 Shade Our property is surrounded by mature trees and neighbors' houses that block the sun and keep most of our yard in shade for much of the day - on our southern side our new neighbors built a monstrous Lindal cedar home, a permanent eyesore that effectively insures that most of the yard receives no direct sun. Fortunately, many plants also thrive in shade and we have emphasized these in our garden design.Aucubas, both plain and variegated, and fatsias are planted in the most shaded sections along the wall, along with hostas, lilyturf, strawberry geraniums, and ferns. Camellias and sasanquas, along with azaleas planted in places that receive a bit more sun, bloom in profusion in spring, hydrangeas brighten up the early summer rainy season, maples and beauty bushes provide fall color, and the aucubas, firethorns, and cotoneasters are filled with red berries (which birds also love) in the winter, but during most of the year we enjoy various shades of green (and the foliage also hides our unsightly concrete walls).  As amateurs we've made our fair share of mistakes and have learned the hard way that trying to grow plants that need full sun and well-drained soil in a shady section of the garden only leads to disappointment - the plants either do not grow at all or end up weak and straggly. It was not a good idea, for example, to plant lilacs under the persimmons, whose thick canopy of leaves shuts out the sun. The lilies of the Nile planted in a border under the pine tree would bloom more if they received more sun. A mature citron, planted many years ago before the neighborhood was built up, now receives little sun and suffers accordingly.One unavoidable drawback is that pests and diseases thrive in damp, shady areas, as we discovered this year after a warm, wet spring created the perfect conditions for mildew and millipedes (gejigeji), snails, and slugs. We try to clear dead leaves and other debris that slugs love as much as possible and inspect plants regularly for problems. On the whole, however, we've found that shade doesn't need to be a limiting factor if you choose the right plants. |