Shade-loving garden plants. What flowers should I plant in the shade? Examples of flowers and ornamental plants in the shade

) or an elegant border. Shade-loving and shade-tolerant plants will help you realize your plans. Many of them have been known to you for a long time, and some of them you will have to get to know better.

It is known that most of perennial beautiful flowering plants love the sun, however, among this species there are many that prefer to grow in shaded areas. Flowers growing in the shade perfectly decorate shady corners, making them original and unusual. Even if these perennials cannot boast of beautiful flowering, they most often have textured, extremely showy foliage, sometimes quite large.

In almost every garden there are areas that the sun does not illuminate for long, and even then, as it were, in passing - areas with north side houses or, for example, areas under trees. Gardeners often lament this: “What a pity that you can’t plant roses, bright annuals (http://sazhaemsad.ru/catalog/odnoletniki) or at least lay out a lawn.” But they worry in vain. By showing imagination and putting in a little effort, you can create an interesting, and most importantly, original flower garden in nature garden style. A shady flower bed, complemented by decorative stone fill, fancy wooden snags or a small stream will look simply amazing. A landscaped shady corner will delight you with lush greenery and muted colors of flowers and give pleasant coolness, even on the hottest summer day.

Plant selection
You should choose a plant with an eye to whether there is sparse or continuous shade on the area prepared for planting, what type of shade it is in this place soil, whether the humidity is high in this place. Depending on the conditions, it is determined which plants are preferable to planting: tall or short, perennial, annual, long or long. short period flowering. In addition, it should be borne in mind that not all plants do well in close proximity to trees.

If dry weather occurs in the first year after planting, the plants must be provided with watering. Only after perennials or annuals have taken root well and acquired a powerful root system can you be calm: now the plants can easily withstand even drought. Watering should not be frequent, but regular and plentiful - the influx of moisture will cause active growth of roots in the depths.

The approach to shade-tolerant and shade-loving plants is fundamentally different; therefore, when choosing flowers for the garden, you need to find out which group they belong to.

Planting under trees
Trees like chestnut

and hazel,

emit toxic substances that fall onto the soil with falling leaves in the fall. In this way, these plants are protected from uninvited guests who will draw vital juices from the soil. Robinia is especially sophisticated in this regard:

the roots of this tree secrete poisons that poison the soil and force competitors to settle somewhere else.

Another thing is oak,

Apple tree

and linden.

These trees are very friendly, their roots tend to grow deeper without covering a large area. In this regard, for apple, linden and oak trees, perennials cannot be competitors even theoretically: trees do not take nutrients and water from the upper soil layers.

It is much more difficult to carry out landscaping near birch trunks

and Norway maple.

The roots of these trees spread close to the soil surface and perennials can survive here only if they are fed with fertilizers in the first months of their life.

Large perennials can be planted close to trees: they root system well developed and can easily cope with competition. By the way, the combination of perennial flowers, ornamental grasses and spreading ferns looks especially impressive. The foliage and color of these plants are so expressive that it is simply impossible to pass by such beauty indifferently.

Some gardeners plant such wonderful flower like gravilate

but, strictly speaking, it requires medium, not high, shade.

There are perennials that easily take root under the spreading crowns of trees or on the side of the house facing North. However, it is worth knowing that even the most shade-loving lawn grass can withstand shading up to forty percent, and under trees such as spruce and walnut the shading reaches eighty percent.

If you have firmly decided that grass should grow under the trees in your garden, the optimal solution would be a mixture of various herbs, developed by specialists specifically for planting in shady places. So, if one plant does not take root under the walnut crown, then another will certainly take root.

Bare areas under spreading trees or under low but dense bushes do not look very beautiful, to put it mildly. Therefore, you just need to try to turn them into a green carpet by planting perennial ground cover grasses. Thus, you can achieve a great effect and at the same time seriously complicate the life of weeds, which will now have quite a problem growing

Perennial shade-loving flowers
A) Hosta. This perennial has beautiful carved foliage and flowers that resemble bells. Flowers can be small or large, double or single. By color: white, bluish, lilac or pink.

