Shade Landscaping Ideas

Use Groundcovers

• A variety of groundcovers work well in shady locations. English Ivy (Hedera helix), Algerian Ivy (Hedera canariensis), Japanese Spurge (Pachysandra terminalis), Creeping Charlie (Glechoma hederacea) and Common Periwinkle (Vinca minor) are all common vining groundcovers that spread over the ground in dense shade. They spread aggressively and their thick growth prevents other vegetation, such as weeds, from growing. They are useful for quickly and permanently covering bare ground in shady areas.

Use Shade-loving Perennials

• Shade-loving perennials, such as Common Rose Mallow (Hibiscus moscheutos) with its attractive pink blooms, Joe-Pye weed (Eupatorium maculatum) and Plantain lilies (Hosta decorata) with broad attractive leaves, are often planted in shady areas that remain damp. Mix these perennials of similar height to create a lush garden scene in the shade.

  Plant plenty of shade-tolerant perennial shrubs, such as the Glossy Abelia (Abelia x grandiflora), American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana), Big Leaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla) and Coralberry (Symphoricarpos orbiculatus). Any of these shrubs provide attractive ways to fill in barren shady areas as they grow over 5-feet tall and just as wide.

Grow a Fern Garden

• If you are lucky enough to have an area with damp shade, try growing a garden of different ferns. Ferns add an exotic atmosphere to the garden. Some ferns grow quite large, such as the Ostrich Fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris) that can reach 6-feet tall in its native habitat. Other hardy ferns that work well in a shady location are the Cinnamon Fern (Osmunda cinnamomea) that grows to 36 inches and the Royal Fern (Osmunda regalis). Some ferns can survive some dry periods, but most prefer well-drained damp soil.

Container Gardening

• For color in a shady location try planting daylilies (Hemerocallis fulva), or Geraniums (Geranium sanguineum) in containers. Arrange colorful containers in limitless ways in a shady location. Try arranging small containers in front of larger containers or grouping containers. The best part about growing shade-loving plants in containers is you can move them around as the slant of the sun changes over the season. Also, if the plants are not cold tolerant, you can easily move or protect them during the winter. Grow plants with the same light and growing requirements in the same container.