Shade Flower Garden Design Tips

Gardeners often worry about planting flowers in a shady spot: what to plant, how to prepare the soil, how to grow colorful flowers and have a pretty shade garden all summer. A shady flower garden can be lovely and rewarding if you follow a few simple guidelines.

Prepare the Soil with Organic Matter

First, prepare the soil thoroughly so your flowers will grow and stay healthy. If you are working in shade cast by a building, you may be able to prepare the entire flower bed or planting area at once. If you are working in shade beneath trees, you may need to proceed cautiously, working around tree roots. You might even have to dig individual planting holes for your flowers.

Loosen the soil thoroughly. Add organic matter such as compost or well rotted autumn leaves to improve it. Organic matter helps the soil to hold both air and water, creating a healthy environment for the flowers’ roots.

Plant Flowers that Prefer Shade

Select plants and flowers that do well in shade. If you plant sun lovers in a shady spot, they will not thrive and you will be disappointed. For the most exciting garden with seasonal changes, use a selection of perennials. Carefully plan for perennials that bloom at different times, such as Pulmonaria for early spring, Astilbe for summer, and Tricyrtis for fall blooming interest. For a list of flowers for shade and part shade, see my listing of flowers for shade and partly shaded areas .

Annuals Provide Steady Flower Color

Most shade perennials bloom for only a short time each year. To obtain a steady, bold display of colorful flowers, add annuals such as impatiens. These will bloom from spring through frost and give you lots of color in addition to the foliage and floral combinations you create with your perennials. .

Mix and Match Foliage

Foliage provides a display all season, whether the flower is blooming or not. In a shade garden it is especially important to mix foliage textures and shapes. For instance, hostas have bold leaves that contrast with the delicate foliage of ferns or the grassy texture of spiderwort (Tradescantia). Place these next to each other to create a pleasing combination.

Also mix foliage colors. Gold foliage and silver, white or gold variegation on green leaves all help brighten up a shady area. A golden creeping jenny (Ligularia nummularia ‚”Aurea”) looks like chartreuse coins when grown in a shady spot. It is amazing paired with the grassy textured, nearly black leaves of Ophiopogon ‚”Ebony Knight” or as an underplanting for a green and gold variegated hosta. Experiment to find your favorite combinations.

Plan on Mulching the Flowers

There are many benefits to mulching the flower garden. Organic mulch such as chopped leaves, a thin layer of herbicide free grass clippings, or half finished compost will provide additional organic matter to the soil over time as it breaks down. It also helps keep the soil more evenly moist and reduces watering needs. Mulch can also help keep down weeds, although weeds are not usually such a problem in shade gardens.

Place the mulch around your plants in a layer about two to three inches thick. Do not place it over the plants, just nestle it around them. Fluff the mulch and replenish it as needed to keep it about that thick.

Design, Plant and Enjoy Your Shady Flower Garden

A shaded flower garden offers many opportunities to enjoy annual and perennial flowers as well as exquisite foliage combinations. Follow the shade flower garden design tips in this guide to create a delightfully shaded floral bower. Enjoy your shady flower garden!

Read More: For more tips and ideas on shady flower garden design, including how to use benches and other features, try this designs for shade guide.

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