Shade garden plants. Annual flowers in the garden and vegetable garden: types

There are always places in the garden that are in the shade for most of the day. But even the most shady garden can be decorated with many different plants that will fully develop and delight their owner. Shade-loving plants do not always bloom spectacularly in the garden, but have beautiful foliage.

Experts advise to purchase plant seedlings only in specialized and trusted stores.

hosta

Hosta is a decorative and deciduous perennial plant. Hosta bushes are brightly colored. They can be blue, green, gray with a contrasting border or stripes of a lighter color.

Bushes are planted in partial shade, in places protected from the wind. Bushes cover a large area of ​​the earth around them with their foliage. By this they suppress the growth of weeds and almost do not need to loosen the soil. The hosta is a disease resistant shrub, but it is susceptible to frequent attacks by slugs and snails.

Hosta can be planted not only in open ground, but also in wide pots, decorating uncomfortable corners of the garden with them.

astilba

A perennial plant, in which the ground part dies off for the winter. Feels comfortable in the shade and tolerates high soil moisture. There are about 400 species. Their size varies from 15 to 400 cm.

The plant begins to bloom in July, flowering lasts 25-35 days. Flowers are collected in panicle-shaped inflorescences 10-60 cm high. Colors are also different, but white, pink, purple and red astilbes look the most attractive.

Prolonged drought, poor soil, open and hot sun can destroy the plant. In dry weather, it is watered twice a day, in the morning and in the evening.

Astilboides

The plant is native to China. There, astilboides grows in ravines and forests. The height of the plant is about 30 cm, while the diameter of the leaves is 70 cm, which grow on long petioles. The peduncle grows up to 1.5 m tall. The flowers on it are small, collected in inflorescences, similar to panicles.

The bush is moisture-loving, and if the soil is sufficiently moist, then it tolerates bright sunlight, but it is still better to plant it in partial shade. It tolerates frost well without shelter. Astilboides are fed 2-3 times per season with organic fertilizers. Doesn't need a transplant for years. The old foliage is cut off.

Buzulnik

An unusual and beautiful plant of the Compositae family, which will decorate any suburban area or garden. Buzulnik blooms with bright yellow-orange inflorescences that attract attention.

The shrub is hardy to weather conditions, does not need mulch for the winter period of time. It grows for decades in one place, without needing a transplant. Will be able to grow on any soil, even if it is heavy and clay. But still prefers moist and fertile land in the shade. Under direct sunlight, the bush will wither and have an unpresentable appearance.

The buzulnik has strong and elastic branches, but during flowering it needs a garter. You also need to tie up the plant if it grows in a windy area.

Brunner (forget-me-not)

Although this perennial shrub blooms, its beauty lies in its foliage. It appears throughout the season, which gives the shrub freshness and elegance. Prefers semi-shady or sunny places with moist fertile soil.

Brunner - frost-resistant bush. In order for it to be lush, the soil is mulched for the winter with compost, humus, peat or peat. In the spring, top dressing is carried out with mineral fertilizer. The plant rarely gets sick.

Badan

Badan is also a perennial plant that can grow for a long time without transplants. In the next 10 years after landing, it will definitely not have to be transplanted. The bush has a thick rhizome located close to the surface. It has large glossy rounded leaves.

The shrub blooms in purple, hot pink or white, creating a beautiful contrast to the green foliage. This happens at the end of spring and lasts 20 days. Badan fits perfectly into the design of rocky gardens.

Volzhanka

The shrub has spreading bushes with an abundance of white inflorescences. Flowering period from June to the end of July. Its height is about 2 m. Volzhanka calmly grows both in the sun and in the shade. But growing under the open sun, Volzhanka shrubs develop poorly. The best soil for planting will be moist soil with drainage.

The plant is unpretentious in care. It can grow in one place for 15-20 years. Although it is resistant to cold, gardeners insulate it for the winter. Propagated by dividing the bush, cuttings and through the seed.

Geichera

The main advantage of this herbaceous plant is its bright and varied palette of foliage. Its leaves come in the most unpredictable colors, such as gray, white or cream, purple, brown or red.