B) Buzulnik, or Ligularia. This perennial is truly gorgeous. When it grows, it simply reigns over the lawn. The leaves are carved, spreading, the flowers are bright yellow, orange or even purple-brown.

B) Astilbe. There are many types and varieties of this plant. The colors are extremely rich. Large openwork panicles of medium-sized flowers “explode” the space with a riot of colors. It blooms from mid-summer to early autumn, perfectly decorating a shady garden.

D) Astilboides lamellar. A plant of exceptional beauty with panicles of cream-colored flowers, and leaves sometimes reaching one and a half meters in diameter.

D) Volzhanka. Somewhat similar to astilbe. It looks spectacular at the moment when the flower clusters have already entered into force, but have not yet had time to bloom. The plant is tall, strong, and looks like a bush.

E) Cohosh, or popularly called black cohosh. This plant also has a third name, more poetic, invented by the Germans: “silver candles.” Cohosh was named this way because of its long bare peduncle, on which cream-colored flowers are collected.

G) Rogersia. This perennial is sometimes called the queen of shade. Looks great even after the flowering period ends.

H) Meadowsweet (another name is meadowsweet). The inflorescences are collected in a panicle, the flowers are pink or white, the leaves somewhat resemble a human palm.

I) Japanese anemone. The elegant, soft pink flowers of this plant are located on strong, straight stems. Leaves are split and lush. Anemones look great near trees and shrubs. However, this plant loves partial shade, so it is best to plant it under fruit trees.

K) Aconite. Sometimes this wonderful flower is called a shoe. It boasts many colors and varieties, including climbing aconite.

L) Aquilegia. The perennial thrives in partial shade. It propagates by self-seeding, which gives the plant the opportunity to quickly renew itself.

M) Pachysandra apex. Practically all year round pleases the eye with green, lush foliage. Even in the most shaded areas it easily forms a dense, green carpet.

H) Cyclamen ivy. This perennial is very frost-resistant and grows well in partial shade. It is not difficult to recognize cyclamen: its leaves look like ivy leaves and are decorated with a beautiful silvery pattern.

O) The periwinkle is big. This plant doesn’t care where it grows: in the shade or in the sun. Blooms from late spring to early autumn. The flowers are lilac, medium-sized; periwinkle takes root with shoots that find a place even under bushes.

P) Kupena multiflorum. Another name for the plant is borrowed from the Bible - “Solomon’s Seal”. The flowers are tubular and white.

Whatever the plot or garden, there is always one or several corners where the sun’s rays practically do not reach, be it the shadow of the house or big trees. But don't worry about it. The flora is very rich in species, and you can always choose shade-loving or shade-tolerant plants for the garden that will delight you with flowering and decorative leaves.

Classification of plants according to lighting requirements

Sunlight, water and good, fertile soils are the basic requirements of plants that guarantee them successful cultivation. But not all flowers and trees love bright sunlight; depending on this, they are divided into three groups.

1. Light-loving plants for the garden, their second name is heliophytes. They love open spaces and sunlight, but can die in shade. The vast majority of garden flowers belong to this group. From annuals: petunia, marigolds, lobelia, godetia, etc. From perennials, for example, daylily, rudbeckia, gaillardia, arabis, chistets. And also trees: Ginnala maple, Manchurian walnut.
2. Shade-tolerant plants for the garden. This group includes species that also love sunlight, but 5-6 hours of it in the first or second half of the day are enough for them. However, flowering may not be as abundant and long-lasting. This group includes plants such as oak anemone, astilbe, alpine columbine (in the first photo), dicentra, peony, scilla, etc.
3. Shade-loving plants for the garden. These species prefer to grow in secluded corners where there is almost no sun. They are usually distinguished by rich green leaves. First of all, these are ferns, hostas, lilies of the valley, lungwort, foxglove, etc.

