Create a shade garden with perennials - you have to pay attention to this

A shade garden can be designed romantically. Light conditions must be observed and the soil well prepared before planting.

A shady garden can sometimes become a bane for the hobby gardener. But he doesn't have to. Because, even if it is less advantageous for growing vegetables, it can always be a blessing as a romantically designed shade garden. Flowering perennials and shade do not contradict each other. Forest perennials such as ferns, anemones, elf flowers or golden strawberries thrive even under trees.

Ground covers are recommended for a fully shaded area. Periwinkle or ivy are excellent for this and are easy to care for. There are also moments of light in a shaded garden.

It is precisely in the interplay of light and shadow that many flowering perennials unfold their full beauty.

Before you create a shade garden, observe how the light conditions change over the course of the day in the intended area. These will help you to choose the right perennials.

Shaded areas receive no more than two to three hours of sunshine per day. In partial shade it is four to five hours.

1A good plan…

Creating a shade garden based on gut feeling can end up being chaotic. It is therefore advisable to develop a concept and create a sketch. It should contain:

Inventory of trees and adjacent buildings
Results of your observation of light conditions.
course of future paths in the shade garden. Stepping stones can also be used instead of paths
Outline which perennials are to be planted where and when they will bloom.
List the selection of the planned perennials separately. This will help you with your shopping.

2A good floor…

There are a number of shallow rooters under the trees. Their roots compete with the smaller perennials for space, water and nutrients. Ground cover and ferns have proven themselves under these conditions. However, the soil must be prepared well before planting.

➯ Plant under trees

Thoroughly clear the ground below the tree of weeds. Be careful when doing this. Be careful not to damage the tree's roots with the spade.
Large gaps between the roots can be filled. Mark these with small sticks.
Now apply about 15 centimeters of compost over the entire surface of the floor. The compost is distributed in such a way that about 20 centimeters remain free around the tree trunk.
Before planting, soak the perennials in water for 5 to 10 minutes. The root balls are thus well moistened. This promotes the growth of the perennials.
Water your young perennials thoroughly and cover the perennial bed with a 5 cm thick layer of bark mulch.

➯ Place in partial shade

Thoroughly clear the soil of weeds.
The soil is treated with compost
As planned, the paths for the shade garden are laid out or the stepping stones are laid out
Plant the shade garden according to the planting plan you have worked out. Before that, water the root balls of the perennials for about 10 minutes.
Finally, the perennial beds are covered with a 5 centimeter layer of bark mulch.

3Make a good choice…

When choosing perennials, you should ensure that the leaf shapes, structures and colors bring a well thought-out, natural and varied balance to your shade garden. You can find a selection of popular perennials for shady areas in our article Shade perennials: popular plants presented.

See this video for more inspiration:

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