Gardening Tips for a Shaded Backyard

This shade is bright and fairly even. It exists in gardens that are directly open to the sky but are affected by shadows from trees, structures, and walls.

As the sun moves across the sky, partially shaded areas receive direct sunlight for less than half a day. Partial shade also refers to spots where the sun is blocked during the hottest part of the day.

Filtered shade typically applies to areas of your garden situated beneath tree canopies. Some sunlight passes through the leaves, dappling the ground with its rays. These parts of your garden can generally support plants that thrive in partial or light shade.

Very little (if any) direct sunlight touches a fully shaded area. The floor of a gazebo or the ground beneath a grove of evergreens is in deep shade. Your foliage options will be limited in these low-light regions.

This is all about soil moisture levels. Dry shade means the soil is dry, and wet shade means it's moist. Dry shade often occurs under large or established trees, where roots suck up most of the water and leave little for new plants. Riverbanks or sunken areas with poor drainage are considered wet shade.

Before heading to your favorite garden center, research your region's hardiness zone. Native flora that grows in your zone will be most successful because they have already adapted to the climate.

Always check the labels when plant shopping. They contain watering and pruning tips, shade preferences, the correct hardiness zones, and other helpful tidbits.

The direction and amount of sunlight a shady garden gets change as the growing season progresses. Keep this in mind when designing your landscaping layout, and strategically arrange foliage that needs more light in areas that will get more sun as late spring turns to early summer.

Spreading mulch over your garden helps with weed suppression, and doing so in the spring stops these pesky plants before they start.

Why limit your garden to only the warmer months? Plenty of plants offer beauty in other seasons too. Hellebores, for example, are evergreens, and many varieties offer beautiful blooms in winter. Or consider hardy begonias that flower from late summer to early fall.

To promote growth below and above ground, apply a slow-release fertilizer with minimal nitrogen at the beginning of planting.

If you want more sunlight in your yard, prune the tree canopy. We recommend hiring an arborist or other landscape professional for the job—they know how to trim tall trees correctly and safely.

Plants should be placed in pots or containers around trees to protect the roots and leave the soil undisturbed. You can also move the planters if that environment isn't working for them.

Water shade plants less frequently than those under the open sky. Tree canopies and overhangs block the sun, which leads to less water evaporation, so shadier spots can retain moisture more easily.

Grace your garden with foliage featuring contrasting textures and colors. Filling corners and sides with a variety of flowering plants, such as coral bells, anemones, and golden meadow rue, will create a striking sensory treat.

The corners of your garden will experience low light levels. Zhuzh up dark and dreary corners with leafy garden plants that pack a pigmented punch. Use these blooms to build a bright plant palette: