How I added light to the shady corners of the plot using plants

Send

So planting, planting for several years in a row, well - all the plants in the sun, well-groomed and grow like yeast ... And then bam - and half a plot in the shade. Or from the very beginning there is a shadow, and then it gets worse and worse. In Khabarovsk Territory, I developed the second option - there were a lot of shadows initially. And then she planted all sorts of things, it grew, and the shadows increased. Not complete, of course, but 1-4 hours of open sun for most ornamental plants is still not enough. There are places where the sun does not look even for an hour - a “lace” shadow from the foliage. Moreover, the shadow is mostly dry, which imposes its limitations on the selection of plants. I wanted to lighten the dark corners somehow, to make them more cheerful, so that it was pleasant in the shade. What I did, I will tell in this article.

In the shadow of the house

On the north side of the house is the main entrance and this area I took care of first. The girl’s grapes, covering half the walls, are certainly beautiful. But all summer the foliage is dark, glossy, and it looks monotonous and gloomy.

The place here, in contrast to most of the site, is relatively humid, which means hosts and astilbe are suitable. Moving different varieties of host and astilbe back and forth, I came to the conclusion that white astilbe and white-edged hosts look best.

Hosts "Media Variate" (Mediovariegata) somehow quickly grew in two years, and then gradually expanded and compacted the bush, not particularly “swinging”. And here «Patriot" (Patriot) was growing an acceptable bush for four years. The growing season is not enough for him, and even the northern side. In another, warmer and sunny place, this variety has grown a good bush in three years.

"Revolution" (Revolution) He sat for three years, issued five leaves during this time, and was evicted. «Francie (Francee) on the contrary, it grew over three years in such a bush that it was finely divided, distributed to friends, and the remaining piece was planted in a dry shadow.

Astilbe "Diamond" (Diamond) and openwork white «Morheim (Moerheimii) for three years, too, have grown to healthy bushes, which had to be divided and distributed. As a color and habit experiment, I tried to plant pink ones there «Cattleya (Cattleya), «Brown Hilde » (Brunchilde) and my darling - "Strausfeder" (Straussenfeder). Pink in the shade and against the background of dark foliage look dirty, I had to reset them.

From the point of view of landscape design, it would be right to plant hosts and astilbe of the same variety, a refrain, but I'm not so interested.

On the other hand, the porch of the sun is even smaller, even the astilbe felt somehow not comfortable. And here are the hosts The Wide Brim (Wide Brim) and«Sharman " (Sharmon) I liked it there. They settled well next to nephrolepses.

The foliage of both varieties is bright at the beginning of summer, and then dims somewhat, therefore, as bright companions, I planted a variegated room for them in the summer euonymus Fortune ‘Blondy ’ or coleus bloom with yellow leaves. I dripped in a pot fragrant dracaena and even planted a shoot scindapsus painted.

Scindapsus over three months of vegetation has grown well, and when the composition became complete, it was time to dig and clean the plant for the winter in the house. In general, it is better to plant adult specimens, it turns out more effective.

In the shadow of large poplars

The dry and shaded (2 hours of the morning sun) place behind the garage and under the huge poplars, which were located almost close to the fence, served as my field for plant survival experiments for several years. In addition to the constantly living, although not prosperous half-double-rose hips, nothing really wanted to grow there. Until I planted there vesicle Kalinolistny ‘Nugget ’. Either he’s generally unpretentious in life, or it was precisely these conditions that turned out to be optimal for him, but for 4 years he reached up to 2.5 m in height and 4 meters in diameter.

In the beginning of summer, he has foliage of an absolutely enchanting lime-golden color even here, under poplars, and then it is covered with a white foam of flowers. The foliage is green. An extremely life-loving plant “survived” both ornamental and weed plants from its place of growth, unable to cope only with nephrolepis and hops. In early summer, seedlings merrily gilding in the vicinity of the vesicle.

Good as an accent: it naturally forms a fountain-shaped bush and, probably, would look amazingly on the lawn. But for the lawn, I no longer have a place.

Near the fence, where there is poplar, even the grass does not really grow. This means that this is the place for aggressors - here they will not be dispersed! Several species of rose hips landed a strip, and the bottom covered Dazzled by the variegated. The solution turned out to be extremely successful: the dream grows with a dense low rug, suppressing weeds and brightening this shady place. It does not even grow very fast, so I leave several inflorescences to collect seeds and plant in other disadvantaged areas.

In the lace shade

Lacy shade is given by mountain ash, honeysuckle, a large male tree of sea buckthorn, lilac. Under them, it’s also dry, although not enough to plant a dream. Therefore, bushes settled here white terry catchment (aquilegia), white lupine, bright bells. A little aside - thickets quite unpretentious pearls (yarrow Ptarmika).

Well, and the hosts, of course. I have a lot of host, I love them for a long time and faithfully. It seems to me that they ennoble and brighten any place in which they settle. Blue hosts, however, brighten only during flowering. The rest of the time they add a shadow zone of sophistication.

Planted under the lilac Blue Mammut (Blue Mammoth) and «Blue Wedgwood » (Blue Wedgwoot) in support I added a white lily LA hybrid «Bright Diamond » (Bright Diamond). It also turned out pretty well, but the shadow was highlighted only for the period of its flowering.

If the sun is still a bit

There is little sun - for my site, it means that it gets here 3-4 hours on long summer days. Here, of course, most ornamental plants and even something vegetable grow and bloom. But in this case, a bright long-term accent does not interfere at all, and in cloudy weather it is very decorated.

One of the successful discoveries - Agastakh "Golden Anniversary". Sits in a bed with perennial bows and spicy greens, standing out very sunny color.

I planted this plant as a spice, but the smell and taste seemed very concentrated, and now it grows as a decorative culture. Blooms with blue-violet "candles", organically combined with golden foliage. It does not freeze, propagates self-seeding.

It seems to me that leafy plants are especially relevant in regions where there is little sun. In the Khabarovsk Territory, everything is in order with the sun, only summer is short. Therefore, in the summer I want more bright and cheerful - stock up for the whole long winter.

Growing in the same conditions euphorbia bordereddecorative throughout the growth period. It is an annual, but I do not plant it annually - he actively scatters the seeds around him, in the spring he seedlings are either left weeding or transplanted to the right places. Very patient plant - grows on trodden paths and grows without watering and care.

However, on good garden soil it becomes too large and thick, the stems break from the wind and rain, fall over, so it’s better to keep it “in a black body”.

Another good helper in revitalizing the penumbra landscape is Nasturtium "Alaska". I use it for a long time and everywhere. It grows with a neat hat, the diameter depends heavily on moisture and soil fertility - from 40 cm to a meter. I like the bush itself even without flowers, and flowering with it is an additional bonus. Friendships, as it seemed to me, with all plants - both decorative and vegetable.

To the vegetable I plant it in the corners of the fenced beds, it hangs beautifully with a motley dome, and then it also blooms. All the leaves in the autumn leaves in the beds. On dry places, it behaves quite well, but at high humidity and on fertile soil, it extends up to a meter in diameter, without losing, however, a rounded shape.

Successfully complements the lilies, covering them with ankle legs and shading with delicate tones. If the color does not harmonize, remove the buds. Annuals, but I also only plant it on the site - it emerges wherever seeds are poured. Initially planted a mixture of colors, and then they cross-pollinated, and now you can’t guess from the seeds which color to expect. Surprise happens every time.