A shady space...
Light levels during January are low and the days are short, but now the winter solstice has passed, days are slowly lengthening. There are however, areas of the garden which never receive much sunlight, and these shady spaces are often seen as a challenge.
A south facing garden is on the priority list of most house hunters, but in reality there must be around the same number of houses built on the dark side of the road! If you’re lucky enough to have a front and back garden, then you should have somewhere to grow the sun lovers, but it’s often a rear shady garden which causes most frustration. So what’s the answer? Embrace the shade!
Shady spaces can be much more atmospheric than those open to full sun, they have a great earthy smell and can support a diverse range of plants and mosses. One suggestion is to layer the planting, so that it looks like the creation of shade is intentional. I would probably go as far as to erect a structure, such as a pergola or shade sail over the top, creating a cosy outdoor room, and use lighting to visually warm the space at night.
Your layering process begins with the boundaries. The first stage is to paint them black, and before you scream ‘BLACK?!’ out
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loud, hear me out. Painting the boundaries black will help them to fade into the background once plants mature. The second stage is to clothe the fences and walls with climbers.
Although hated by some, Ivy is
perfect for this, but other things to try are shade-tolerant Honeysuckles or wall shrubs such as Hydrangea petiolaris and Garrya elliptica. For additional flower colour, why not cram in a couple of Clematis?
Introduce height with a small tree such as Amelanchier ‘Robin Hill’ or the evergreen Trachycarpus fortunei. Clump forming bamboo makes a great vertical accent, as does the banana Musa basjoo. Next in our ‘shade lasagne’ are the shrubs such as the purple leaved Acers, Viburnum tinus, Box (which can be clipped into shapes to add formality) and Sarcococca. Smaller perennials such as Astilbe, Aconitum and Hellebores provide colour and finally ferns such as the evergreen Asplenium scholopendrium supply wonderful glossy ground cover.
So there you have it, a shady oasis, and as with most things in life, if you fully embrace it, a north facing shady garden can be magical.
To advertise in thewire t. 07720 429 613 e.
the.wire@btinternet.com
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