grow, but reluctantly).

If you go on the Takoma Park House & Garden Tour, Sunday, May 6, 1 PM to 5 PM, you can check for examples of some of the following shade terminology.

Dappled shade (aka Dappled Light) is produced by large open trees such as an Oak; a moving pattern of sunlight and shade across the garden. Your garden may be bright, but direct sun on any given area is minimal for any sustained length of time. Growing tomatoes in dappled shade is a losing cause; yet it is hospitable to many shade and partial sun-loving plants.

Azaleas and Rhododendrons are most happy in dappled shade, as well as Boxwood, Mountain Laurel, Cherry Laurel, Pieris, Camellias, Nandina Chamaecyparis (false Hinocki cypress).

There is a large list of perennials that grow happily in dappled shade. A few examples: Japanese Painted Fern; Creeping Phlox (try Phlox stolonifera 'Sherwood Purple'); Goatsbeard (Aruncus); Bleeding Heart (Dicentra); Hosta; Astilbe; Columbine (Aquilegia); Windflower (Anemone japonica), plus many more.

Easy Gardener thinks that shade gardens are the stars of the plant world.

Open shade

Open shade is created by a northern exposure: on the North side of your house, there is that area of shade created by the shadow of the house.

This is one possible location for your shade-loving perennial garden. BUT PLEASE NOTE: Your plants must be protected from the hot, hot, hot sun of the late afternoon. Pick another location if you can't guarantee them protection from the strong sun. Open shade provides good incident light but no direct sunlight.

Proximity to a South-facing neighbor wall will greatly increase what we call reflected light—if the North side of your house is very close to your neighbor, you may not get much reflected light there. See the next category.

Medium shade

Medium shade occurs when your garden is shaded by adjacent buildings and trees: bright in Winter but losing significant light when the trees leaf out. If your arborist thinks that the crown of your big trees can be thinned out, more light will reach your garden and the list of shrubs and perennials that will be happy there increases.

Dense shade

Dense shade sometimes is thought to be the most challenging of all planting situations. Under evergreen Magnolias; under your deck; the narrow area between two tall (apartment) buildings; all are likely to produce dense shade.

An elegant solution for gardening these might be a Japanese-style boulder garden, perhaps with a few ferns, and some moss; add some shiny black pebbles (usually craft stores have them). Easy Gardener has been known to treat the small oval black stones to a thin coat of olive oil to keep them shiny longer.

When you and your guests are going to visit this area of your garden, wet the rocks down with a quick hose burst; the boulders and pebbles will look ancient, with a glow that is inviting. If you have a small Japanese maple, the kind with the delicate deeply divided leaves, you could try it in dense shade. If it does not live, the intriguing shape of the downward-reaching branches looks good year round—leafless!

When you're dealt lemons, make lemonade.

Pat Howell is a Takoma Park gardener and landscape designer/contractor. She is available for hand-holding and answering questions through Deephaven Landscapers.

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