Shade-tolerant coniferous plants for the garden

Evergreen trees and shrubs always give the garden a special charm and delight the eye throughout the year. All of them have an amazing aroma that not only improves your mood, but also disinfects the air. Species coniferous plants There are quite a lot of them, they differ in size, crown shape, requirements for soil and lighting. Many plants do not like bright sun, and young specimens, without exception, require some shading in the first stages of growth. The following varieties of shade-tolerant conifers are the most popular among gardeners:

• Canadian spruce, common spruce, prickly spruce, Serbian spruce and "Entelmani";
• Siberian fir, balsam fir, Canadian fir, single-color;
• yew "Rependence" and Canadian (pictured);
• drooping arborvitae (Japanese);
• echiniformis;
• microbiota is cross-paired.

All conifers are quite unpretentious, but some require abundant watering and shelter for the winter. Many are growing decorative types slow enough that it can be used on alpine roller coaster, in group plantings.

Choosing shade-tolerant shrubs

Shade-tolerant plants for the garden and vegetable garden of this group can be purely decorative in nature or also bring practical benefits. In addition, a distinction is made between decorative deciduous and flowering. Let's look at the most popular and common ones.

Also worth noting are the following shade-tolerant plants for the garden, which are part of the group of shrubs and have decorative leaves: privet, boxwood, euonymus (winged and warty), Thunberg barberry.

Shade-tolerant trees in the garden

If you want to choose for the garden not fruit trees, and decorative, then it is worth paying attention to several types. Maple remains one of the most popular trees for landscaping. Large dissected leaves are especially beautiful in autumn, when they acquire bright colors. There are quite a lot of types of maple: field, holly, silver, white, sugar, Japanese. The tree forms a beautiful spreading crown and it is quite possible to plant shade-tolerant flowering plants for garden.

Very often, beech and hornbeam are used for landscaping; they have garden varieties and shapes. They look great not only in group plantings, but also in single plantings, and the crown is easy to trim and shape.

Fruit trees and shrubs growing in the shade

Not many fruit and berry trees and shrubs are able to grow and produce good harvest in the shade, they still require sun. Of the species most resistant to lack of light, it is worth noting raspberries and blackberries, since their natural habitat is forest thickets and wet ravines; they tolerate partial shade well. You can also plant barberries and gooseberries, which will be good neighbors for the mentioned species. The first shrub is winter-hardy, grows quickly and produces a good harvest of berries, which have a specific sour taste. Gooseberries (pictured) are also characterized by very valuable fruits that are used to make jam and compotes.

Nowadays it is much easier to choose shade-tolerant ones for the garden, because varieties are constantly being updated. You just need to choose a product taking into account your wishes. Contact nurseries directly, as markets often sell something completely different from what is stated on the packaging.

Herbaceous shade-tolerant plants for the garden

If your garden mainly consists of shady corners, then this is not a reason to refuse to plant flowers. Perennials include plants that overwinter in the soil for many years, while the above-ground part dies off annually, but the roots remain alive. The main advantage of shade-tolerant perennial flowers is their decorative foliage.

From early spring, your garden can be decorated with bulbous primroses. At this time, the trees have not yet bloomed their leaves, and light easily penetrates into all corners of the garden. These can be early flowering tulips, crocuses, woodland, hazel grouse, daffodils, and muscari.

Of the perennials that will bloom all summer, we recommend regular peonies (for partial shade) and wild peonies, arum, adonis, bergenia columbine (aquilegia), daylily, and hosts. Also, do not ignore biennial flowers: foxgloves, hollyhocks, forget-me-nots.

Shade-tolerant annuals in the garden

These plants can add variety to any flower bed or flower garden. The number of species and varieties cannot be enumerated. Even for a shady garden you can easily choose about a dozen different annual flowers. Let us give just a few of the most unpretentious and common species as examples.

