The very words ‘dry shade’ can seem intimidating, especially to new gardeners. Fear not, as there are many plants that will grow well in parts of the garden that are lacking in both soil moisture and sunlight.
Tricks to help you get the best results in a dry, shady spot:
- Dig lots of garden
Can refer to either home-made garden compost or seed/potting compost: • Garden compost is a soil improver made from decomposed plant waste, usually in a compost bin or heap. It is added to soil to improve its fertility, structure and water-holding capacity. Seed or potting composts are used for growing seedlings or plants in containers - a wide range of commercially produced peat-free composts are available, made from a mix of various ingredients, such as loam, composted bark, coir and sand, although you can mix your own.
- Water the plants really well before and after you plant them
- Mulch the soil surface with
Bark is the outermost layer of woody plants (trees, shrubs and woody climbers). It is several cells thick and provides protection against physical damage, disease and environmental stresses. Bark comes in a wide variety of colours and patterns, and these can help gardeners when identifying plants. The fissures and crevices of bark on older plants also creates valuable habitat for many garden creatures as well as lichens and small plants.
- Use some variegated, or golden-leafed plants to brighten things up
And of course, choose plants that will grow well in the conditions. Here’s a selection of failsafe plants that will thrive in dry shade.
Fern friends
Many ferns do well in dry shade. Their intricate leaves (fronds) are beautiful in their own right, and combine well with other plants, especially those with big shiny leaves, or narrow, grassy ones. Look out for shield ferns (Polystichum) and Dryopteris ferns as they are among the best for dry gardens. Water them well while they get established, after which they can be left to get on with it.
Liriope: late-season flowers
An unusual plant with a trick up its sleeve, the blue lily-turf (Liriope muscari) spends most of the year looking like a smart little evergreen grass. Then, as summer fades into autumn, it sends up many spikes of lovely mauve-blue flowers which look wonderful against the reds and yellows of fallen leaves. 30cm (1ft).
Alchemilla mollis: frothy filler
Lady’s mantle conjours up interesting images but is a great performer in so many different locations. It copes with sun and part-shade, the lime-green of its flowers shining best in shady situations, and can be used in herbal remedies. It will happily seed itelf around, making it a good filler, but if you want control in your garden make sure you cut it back before it seeds. You may also then get a second flowering later in the summer. It can be easily split to make more plants and does appreciate some moisture for parts of the year but is an easy-going plant.
Elephant’s ears: glossy evergreen
Bergenia are easy-to-grow, evergreen Perennials are plants that live for multiple years. They come in all shapes and sizes and fill our gardens with colourful flowers and ornamental foliage. Many are hardy and can survive outdoors all year round, while less hardy types need protection over winter. The term herbaceous perennial is used to describe long-lived plants without a permanent woody structure (they die back to ground level each autumn), distinguishing them from trees, shrubs and sub-shrubs.
Epimedium: fairytale flowers
The common name of barrenwort gives you a hint as to what these tough yet dainty plants will cope with, and dry shade is no problem for them. Their pretty heart-shaped leaves are slightly waxy and create a carpet effect, from which elegant, wiry stems topped with cute pixie hats in shades of yellow to red emerge in early spring. The trick is to cut back the old foliage in late winter, to allow fresh new growth and the flowers an easy passage upwards.
Tiarella and Tellima: happy go lucky
Both of these woodland perennials, Tiarella and Tellima, are easy to grow in a wide range of situations but prefer shade and will tolerate dry shade well, sending up pretty spires of frothy flowers. They are easy to divide and create more plants, and generally unfussy. They can either be planted in groups for a carpet effect, or with ferns and other shade-lovers as a matrix of planting.
More plants to try:
Japanese anemone
Euphorbia amygdaloides var. robbiae
Geranium macrorrhizum
Wood anemone
Anemanthele lessoniana
