Lots of things like shade, including cats, my mum and various species of plants.

While seeking out a sheltered spot hasn’t been an issue this so-called summer, there are plenty of gardens where shade is more of an imposition than a choice. Take the courtyard outside my back door, for example. Low light prevails and, for six months of the year, the area gets no sun at all. For the rest of the time, it’s a mixed bag.

As spring morphs into summer, the rays gradually creep down the steps, kissing the eager shoots and waking the snoozing perennials. But all it takes is a summer like this one to stunt growth and kill off previously happy plants.

A shady garden is new to me. The backyard of my previous property was a proper sunspot. Everything thrived and, at the height of summer, that little oasis was awash with colour and scent. The roses climbed, the sweet peas rioted, and the clematis basked – it was a botanical haven which, truth be told, was sometimes too hot. Ah, halcyon days.

Needless to say, excessive warmth has not been an issue in 2024. But even if blue skies had dominated recent weather forecasts, my courtyard flora would still have needed help. Yes, roses scramble up walls but they need assistance. So I took advice from David Austin (the bee’s knees when it comes to healthy growth and abundant flowering) and invested in mycorrhizal fungi, soil improver, and controlled release rose food. As a result, my roses are doing OK but I don’t think they’ll ever match the abundant displays in my last outside space.

The honeysuckle is also doing its thing, as are various clematis, but I’m not overrun with flowers and perfume. And then there’s the problem with the lowest point of the courtyard which, if it’s lucky, enjoys direct sunlight for, oh, about half an hour each evening.

With all of this in mind, I was forced to abandon plans for a repeat of my previous floriferous enclosure. Instead, I embarked on educating myself about shade-tolerant plants.

Pretty shady

Happily, I was already a fan of some popular shade-lovers which are easy to grow and can be found at most garden centres. I’m talking about fabulous ferns. As a child, I was enchanted by these silent wonders, slowly stretching out their fronds, uncurling after a long winter sleep. I’m still fascinated by them and wasted no time in planting young ‘uns in pots and accepting my mum’s more mature offerings from her garden (for some inexplicable reason, she loathes ferns).

My work has been rewarded – in spades. Even in the darkest corners, their foliage has unfurled and is magnificent. In a space that can veer towards the gloomy on grey days, their softness and movement add much-needed cheer, not to mention the luscious green of their leaves. However, as much I like the stature and grandeur of tree ferns, I think I will resist investing in them. They can’t cope with our British winters and it’s too much of a faff to coddle them in the colder months. I live in the north, after all.

Living side by side with the ferns are a few conifers in (really big) pots. Another of my mum’s least favourite species, I admire their hardiness and refusal to die, no matter what you put them through. I bought evergreens so the view from the kitchen sink would have some merit on the year’s shortest days.

Then there’s the clump of daylilies with their trumpet blooms and transient beauty. While the fragility of their flowering is limited to just 24 hours, they are tough and easy to grow. Although not generally recommended for full shade, my orange blooms continue to sound their clarion call for summer.

So, what are you waiting for? While ferns and conifers lend themselves to inclement environments, you don’t need the excuse of a shady corner to nurture shade-loving plants. No matter your plot, give these guys a chance. You won’t regret it.

Words and images by Helen Nugent, Editor of Northern Soul  

 

This article first appeared in Catena