Most varieties of geyhera have a presentable appearance, from early spring to late autumn. Often the first snow that falls covers the plant along with the foliage. Gardeners love geykhera not only for its beauty, but also for its unpretentious care and shade tolerance. If the bush grows on good soil, then it does not need top dressing, it is resistant to pests and diseases.

Dicentra (Broken heart)

A perennial plant with a height of 30 to 100 cm. Its leaves are green with a bluish tinge, the shape is pinnately dissected. Flowers are heart-shaped, reddish or pink, drooping, about 2 cm in diameter. They are collected on an arcuate branch, which is elevated above the bush.

A place for planting is prepared in the fall, digging and fertilizing the site with humus. During the season, they feed 2-3 times, remove weeds and loosen the soil. Droughts require additional watering.

If faded brushes are cut from the bush, then the flowering period increases.

Black cohosh (Cimicifuga)

This herbaceous shrub got its name due to its insecticidal properties. Another name for the shrub is Silver Candles, it best describes the beauty of the plant.

The height is 1-2 m. In dwarf varieties, 60 cm. The foliage is pinnately divided burgundy or green. The bush blooms with long thin inflorescences-candles 20 cm high. The inflorescence consists of tiny white flowers with stamens, this creates the effect of lace and translucency.

Often used in modern trends in landscape design.

Kupena

The genus Kupena consists of more than 50 species. Most often in nature they are found in the lowland forests and mountains of the Northern Hemisphere. The plant has a curved stem with bright green leaves arranged in two rows. Flowers hang from the leaf axils.

Outwardly, the kupena is similar to the lily of the valley, but this is not surprising, because they are from the same Lily family. Therefore, kupena is sometimes called a deaf lily of the valley. These pretty bushes have medicinal properties. With their help, cardiovascular diseases and back pain are treated.

Fern

Ferns are found in almost every climate, ranging from coniferous forests to the tropics. Thanks to the structure of their branches, which are called fronds, ferns look quite elegant.

This eye-catching plant attracted even our ancestors, who saw in it something magical and bewitching. Many myths and legends have been retold about ferns. But today gardeners use it as an ornamental plant in their flower beds and gardens.

When planting a fern on the site, the main thing is to choose the right place for it, darkened and moist.

Rogersia

Rogersia is a large perennial, belongs to ornamental and deciduous plants. There are 8 species in the genus, whose homeland is Japan and China.

It blooms with white paniculate inflorescences, reaching 120 cm during this period. The leaves are palmate-lobed. When caring for this perennial, you need to not only water and feed it, but also clean the curtain from leaves and stems that have died.

Having planted Rogersia on his garden plot, the owner will immediately note her dominance in the flower garden.

Aquilegia

This is a beautiful flower with a diameter of about 3-8 cm, usually two or three colors. The most common colors are white, yellow, pink, blue, blue and purple. Flowering period May-July.

Reproduction occurs by dispersing seeds, and seedlings dive and transplant to a permanent place. They are not propagated by division, as adult plants do not tolerate transplants well.

The flower is planted both in the shady corners of the site, and under the sun. Aquilegia tolerates any soil well, but develops best on loose, sandy soils with sufficient moisture.

garden geranium

These flowers bloom beautifully, forming picturesque thickets. Their leaves retain their decorative appearance from early spring to the first snows in autumn. They endure winter easily, without any preparation. Grow quickly.

The flowers of the bush are large, about 4-5 cm in diameter. The leaves are deeply dissected. In spring and summer they are green, and in autumn they are red or red-orange.

Geranium is drought tolerant. It grows in any soil, but prefers well-drained, well-drained soil without stagnant water.

Hydrangea

Gardeners love the perennial, shade-tolerant hydrangea flowers for their beautiful, long-lasting blooms that begin in spring, continue through summer, and end in late fall. A garden in which hydrangea blooms will not be inconspicuous, as the color scheme of the plant's inflorescences is diverse, ranging from cream to blue and red.

Bush varieties of hydrangeas grow up to 1-3 meters in height. Lianoid varieties reach 30 meters. Also, the plant can be evergreen or deciduous.