• Ageratum is a low plant that literally forms a carpet of blue inflorescences; flowering continues from early summer until late autumn. Prefers semi-shaded places.
• Kobeya is an annual vine that weaves a green carpet over the entire surface of the support; large bell-shaped flowers of various shades appear throughout the summer.
• Cosmea is a beautiful annual plant that actively reproduces by self-sowing. It is quite tall (about 1 m) and grows quickly, which allows this plant to fill empty spaces in a short time.
• Levka (photo above), plants of different sizes depending on the variety with spike-shaped fragrant inflorescences.

Nemesia and mimulus also deserve attention.

Horizontal landscaping of shady areas of the garden

To do this, use shade-tolerant ones (they are also called vines). Don't forget that if you choose perennial species, then they will need strong support, since they gain quite a lot of mass. This is especially true for semi-wood varieties. The most famous is parthenocissus (pictured). The liana grows to a height of up to 15 meters, while it is undemanding to soil and does not require additional care. The only difference is that in a heavily shaded area the leaves may be slightly smaller in size and not as bright.

Clematis is often used for vertical gardening, but it is suitable for warm climates with mild winters. This is a rather capricious vine; it prefers sunny places, although light shading is also possible. It is also worth noting such plants as kirkazon, wood pliers, and princes.

Shade-tolerant ampelous plants

It’s hard to imagine a gazebo, terrace or patio without beautiful flower bushes hanging their green vines from hanging planters. Shade-tolerant plants for the garden are not numerous in comparison with their sun-loving relatives, but they still exist. In particular, the lobelia, which blooms in many pure shades of blue and of blue color. It will feel quite good in partial shade, the main thing is to provide it with fertile soil and regular watering.

Much less common are bakola, dichondra and strange nolina. Despite the complex and unfamiliar names, these plants are quite unpretentious and short term form thickets densely strewn with bright flowers.

When choosing ornamental shade-tolerant plants for the garden, do not expect abundant flowering, large and double inflorescences. All of them are valued primarily for their decorative appearance leaves.

28 May 2016

Surely many people have areas in their garden that are unsuitable for growing most types of flowers - these are shaded areas on the north side near the walls of buildings or fences, as well as under the crowns of tall trees. If there is a lack of sunlight, not all garden plants will bloom and develop properly, so we present names and photos of shade-loving garden plants for decorating places in the shade or partial shade.

In a shaded place, the soil can be different - dry or constantly wet and even damp if water accumulates after snow and rain melt. The condition of the soil and its composition must be taken into account when choosing plants for planting in the shade.

Most shade-loving perennial garden plants do not bloom as spectacularly as sun-loving plants, but beautiful and expressive leaves add decorative value to them. By picking up a few shade-loving flowers, you will decorate the shaded areas, which are often the most unsightly on the site, and you can put a bench nearby to relax in the coolness and enjoy the beautiful flower garden.

Names and photos of shade-loving perennial garden flowers:

Astilbe combines luxurious blooms with shiny feathery foliage. Fluffy paniculate inflorescences of astilbe will contribute bright accent to the flower garden. This shade-loving flower blooms well in a shaded place under the crowns of tall trees or the wall of a building. With a wide variety of varieties and species, you can choose an astilbe flower with inflorescences colored white, pink and red, crimson. Choose a plant for a flower garden, taking into account their size: hybrid varieties of Japanese astilbe reach a height of 50-60 cm, Arends astilbe can be 60-120 cm in height, Chinese astilbe grows up to a meter in height. Astilbe beautifully blooming perennial for partial shade and shade, loves moist and even damp soil.

Delicate anemone flowers Depending on the species, they can bloom in spring and summer. For shaded areas, choose spring ones flowering species An anemone that comes from the forest is an oak anemone, a tender anemone. Flowers look great under the crowns of trees; they have enough sun to bloom until foliage appears on the crowns, and in the summer plants need cool and moderately moist soil to develop; exactly such conditions are created in the shade of trees.

