At Seeds To Suit we have been seeing increasing posts on social media asking which plants can cope with being in a shady area, so we thought we would cover the subject in this month's blog. We have lots of recommendations, which you will find below but, before we get there, there are a few things to consider.
First of all you need to identify the type of shade you are dealing with because you may well be surprised by the amount of plants that will tolerate at least some shade, even if you thought they were full sun lovers.
- Dappled shade - some light filters through overhead foliage causing a diffused light/dappling effect.
- Partial shade - the area has some sun for part of the day and is in the shade for the rest of the time. This could be morning or afternoon.
- Light shade - The area may be in shade all day but the light quality is not too bad
Once you have sorted that bit out you also need to consider the soil quality. Is your area very dry due to large trees etc sucking all the moisture out of the ground? If this is the case your plants will benefit if you add some well rotted compost and keep well watered while they get established. Sow your seeds in optimum conditions for each type and only plant out when seedlings are well grown and conditions allow.
Now we arrive at the nitty gritty, below are some ideas for you. We have covered all bases for flowers, vegetables, herbs and fruit and we wish you great success.
See you further down the garden path!
Sandra
Seeds To Suit
Flowers - Shop Flowers
Anemone, Aquilegia, Californian Bluebell, Campanula, Coleus, Forget Me Not, Foxglove, Verbena
Fruit - Shop Fruit
Alpine Strawberries, Rhubarb
Herbs - Shop Herbs
Chives, Coriander, Parsley, Oregano, Mint, Wild Garlic (ransoms)
Vegetables - Shop Vegetables
Beetroot, Brassicas, including Brussels Sprouts, Broccoli and Cabbage, Broad beans (dappled), Carrots (partial), Kale (light), Kohlrabi, Leeks, Radish, Salad Leaves, Swiss Chard