Interesting to know! The color of large-leaved hydrangea depends not only on its variety. It varies depending on the pH of the soil and the amount of aluminum in it.

Features of cultivation and care

To achieve lush greenery and bright flowering in the shady flower garden, you need to properly care for the plants.

Most of the shade-loving species require abundant moisture. They especially need watering in late spring, when hot weather begins. Plants are watered without waiting for them to wilt.

All plants, except wild ones, also need periodic fertilizing with fertilizers. It is also important to loosen the soil, because then the inhabitants of the shady garden will be able to more easily absorb moisture from the soil.

Rules for creating a beautiful flower bed from shade-loving plants

A variety of flower beds are collected from shade-loving plants. Multi-level plantings and island flower beds are popular. When planting shrubs and flowers, adhere to the scheme. On 1 square meter, plant no more than 10 ground cover bushes, 5 medium-sized, 7 undersized and 3 tall plants. Then the flower bed will not only look harmonious, but the shrubs will also feel good.

Shade-loving plants are in demand among gardeners. This is because they are perennial and will delight the owners with bright colors for more than one year with minimal and uncomplicated care.

On any personal or suburban area there will certainly be shady places. And you want to decorate them no worse than the central flower beds and front alleys. With an illiterate approach to this issue, we often create unviable “beautiful pictures”, which subsequently turn into a headache for the owners, a source of their constant concern for the fading life of plants weakening from lack of sun. Desperate, we lay these areas with tiles or bashfully cover the view of these territories. In the meantime, there is a large enough selection of perennial shade-loving garden flowers that will enliven these difficult areas and make them attractive, interesting and, most importantly, viable.

Shade-tolerant and shade-loving - theoretically there is a difference!

Any plants need sunlight - this is the principle of their vital activity, their biochemistry. However, they all need it differently. One needs it bright and open, for others soft, diffused is preferable. Plants that have learned to get by with reflected light, tolerate shading, are called shade-tolerant. And there are those for whom open sunlight is destructive, they feel much better in the shade. They are classified as shade-loving. It is these crops that are recommended to be planted in secluded corners of the garden, on the north side of houses and along high blank fences that block the sun.

But in fact, even experienced gardeners do not always see the difference between them (or do not always do it) and consider these two concepts to be synonymous. All flowering and simply ornamental perennials that are undemanding to the sun fall under this category. Therefore, we will talk in general about plants that do not require a lot of light and are excellent candidates for landscaping shaded areas.

Zone separation

By and large, three categories of zones can be distinguished according to the degree of decorativeness, location and significance. The correct choice of shade-loving perennials will depend on this classification:

1. Classic compositions of herbaceous flowering crops planted for decorative purposes.
2. natural areas. The purpose of planting them is to fill the voids on the periphery of the site and prevent the growth of weeds.
3. Accent flowers. They are located in the central zone, where you have to be content with a small amount of sunlight. Accent perennials stand out in this group, which are distinguished by especially beautiful flowering or original decorative foliage.

Soil Requirements

Plants that are a little whimsical to lighting are usually very demanding on the soil. The earth should be moist, but without stagnant water, well-drained. In composition, it should be light and nutritious. Such as the soil of deciduous forests usually is. If the type of soil in a given place does not meet the requirements of shade-loving crops, you will have to take care of this by preparing special planting pits filled with an optimally composed substrate.

Shade-loving perennial flowers for densely shaded areas of the garden

Such zones should include all places that are illuminated by the sun during the day for no more than 3 hours. Such a shadow is given by buildings, wooded parts of the garden, and even single-standing pine trees. A special microclimate is created here, characterized by high humidity of both air and soil.

It looks impressive among stones and conifers, winters well even in the northern regions, but does not tolerate drought and open sun at all. Requires watering and good drainage, prone to self-seeding. Can serve as a substitute for moss in imitation of Japanese compositions. Although it is a perennial, however, it is not durable.

A rather rare perennial in classical domestic gardens, which is rather original than beautiful, but invariably attracts attention. In Britain, it was called "cobra lily", reflecting its appearance well. Refers to evergreen herbs with a pronounced dormant period.

