10 Shade Loving Plants & Some Excellent Sources on What and When to Plant – 719woman.com
Creating a beautiful garden or patio area with blooming flowers, aromatic herbs, lush greenery or seasonal vegetables is something I look forward to every year. But the cost of doing so can add up, depending on your needs and space. Landscaping materials like mulch, rock, and potting soil can put a dent in your wallet before you even purchase plants, not to mention the price of pots, which I think can be ridiculously high-priced. Which is why it’s important to do a bit of research before you purchase your plants to make sure they can survive and thrive in the areas you plant them.
When I shop for anything I’m going to plant, the number one thing I check out first is if it’s deer-resistant. And now that we’ve lost all our fox from mange, which resulted in rabbits galore hopping through the yard, I look for deer and rabbit-resistant plants. My very first spring in Colorado Springs, having moved from Texas, I remember how beautiful my garden was the day I planted a couple of hundred dollars worth of fabulous flowers I had always had luck with. Much to my dismay, the next morning, they were nothing but a bunch of stems and stalks poking out of the ground. The buds, leaves…everything but the damn stems were gone! I admit I cried and was a bit pissed off with the wildlife. And then it snowed and we had freezing temperatures (in April!) and I wondered what kind of godforsaken place had we moved to? Deer and snow?
Long story short, I did a lot of research before I planted anything else because the deer and rabbits were here before me and it just wasn’t in my budget to provide an all you can eat daily buffet option. And truth be told, I love our wildlife and didn’t want to be “angry” with any of them. I moved in their space.
Besides wild critters, we have mostly shade in the areas I’d plant, which can be tricky to grow in. For years I kept comparing our daisies in the back yard to our neighbor’s plants and ours were always half the size. Were they using a special fertilizer or bringing in new soil every year? Why did theirs do so much better? Well, come to find out, it was simply because their plants were getting hours and hours more of sunshine because of our tree coverage.
So what’s my point? Before you plant, consider things like soil, moisture, humidity, heat, wind…besides thinking about what animals might like to nibble on and the amount of sun and shade you get. Because it’s no fun to spend time and money on trying to create an inviting outdoor area with plants that aren’t going to survive and thrive.
For those of you who might be looking for plants that don’t require lots of sunshine, here are 10 plants that will thrive in the shade.
I found that our local zoo, the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, was an excellent source for trying to figure out what to plant. Zoos typically use plants that are suited for the area and your climate. Resistance to pests, hardiness, and water requirements are also things zoos consider so whatever is growing at your local zoo should do well in your own yard.
I also love using the Denver Botanic Gardens website for planting tips.
https://www.botanicgardens.org/education/gardening-resources
Know your zone…knowing your “zone” can also help determine what grows best in your area.
And my very favorite source on all things garden-related is the Farmer’s Almanac, first published in 1792.