Home
Plants
Monty's favourite plants for shade

Monty's favourite plants for shade

BBC Gardeners' World Magazine

Published: Thursday, 1 August 2019 at 9:35 am

Discover Monty's favourite shade-lovers at Longmeadow.

Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Share on pinterest
Share on whatsapp
Share on blogger
Email to a friend

Shady beds and borders provide the perfect opportunity to grow plants that enjoy a bit less sunlight.

If you have shade in the garden that is created by trees you can be fairly certain it'll be dry, with tree roots sucking away a lot of the moisture, particularly in summer. Improve this by incorporating plenty of organic matter into the soil and by growing plants for dry shade.

When choosing plants for shade, do include plenty of flowering plants. Pale-flowered plants are particularly useful at brightening up the darkest spots.

Want to see more of Monty's favourites? Check out his favourite fruit plants for sun.

Read on to discover Monty's favourite plants for shade.

Rosa canina

Rosa canina grows in light shade and can tolerate heavy, clay soil. Other roses that will grow in light shade include Rosa glauca, Rosa moyesii, Rosa californica, Rosa 'Coryana' and Rosa 'Dupontii'.

Climbers for wildlife - dog rose — Pink dog rose flower

Hellebores

Hellebores enjoy the rich soil at Longmeadow. This includes natives like the stinking hellebore, Helleborus foetidus, as well as the lenten rose, Helleborus orientalis. Find out how to plant hellebores.

Helleborus orientalis 'Pink Shades' — Magenta hellebore 'Pink Shades'

Meconopsis

Himalayan poppies, Meconopsis, have exquisite papery flowers and are suited to growing in rich, moist, slightly acidic soil. Meconopsis betonicifolia has true blue flowers, but you can also find types with red, white and purple blooms.

Geranium phaeum 'Album'

This dainty variety of the dusky cranesbill, Geranium phaeum, has white flowers that glow bright in dim light. For planting ideas, check out six plants to grow with hardy geraniums.