Shade Planting Solutions for Shady Gardens

A woodland setting is often a very suitable place for good plant growth, as there is wind protection from the trees and the sun's warmth is concentrated in the humus-rich leaf mould litter covering the ground. This nutrient-rich layer, which is replenished each autumn, is manna from heaven for shade plants and helps to retain moisture. The tree roots suck away any excess. For plant opportunists able to capitalize on this windfall before the tree roots really get to work later in the year and percolate every square centimetre, this is a moment to seize for optimum growing conditions. Those plants that do start into growth under such conditions increase prolifically, when happy, to produce some of nature's most spectacular floral displays. Think here of bluebells in Europe or wake robins in America. Massed displays although wonderful when they do occur are not, however, the norm among shady plants in nature. Plants that go through their above-ground phases of growth cycle in the early months of the year, before sitting out the hot summer as seeds or by resting below ground, can be categorized as "spring ephemerals". Most of these spring ephemerals do not create huge pools of colour in the wild, and their individual beauty is less of the in-your-face brash sort and more of the type that benefits from detailed inspection. You need to look closely at the flowers of many woodland plants to spot their poise and exquisite detailing. In fact, woodland plants from areas of the world where they experience persistent heavy rainfall in their native haunts often have flowers which only ever face the ground, so the outer sepals and petals can act like umbrellas to protect the all-important reproductive organs. Both the botanist in the wild and the gardener growing these plants in his or her garden may discover part of the whole charm and enjoyment of shade plants is being able to turn their flowers carefully in order to look into their faces. At The Garden House in Devon, celandines (Ranunculus ficaria) were growing on the edge of a field, which at the time of this photograph had recently been included within the garden. In this summer-shady spot, the grass grew only sparsely and it seemed an ideal location to grow a lot more spring flowers. I planted natives such as primroses, lenten daffodils, early purple orchids, and small patches of blue and white wood anemones, as well as self-seeding exotics such as Crocus tommasinianus and, at the far end, Spanish bluebells. I also began scattering large amounts of seed of the North American pink fawn lily (Erythronium revolutum), which has since spread to cover half of this area with its pink, Chinese lantern-like flowers. Having introduced so many plants, I clearly wanted them to thrive, so I raised the canopy of the shading lime trees still further to let more spring sunshine reach the ground and aid flowering. The problem then potentially arises of the grass starting to grow more vigorously and, since it should not be cut until early summer, of swamping the plants you have worked so hard to put there. The answer came with a winter application of a growth retardant, maleic hydrazide or mefluidide, sprayed before any of the bulbs emerged. This single application stopped the grass growing for about three months, which is just long enough to let the spring ephemerals grow, flower, and seed. The growth retardant worked so well that the whole area in the spring months is now covered in a continually changing carpet of flowers, although the celandines to the pleasure of some and the sadness of others have been increasingly squeezed out. Even though this spray is just about the only one I use, I realize that using any chemical at all will offend some people. I mention it becausWiley, Keith is the author of 'Shade Planting Solutions for Shady Gardens', published 2006 under ISBN 9780881927559 and ISBN 0881927554.