Blooms profusely and for a long time in slightly sparse shade. Forms a spreading bush with beautiful panicles that can be a wide variety of pink, purple, white and red shades. It looks especially impressive during the flowering period, but is decorative throughout the garden season.

Especially appreciated for early flowering. Its inflorescences, which at the same time look like roses and lanterns, adorn the thawed patches of the garden already in March. It tolerates not only a lack of lighting, but also frost and drought.

Carefully! The hellebore belongs to the buttercups and, like all of them, is poisonous!

This is the real queen of the shadow, which has a huge number of varieties. It will compete with its flowering neighbors in the garden with its decorative effect. The host also blooms, but its color is quite modest, but the main advantage of this impressive group is the leaves. All shades of green, spotted, striped, speckled, white-yellow, golden, bluish - their diversity is really impressive.

Choosing plants for semi-shaded areas

Lacy shade is formed under some fruit trees, such as cherry, plum, some types of apple trees. On the one hand, less hardy perennials can be planted here, on the other hand, trees greatly dry out the soil in a significant radius around them. And most of the shade-tolerant plants are moisture-loving. This should certainly be taken into account when choosing compositions on such plots. Cereals, periwinkle, Goryanka, comfrey, forest anemone, bergenia, broad-leaved kupena will take root here.

When planting shade-loving plants under fruit trees, keep in mind that they take away some of the nutrients needed to form a crop!

If the openwork shadow is formed by the crowns of non-fruiting trees, and the sun illuminates the flower bed from 3 to 5 hours during the day, lupins, daylilies and many medicinal herbs will feel comfortable in such flower beds: lungwort, Rhodiola rosea, lemon balm, spring umbilical, woodruff.

Shade-loving perennial garden shrubs

They are mainly used to create natural areas, but many of them look great in accent compositions. Available both in groups and solo.

In terms of decorativeness in the autumn and even winter seasons, this bush has few equals. When everything that was pleasing to the eye in summer turns into a faded and dull gray background, the chic euonymus foliage becomes a real highlight of your garden.

Will make a pair of autumn euonymus with its decorative foliage. One of the most unpretentious shrubs, which has a clear advantage over others - in the shade, its leaves do not lose their variegated color. Their contrasting pattern creates the illusion of light highlights in the shady corners of the garden, refreshing them and making them visually brighter.

It has become increasingly popular in recent years. Volumetric foliage, spectacular flowers and seed boxes - all this against the background of enviable unpretentiousness is deservedly appreciated by gardeners and landscape designers.

Seasonal classification

A typical mistake in landscaping shady areas is not taking into account the seasonality of flowering of various crops. As a result, the attractiveness of the decorated corner of the garden is short-lived. Meanwhile, if this moment is taken into account in advance, it is possible to create sites on which flowering will be continuous throughout the summer season.

Spring

Early spring is the time of primroses, which should not be neglected. After the dull winter monotony, the look at them will rest almost more than in the summer on roses. They will please with their early modest beauty for about a month. The first to open the buds are various types of snowdrops, hellebore, corydalis, European kandyk, blueberries. It will take quite a bit of time, and the oak anemone, jeffersonia, and liverwort will bloom.

Primroses, as a rule, are prone to active self-seeding, therefore, they require control over reproduction. It is best to identify new foci in early spring, when they just open their buds.

By the end of spring, primroses are ready to be replaced by soldanella, common lumbago, Goryanka and uvularia, which will look especially advantageous against the background of undersized shade-loving shrubs. If it is necessary to cover a significant area, it is recommended to alternate round-leaved saxifrage with phlox and hybrid primroses. They will create a fairly dense leafy-floral rug in places where the sun rarely looks.

Summer

Among the shade-loving perennials that bloom in summer, there is something to choose from, given the location of the composition, conditions and overall landscape design. We advise you to pay attention to martagon (curly lily), which from year to year will bloom more and more luxuriously. However, it should be noted that this is a tall plant (some varieties grow more than 1.5 m in height) and under trees with low crowns it will look ugly. But it will be very advantageous to be placed along the fence or on the shady side of the garden building. Paired with lilies, the sinuous corydalis and the bell look great, also calmly enduring the lack of lighting.

