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Gardening is always a challenge. Some plants like it dry, some like it wet, some like it hot and sunny and some like the cool shade. Often, we concentrate on the sunny areas and neglect the shady areas and miss great opportunity to create a lovely welcoming oasis; a retreat from the hot summer sun.

There are many shade-loving plants that will do well almost anywhere in the country. Perennials offer lovely foliage and blooms and require little care beyond mulching and deadheading (removing the spent blooms immediately after blooming), and providing adequate water during the dry spells of the summer months. Biennials do well also, although they don't re-seed themselves well in mulched areas. Annuals, with their long-lasting blooming season and bright colors fill in the areas between and in front of the base plants, catch the eye and beckon you to visit the shady retreat.

Some plants like deep shade and should be planted where they will receive very little direct sunlight. Other like morning or afternoon sun; these would be planted on the perimeter of your shade garden so that they would receive some sunlight during their preferred time. They all like adequate water and cool roots, and mulching helps with both. If ants are a problem, you may want to consider using the new mulch made of rubber.

This list of perennials begins with those that prefer deep shade and end with those that like some sun.

-Lily of the Valley

-Columbine

-Ferns

-Hosta (certain varieties)

-Knapweed (can be invasive)

-Hellebore

-Jacobs Ladder

-Coral Bells

-Bee Balm (likes afternoon sun)

-Lupine (likes afternoon sun)

-Bleeding Heart (likes morning sun)

-Stargazer Lilies (likes morning sun)

These biennials do best with some sun:

-Foxglove

-Canterbury Bells

These annuals will grow fine in virtually any sun/shade condition:

-Begonias

-Impatients

-Snapdragons

If you have a large enough area, Peonies do very well in shady conditions if they are given a few hours of sun. They can grow quite large, so place them where they will not have to be moved, since they quite often do not survive a move.

Did you know that you can put your Christmas/Holiday cactus outside in a shady area during the summer months? Water them only if there is more than a week without substantial rain, give them a small dose of fertilizer in August and bring them in before the nights get cold. Your plant will most likely give you more blooms than they ever have!

You won't regret time invested in creating a shady retreat in your yard. Just be sure to leave room for a comfortable chair!

Learn more about this author, Linda Batey.
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