Dynamic Duets for Shade
By Ktis Wetherbee

Light up shady areas of the garden by using plant combinations that offer complementary textures and colors.

For years I was envious of gardeners who were blessed with shade. Yes, you heard me right—blessed with shade! Though my husband and I live in the Pacific Northwest—where it’s presumed that every gardener is sun-challenged—when we moved into our home most of the potential gardening space was in bright light to full sun. Over the years we worked at creating shady niches to satisfy our craving for the boldly shaped leaves of hostas and ligularias, the subtle textures of bugbanes (Actaea spp.) and sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum), and the delicate floral sprays of heucheras and astilbes.

Most gardeners don’t have to manufacture shade, as we did, in order to take advantage of the broad palette of attractive shade-loving plants—including herbaceous perennials, bulbous plants, grasses, and shrubs—that are now available.

Design Tips

The key to creating an attractive shade garden is selecting harmonious duets or trios of plants that have complementary attributes. For instance, look for foliage plants that offer intriguing textures and patterns and match them with plants prized for their colorful flowers or berries. “A well-designed garden bed is anchored by structural plants that perform year round and contribute dramatic foliage, form, or color,” says Shirley Bovshow, a Los Angeles garden designer and television host of the online weekly “Garden World Report Show.” Bovshow recommends that you start with three plants that look great together for most of the year. All additional plants will then serve as the “icing on the cake.”

The most interesting compositions for shade gardens feature plants with attractive foliage - think variegation, shape, and texture - as the foundation or backbone of the planting. Use flowering plants as an accent to these foliage plants, or frame them against the backdrop of foliage.

Consider horizontal as well as vertical by planning for vividly arranged horizontal patterns that will fill in the vegetative layers of your space with texture, foliage, bloom color, and overall shape….

A regular contributor to The American Gardener, Kris Wetherbee is a freelance writer based in Oakland, Oregon.

Photo credits: David Cavagnaro
 

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