Autumn

The cold season is not so generous for blooming shade-loving perennials, but at this time many ornamental shrubs delight with their lush foliage. Conifers with ferns also help out in such places. It is recommended to supplement compositions with them so that with the onset of the first cold days the garden does not lose its attractiveness. This is a warty euonymus and white turf, as well as mahonia, forsythia and others. Do not ignore berry bushes, such as barberry or hawthorn. Of the late-flowering shade-loving plants, the palm-shaped kirengeshoma can be distinguished. Its voluminous decorative leaves are advantageously complemented by bell inflorescences.

A rational approach to the selection of perennial flowers and shrubs for decorating shady places makes it easier to care for a personal plot by eliminating its “badly working” functions. Mistakes in this matter will require constant maintenance and regular financial investments, which, with the right choice of compositions, can be completely avoided.

Almost every site has places with insufficient lighting, where it is difficult to grow any plants. Shade can be created by residential or outbuildings, as well as the crown of tall fruit trees.

That is why gardeners are so fond of shade-loving perennial flowers for the garden, which do not need constant lighting and can bloom profusely even in conditions of constant lack of light. From the article you will learn what flowers can be planted in the darkest place of your site, their descriptions and photos are given.

The most extensive and widespread group of shade-loving flowers. They are best suited for decorating flower beds in places where there is a lack of sunlight. In addition, they are often planted to decorate walking paths or at the foot of tall fruit or ornamental shrubs and trees. They have a relatively short length and a variety of petal colors.

hosta

It is considered the most common and popular shade-loving plant for decorating home gardens. Among the wide variety of varieties there are flowers not only with different colors and shapes of petals, but also with flowering time. More than 3 thousand varieties of cultivated hostas have been bred, which are usually divided into 5 groups depending on the color scheme of the foliage and the length of the bush.

Hosta is an unpretentious plant that is suitable even for beginners. Gardeners fell in love with them precisely for the elegance and unusual appearance of the leaves, as well as for the racemose inflorescences, consisting of many funnel-shaped flowers.

The flower loves moist and dark areas, but can tolerate short-term drought. In the wild, it is found near water bodies, therefore it is often used to decorate water objects on the site. In Japan, hostas are considered a sacred plant, and the petioles of their leaves are considered a valuable delicacy.

umbilicus

This is a whole species of perennial herbaceous plants that tolerate adverse climate, drought and lack of light. Today, there are about 16 varieties that differ in the flowering period, bud color and leaf shape. The umbilicus has an average bush height of up to 30 cm, on which oval leaves and simple five-petal flowers up to 1.5 cm in diameter are formed.

Flowering lasts up to 40 days, in mid-latitudes - from the beginning of May. The plant can only be planted in the shade, because under the influence of sunlight the leaves burn out.

Primula or primrose

This unpretentious groundcover can be found in almost every corner of the world. In total, there are more than 550 species, not counting artificially bred varieties and hybrids.

Primrose is usually propagated by seeds that have a unique germination rate. The plant is able to adapt to any external conditions, blooms profusely and for a long time even in arid climates, in shade and partial shade. The bush is squat, it has small fleshy leaves. Flowers, depending on the variety, can be painted in a variety of shades, diameter - up to 1.5 cm. Flowering in some species can last from late April to mid-summer.

Hellebore (Gelleborus)

It is an evergreen plant of the Ranunculaceae family, known since ancient times for its healing properties. Suitable for growing in the darkest areas, since sunlight is practically not needed for growth and formation of ovaries.

It begins to grow in early spring, when there is still snow on the site. Hellebore flowers are loved by gardeners for their unusual shape and color. Petals can be red-white, purple or even black. Up to 3 buds are formed on each peduncle, blooming for several months.

When growing hellebore, it should be remembered that it has a tough root system that does not tolerate transplanting well.

Periwinkle

Unpretentious evergreen integumentary plant. It is a small shade-loving shrub that takes root in any area. Flowering begins in late April and may continue until the first frost.

