This summer heat has made it almost unbearable to be outside. Yet an avid gardener will continue to spend hours upon hours tending, weeding, and trying to maintain the garden. I know the early years of developing my home landscape was strictly limited to sun-loving plants only. I planted trees and some shrubs that have turned into small trees over the years. So gradually my sun-soaked landscape is now offering more shady retreats from those heat pounding sunrays. Now we can look to add another dimension to the landscape; some shade gardening. This will take advantage of the increasing shade, allowing a new assortment of plants and even a nice haven to enjoy. Now is a good time to consider if a shade garden might be something you would like to include in your landscape.

Creating a shade garden will take a little planning, but starting now will allow time to select your dream plants and have them ready to plant in the fall. Remember, all shade is not created equal – we have partial shade, full shade, and dappled shade. Partial shade would be a west facing house creating backyard shade in the afternoon for 2-6 hours a day. Full shade is 6 or more hours of no direct sun exposure per day. Dappled shade would be filtered light under a tree canopy or man-made structure. Knowing this will be helpful in selecting a site for your shade garden. Also remember water will evaporate slower in shade, so you may not want to place your shade garden on the lower sites of your property where water may naturally pool or stand for extended periods. A well-constructed shade garden can offer microclimates that can affect temperature, water moisture, and even the soil.

Planning your garden includes selecting a style or theme. You may not care for a meticulously laid out English or Japanese style, but you might lean toward an informal woodland setting that would flow better with your current landscape. Choosing the shade-loving plants will be easier using the free online NCSU Plant toolbox website with over 5000 plants listed, where you can filter your searches and pull up precisely what you are looking for. Have fun creating your shade garden but remember to include layers such as annuals, perennials, bulbs, shrubs, and trees to top it off. Use plant foliage to mix it up with colors and textures. Brighten the dark corners with lighter colors of gold, yellow, variegated, and chartreuse foliage. Colors can also help enhance your mood, while blues and purples help create a calm and cooling visual effect. Don’t forget the hard-scaping – you might enjoy adding a water feature like a small fountain that will provide a soothing water splashing sound.

Remember, fall is a great time to plant, so sourcing your plants soon will give you ample time to lay out your garden and prepare your soil. A soil sample submitted now can help with nutrient requirements and letting you know if the pH needs adjusting by incorporating lime. Soil samples are free until Thanksgiving, and the turnaround time from receiving at the lab to reporting is now only about 2 weeks. Visit your local North Carolina Cooperative Extension Center for soil boxes and forms.