Bergenia - perennial, which is decorative at any time of the year. Large basal leaves attract attention with their beautiful rounded shape and shiny green color, but in bright sun they turn red. Bergenia can grow in the sun and in the shade, but when grown in a shaded place, the leaves develop more and the plant blooms better. Peduncles with bright pink bells will appear in the spring, and under favorable conditions, the plant will bloom again in late summer. Bergenia grows well on loose, fertile and moderately moist soil. Damp areas They are detrimental to the plant, since the thick rhizome of the bergenia can rot, and dry places are also unfavorable, since the roots of the plant are located near the surface of the soil.

Periwinkle You can plant it in the most disastrous place where other flowers do not take root. This plant has amazing vitality, creeping stems with bright green leaves cover the soil with a green carpet, on which blue flowers bloom in summer. Periwinkle looks great under tree canopies; this unpretentious ground cover plant grows quickly in shady places with loose, well-drained soil.

Brunera or forget-me-not It blooms beautifully in late spring - early summer, small sky blue flowers lift your spirits. After flowering, brunera grows expressive heart-shaped leaves with a pointed tip. Brunera is an unpretentious perennial that requires virtually no care in the garden. This flower can be propagated by dividing the rhizome; planting is done at the end of summer. Partial shade with constantly moist clay soil is favorable for plant development. If the plant does not have enough moisture, then by mid-summer the beautiful leaves will wither.

Dicentra- the “broken heart” flower, so named for the original shape of the flowers. On a long thin peduncle, bright pink flowers in the shape of hearts with an arrow-shaped tip hang in a row like earrings. Beautiful bloom the dicenters are complemented by delicate feathery greenery. Dicentra will bloom for a long time, and its greenery will remain decorative until autumn, if for planting you choose a place illuminated by the sun only in the morning or constant partial shade. Under the bright sun, the flowers quickly fall off, and burns appear on the greenery in the form of whitish spots, and after flowering the ground part disappears. Dicentra is moisture-loving, but in a constantly damp area the roots of the plant can rot. After abundant watering, the surface of the soil must be loosened to give air to the roots.

Kupena- perennial garden plant with a graceful shape, on thin curved stems, opposite leaves rise up like wings, and small white bells hang from below. Kupena bushes will decorate the most shady area in the garden; this shade-tolerant plant naturally grows in dense forests. Kupena is unpretentious in cultivation, prefers moist, fertile soil, but in a place where water stagnates after rain, the rhizome of the plant rots.

Lakonost- a large ornamental plant native to America. Grows from seeds over the summer lush bush up to 1 meter high with large leaves, and by autumn shiny black berries ripen on long candle-shaped peduncles. The berries and juice of the plant are poisonous. A large plant will become the head of the flower bed under the trees or create a green background near the fence. Laconost does not like open sunny areas, since the heat causes the large leaves of the plant to wither, but in partial shade this plant feels good.

Lungwort- forest beauty, blooms in spring. At the beginning of flowering, the flowers are bright blue, and as they wilt they change their color to crimson and purple. Cut off faded flower stalks to prevent self-seeding. After flowering, the lungwort grows large decorative leaves, so that they remain beautiful until autumn, the plant should be placed in partial shade or shade, where it is cool and the soil is always slightly moist. Lungwort is easily propagated by fresh seeds, as well as by dividing the rhizome with growth buds.

Lilies of the valley- flowers that can grow under any conditions, including in strong shade. Lilies of the valley grow quickly thanks to their creeping rhizomes, displacing neighboring plants. Lilies of the valley bloom in late spring or early summer. Small white bells have a strong, pleasant aroma. Lilies of the valley can grow in dry conditions dark place, but they love moisture. Pieces of rhizome are planted near fences, walls, under trees, lush green leaves will green the selected area, but when adjacent to other plants, lilies of the valley will oppress them.