On the bush, characteristic shiny and dense leaves are formed, as well as single five-petal flowers, usually lilac in color. When growing, it is important to prune in the fall to ensure new growth for the following season.

Medium and tall flowers

This is a small group of shade-tolerant flowers, but they can be found almost everywhere. They are used to create shady flower beds and rockeries, growing under the cover of garden trees, shrubs or in the shade of a house.

Rogersia

The plant has a spectacular appearance, for which many gardeners fell in love. The flower belongs to the Saxifrage family, tolerates shade and adverse climate well. Rogersia is classified as an exotic plant, but it is unpretentious in care and cultivation.

The bush, depending on the variety, can have a length of 70 to 130 cm. It has large and powerful dissected leaves that have a green color that changes color by the end of the season. Peduncles are collected in a complex panicle, and the petals are white or cream. Flowering continues from mid-July to late summer. Rogersia is often used to decorate flower beds and mixborders, but the plant grows best near water, as well as in a rocky garden.

Aquilegia

An unpretentious herbaceous plant of the Ranunculaceae family, which is popularly called the Catchment. In nature, there are more than 100 species that differ in the length of the bush and the color of the petals. In mid-latitude conditions, it is best to grow hybrid varieties that are more resistant and immune.

The leaves grow directly on the stem, do not have petioles. The bush reaches up to 1 meter in height. Flowers can be painted in a wide variety of shades depending on the variety, and the petals are arranged in two layers, 5 pieces each.

During the flowering period, this delicate plant is able to decorate any garden. Aquilegia is often used to decorate flower beds and rockeries. The flower looks especially advantageous in English-style gardens. The formation of the bush takes place within 2 years, so timely pruning is required to obtain abundant flowering.

Anemone (anemone)

From the Greek language, the name of the plant is translated as “daughter of the winds”, since the anemone flower petals are sensitive to even slight gusts of wind. Belongs to the Buttercup family, is found almost everywhere in the regions of the middle zone.

Anemone is a herbaceous plant up to 1 meter long, but varieties with a shorter stem are more common. Serrated leaves are arranged vertically. During flowering, an umbrella of flowers is formed, containing a large number of petals of various colors. The diameter of one flower can reach 7 cm, and also have an elegant embossed texture. Anemones bloom for a long time and are practically not subject to disease.

When choosing a variety, it is important to take into account the characteristics of the root system, on which care largely depends. On sale you can find tuberous or rhizome anemones.

Geichera

A tall plant of the saxifrage family, widely used in landscape design. Heuchera has gained great popularity not only because of the beautiful flowers, but also because of the unusual large leaves that have different colors and textures depending on the variety. This is a very decorative plant, with which you can decorate any garden from the beginning of spring until the onset of the first frost.

The height of the stem does not exceed 50 cm, the bush is formed by dense and leathery serrated leaves, which are located on long cuttings. Flowering continues almost all summer, the flowers are small, collected in simple panicles. The color of the petals can be red, cream, white or pink.

For a home garden, it is advisable to choose decorative leafy varieties of geyhera, among which there is a wide variety of shades and leaf shapes. In addition, they are more unpretentious and easy to care for.

Flowering and seasonality

In order for the plants in the garden to delight with their flowering all season, it is advisable to select them depending on seasonality. This combination allows you to achieve abundant and constant flowering, regardless of lighting conditions and climate.

• Spring flowers. These are early varieties and species of plants that do not require a lot of sunlight to form inflorescences. As shade-tolerant spring flowers for summer cottages, snowdrops, dicenter, lilies of the valley and blueberries are recommended. Brunner feels especially comfortable in spring, and with the help of their miniature and delicate flowers, you can create whole decorative compositions. In addition, some varieties of hostas and azaleas are classified as flowers with spring flowering;
• Summer. This is the largest group of shade-loving plants that bloom in the summer. Phloxes, astilba and aquilegia are especially popular among them. Often, primrose, geyher and cuff are used to decorate outdoor areas in summer. Plants that have summer flowering are usually the brightest and most expressive in their summer cottage;
• autumn. Their flowering begins when other flowers are already forming fruits. As a rule, these are frost-resistant and unpretentious varieties that can grow even in cold conditions. The most common autumn perennials are some varieties of hostas, common ostrich, goldenrod, and tiarella cordifolia.

