Plants For: Shady Gardens

When most people think about gardens, they think of bright, sunny spaces with plenty of colourful flowers. However, shady gardens can be just as beautiful – and they definitely have their own unique charm! If you’re looking to plant some shady areas in your garden, then read on for our top tips and advice. We’ll list the best plants for shady gardens, along with some handy tips on how to garden in shady areas.

Shady gardens need specific plants to thrive

When planning a shady garden, it’s important to think about the types of plants that will thrive in these conditions. Many shade-loving plants prefer moist soil and plenty of humidity, so make sure to choose plants that are suited to your specific climate and garden conditions. In shady areas, you can grow a range of plants, including flowers, shrubs, climbers and ericaceous plants.

Shady areas in your garden

There are a few things to consider when planting shady areas in your garden. Firstly, you need to think about the amount of light that the area receives. Some shady spots may only receive dappled sunlight or light from a single direction, while others may be shady all day long. It’s also important to think about the soil type and drainage in these areas – shady gardens often have wetter soil than sunny gardens, although there are shady gardens with very dry or quite acidic soil. If you don’t know what kind of soil you have, you can order testing kits online (or look over the neighbours fence to see what kind of plants they’re growing!)

Ruxley's PLants for shade

  • Chaenomeles
  • Daphne
  • Eleagnus
  • Garrya elliptica
  • Pyracantha (Firethorn)
  • Sarcococca (Sweet box)
  • Vinca (Periwinkle)
  • Hyacinthoides non-scripta (English bluebell)
  • Ilex (Holly)
  • Hydrangea
  • Convallaria majalis (Lily of the Valley)
  • Digitalis (Foxglove)