Shade gardens are a type of

garden A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden is ''control''. The garden can incorporate bot ...

planted and grown in areas with little or no direct

sunlight Sunlight is a portion of the electromagnetic radiation given off by the Sun, in particular infrared, visible, and ultraviolet light. On Earth, sunlight is scattered and filtered through Earth's atmosphere, and is obvious as daylight when ...

. Shade gardens may occur naturally or by design under

trees In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are u ...

, as well as on the side of buildings or fences. This style of garden presents certain challenges, in part because only certain plants are able to grow in shady conditions and otherwise there is direct competition for sunlight. Very few edible plants grow well in shady conditions, so shade gardens are usually

ornamental gardens The Ornamental Gardens are located at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's Central Experimental Farm in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Once used as a test facility for the development of winter hardy roses, weigela and peonies, it now acts as the steward t ...

, though growing

flowers A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism ...

may also be difficult in shade. Light shade, also known as "dappled sunlight", may support growing

herbs In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicina ...

or some

leaf vegetables Leaf vegetables, also called leafy greens, pot herbs, vegetable greens, or simply greens, are plant leaves eaten as a vegetable, sometimes accompanied by tender petioles and shoots. Leaf vegetables eaten raw in a salad can be called salad ...

, but in addition to lack of light, trees and other large plants which create shade gardens may negatively impact

soil fertility Soil fertility refers to the ability of soil to sustain agricultural plant growth, i.e. to provide plant habitat and result in sustained and consistent yields of high quality.

References

Garden features Types of garden {{Garden-stub

See also

References