Experienced gardeners and landscape design professionals are able to create whole compositions consisting of different groups of plants, which is especially important when planning mixborders. Taking into account the characteristics and time of formation of the ovaries makes it possible to achieve almost year-round flowering in the backyard. To do this, it is recommended to create a list or table indicating the vegetative period of each plant.

A garden is a complex system in which all elements must complement and combine with each other. Therefore, it is desirable to plant annual and perennial plants, not only different in height and volume, but also in the specific location. So, shade-loving perennials that can bloom where other plants do not even take root are very popular among gardeners. With the help of them, you can create various garden compositions, as well as arrange a flower bed, mixborder, rockery or alpine slide.

A garden is a composition of trees, shrubs and flowers. But often it is the latter that get only the remnants of the sun. Luckily, there are many plants that can or want to thrive even in heavy shade. Skillfully using these properties, you can create a shady garden with your own hands, skillfully filling the “dark spots” with luxurious or exquisitely restrained compositions.

Do you know your land

In order for the plants to feel comfortable and delight the eye with juicy foliage and bright flowers, you need to know the type and acidity of the soil, the degree of shading. Perhaps these are the three fundamental successful growth of your green pets.

Clay or loam: what's the difference

Don't judge soil by its color. It depends not only, as is commonly believed, on the amount of clay, but also on the incoming minerals. You can learn for sure about your mother earth in the truest sense of the word effortlessly.

Moisten a small lump of earth and roll a flagellum or sausage out of it - whoever you like, roll it into a ring. The thickness of the product should be slightly more than 3 mm, and the diameter should be 2–3 cm. Now we carefully look at what happened and find out the type of soil.

1. Sandy soil will not succumb to rolling or twisting. It is poor and requires the application of compost and powdered peat.
2. A fragile ball is a sandy loam, which also needs to be enriched.
3. The ringlet, easily disintegrating if you try to take it, is a light loam.
4. Ring with cracks and fractures - medium loam.
5. A solid lace, but the ring is cracking - heavy loam.

Note!
Loams are "warm", retain water and fertilizer well, but need constant composting and mulching.

1. The ring without flaws is clay, the soil is very heavy for the roots. Rain makes it an impenetrable swamp, and drought makes it rock solid. Green manure, compost and mulch will gradually saturate the clay with "vitamins" and make it looser.

Note!
If you really want to plant lilies, and there is only a place in partial shade on clay, this is not scary.
Experienced gardeners guarantee that there will be fewer flowers, but they will please the eye longer.

Dig a hole into which a 5-liter bucket of sand-peat mixture or black earth will enter. The poured mound should rise 15–20 cm above the ground. The seat is ready.

Sour, not sour - guessing by currants

From the school curriculum, it is known that there are several levels of soil acidity:

• strongly alkaline (up to 9 pH);
• alkaline (8–8.5 pH);
• neutral (6–7 pH);
• slightly acidic (pH 5–6);
• acidic (from 4 to 5 pH);
• strongly acidic (less than 3.5 pH).

An acidic environment is avoided by earthworms; the activity of bacteria is reduced in it. As a result, the soil is compacted and poorly passes air and moisture. Information in general terms, but it gives an idea of ​​what the root system of your pets will develop.

Many cultures prefer neutral and slightly acidic conditions. Although such gourmets as rhododendrons, camellias, heather cannot live without "sour".

If you decide to grow plants for a shady garden seriously and for the joy of posterity, you should buy litmus papers in an agricultural store - pH tests.

Your next steps:

1. From a depth of about 10 cm, take a lump of earth.
2. Clear of foreign objects.
3. Air dry.
4. Put the dried material into 30 ml of distilled water.
5. Mix.
6. When the earth settles, lower the dough into the water.

The paper strip will gradually change color. The instructions on the packaging will explain the level of acidity.

Other ways of testing will be almost from the realm of alchemy.

