One of the most common misconceptions I come across in gardening is that shade is somehow less good than sun, or that it is a problem to be solved. Not so. As a rule, shade adds both depth and quality to the range of plants you can grow, as well as aesthetic pleasure for the gardener.
Gardens would be immeasurably duller without plenty of shade. I love the plants that thrive in it as well as the way in which light moves to bring texture and depth to what would be a flat desert in unbroken sun. Almost all shade shifts and varies in intensity. Many leaves merely filter the light, casting a gentle, even delicate, shadow that improves not just the cultivation but also the appearance of many plants, and even the darkest of back yards can become a beautiful garden.
Embracing damp shade
There is a triangular section of our garden at Longmeadow that is surrounded on all sides by high hedges. We call it the Damp Garden but, in reality, it is only damper than the rest of the garden for a few weeks of the year when covered by flood water. This is because our garden is a raised plateau on the edge of some water meadows that have been flooded regularly for thousands of years. The river that floods them is the Arrow, which runs 50 yards from our back door, bringing rainwater down from the Welsh hills. For a few weeks every year, about a third of the garden returns to water meadow - and very beautiful it is too. I wish it happened more.
In reality, as a result of the 15ft hornbeam hedges sheltering the south and western sides, it is more of a 'shade' than 'damp' garden. While at any one time a good third of the garden is always in full sun, the key is that in summer all of it is in shade for at least half the time - and this seems to be the right balance for almost all 'shade-loving' plants.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة August 2023 من BBC Gardeners World.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
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هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة August 2023 من BBC Gardeners World.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
We love June
We're cruising towards midsummer: this is a month full of love and abundance. Wherever you look there will be something in your garden that lifts the spirits and makes you glad to be alive. We have colour to cheer us, we have leaves that still have the bounce and freshness of small puppies, we have the first berries fattening up, there are birds frantically parenting very demanding broods of chicks, the bees are all over the place, it's prime barbecue and picnic season, and we have lawns as lush and green as billiard tables. What a month to fall in love.
Your wildlife month
The female will usually lay one clutch of up to eight eggs
An edible garden in pots
Join Lucy Bellamy in creating an edible container garden for all seasons, as she harvests what's ripe now and starts later-season crops
Garden craft with kids
Fill the summer holidays with fun nature makes for kids, including botanical printed t-shirts, seed sowing in upcycled food containers and a hanging home for beneficial insects. Jaime Johnson and family show you how
Secrets of a COLOURFUL GARDEN
Using a colour theme is an easy way to give any garden a strong, unified character - Nick Bailey shows you how
Indoor plants, outdoor treats
Break the rules and give your house plants a summer holiday, with Michael Perry's mixed pot display ideas
YOUR PRUNING MONTH
The first few weeks of summer are a good time to get spring-flowering plants in shape. Follow Frances' guide for best results
Gardening for wellbeing
As the pressures of modern living bear down, our outside spaces can provide soothing respite for our minds and bodies, says Arit Anderson
Your greenhouse guide to A fruitful summer
Get the best from your greenhouse fruit and vegetable crops this summer, with these tried and trusted growing tips from Adam Frost
Stars of the show
Agapanthus is the perfect midsummer plant, flowering with spectacular blooms from June onwards and, as Monty explains, it loves to grow in a pot