There is also a lot that can be made of a shady garden … But you do need to know which plants are suitable for a (reasonably) sunless existence. In this article you will find an overview of plants that also do well without sun, and are therefore suitable for a shady garden.
The sun as a source of nutrition
A sunny garden is something many plant lovers would wish for themselves. Logical of course; not only is it wonderful to be in your own sun-drenched paradise, but it is also much easier to fill your garden with lush greenery when you have some sunshine. Most plants need sun to survive, it’s that simple. Under the influence of sunlight, carbon dioxide is converted into nutrients, such as glucose. This process becomes photosynthesis and is essential for the well-being of the plant. Nevertheless, there is still a lot to be made of a shady garden … You just need to know how.
Analyze your shadow!
Before you can start selecting plants for your shade garden, you must first determine whether you are dealing with dry or wet shade. Dry shade is the shade that you find under the trees, for example. On the other hand, if you have a moist shady garden, you will also soon have to deal with moss growth and other unwanted elements. The acidity of your garden is also important here: is the soil acidic, or is it alkaline? To find out, you can take a scoop of soil with you and have a pH test performed at the garden center. A pH value of about 7 is considered neutral, a lower value indicates an acidic soil and a higher value indicates an alkaline soil. An acidic soil becomes healthier by adding lime. An alkaline soil has too much lime, here you can improve the acidity by means of peat.
Ground covers
Ground covers generally grow best in a dry place. By placing a ground cover in your garden, you can give your garden a cozy appearance in no time. Ground cover plants generally grow wide, so don’t place the plants too close together!
There are plenty of ground cover plants that are suitable for shady gardens, for example:
- Bellflower
- Spotted dead-nettle
- Sterremos
- Mansoor
- Cobbler plant
- Stag hay
- Knotweed
- Shadowwort
- Periwinkle
Other plants that thrive in the shade
All well and good, all those ground cover plants, but you might also want other types of greenery in your garden. That is also possible if you have a garden on the north. Fortunately, there are plenty of plants that thrive in the shade. Some examples:
- Hydrangea
- Hosta
- (Dwarf) bamboo
- sail
- Clematis
- Lily of the valley
- Christmas rose
- Mourning Heart
- Lady’s mantle
- Astilbe
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