1. Acetic. Drop a little on a handful of earth. Bubbles hiss like when soda is extinguished - normal earth, there will be no reaction - sour.
2. Currant. Steam 3-4 blackcurrant leaves.
   After cooling, mix the solution and dip the earth into it:

• a reddened solution will indicate a strong acidification;
• pink - medium acid;
• green - neutral,
• blue - alkaline.

shades of shadow

Depending on the time of year, the foliage of trees, the length of daylight hours, and the activity of lighting, the degree of shading of garden plots depends.

Garden flowers for shady places may require:

• penumbra - 3 hours of direct sunlight in the morning and evening with a shadow on a hot afternoon;

• full shade - about 3 hours of direct sun in the middle of the day and shade the rest of the time;

• diffused light - throughout the day.

Old deciduous trees do not pass precipitation well, and the roots intensively draw moisture from the ground. A dry shadow is formed under them, where bulbous plants can take root.

In spring, it will be pearl snowdrops and blue sprouts dear to the heart, multi-colored columns of hyacinth inflorescences with an indescribable aroma, white and yellow daffodils with a sunny center, primrose rugs.

In partial shade, flowers with a diameter of up to 5 cm look spectacular anemone oak. It blooms from April to May. A miniature blue-white-pink blanda anemone appears from under the snow all at once - both leaves and flowers.

Autumn melancholy will be revived by pink and blue flowers of colchicum (autumn colchicum) and crocus. Colchicum is an amazing flower. The onion sleeps and develops underground, shooting with delicate flowers on a leafless stem up to 20 cm high only in autumn.

Headaches are areas with enduring dampness, where flowers for a shady garden will be in danger of rotting. This usually happens in places with a high water table and clay soil or near water bodies.

In damp penumbra, regardless of the soil, hearty houttuynia grows well. 30 cm high, the perennial is attractive with decorative foliage - a green middle and a yellow-red edging. It tolerates the winter of the middle lane well.

The perennial loosestrife monetizes well in shady places. Bright yellow flowers against the background of light round leaves look like a scattering of sunspots. The price of your efforts will pay off in a couple of years with the formation of a dense curtain.

Smaller is better, more beautiful

A sense of proportion must also be present with. Agree, a chaotic cluster of even rare beauty of flowers will not make the proper impression. Colors and volumes will "argue", and in an attempt to express themselves, they will only get lost in the motley chaos.

The design of your garden can be:

• a continuation of the natural zone, when in the already established world order and look natural for a particular place. This is a periwinkle with shiny leaves and an abundance of blue flowers, a fragrant lily of the valley, a hairy lungwort with multi-colored inflorescences, sprawling bushes of the Siberian brunner - discreet, but full of quiet charm.

• decorated with flower beds that accentuate attention. For this purpose, the host is the best fit, eye-catching leaves of fantastic color - orange, yellow, blue, light green, bordered, contrasting pattern, spotted, speckled. With a height of 20 to 60 cm, hostas are suitable for rockeries and borders, in compositions with tall plants or as ground cover;
• in deep shade, there are no equal ferns, which look interesting in a duet with hostas. Common ostrich with an elegant bunch of brownish leaves in the middle, male shield with leaves up to 1.5 m long, foot-shaped maidenhair (loves a milder climate);

• with the inclusion of classical compositions. These include plants for shady corners of the garden, which have a constant decorative appearance - a colored leaf, a beautiful habit (appearance) and it is desirable that they be perennials. An open perspective favorably emphasizes the dignity of these landings;
• as an option, try planting a thin-leaved mock orange. Its delicate aroma will successfully replace a cup of expensive Chinese jasmine tea. At the time of flowering, it literally boils with snow-white foam, spreading over lush greenery. Another winter-hardy perennial is the milky-flowered bell, a tall bush with a diameter of up to 0.5 m, blooms in mid-July so luxuriantly that it is almost completely hidden under blue-lilac and white.

Summarizing

An ornamental garden is hard work and pleasant relaxation. Secluded shady corners become fabulous shelters under the shade of amazing plants. Listening to the "wishes" of green friends, you can bring to life the most daring projects.