A properly planned shade garden possesses a charm of its own, with quiet harmonies of light, colour, form and texture that are so different in character from its sunny counterpart. Bright, bold colours are less common in shade tolerant plants than in sun-loving ones; making shady gardens more subtle and restful than sunny ones. While the full sun rose, flower, perennial or vegetable garden has its charms; in our hot climate, nothing beats a shady corner of garden, filled with quiet tranquillity, sweet scents and cool breezes.

Gardening in the shade can be daunting at first, and limited sunlight is often viewed with despair by those endeavouring to maintain a garden in shade; especially if they happen to be trying to grow plants that will not do well there. But, rest assured, there are many attractive and interesting plants that will thrive in the shade; it is all a matter of determining how much shade your plants will receive, enriching the soil, and choosing the right plants.

Here are some things to consider if you want to garden with the shady ladies:

• How much light is in the garden?
• What is my soil conditions (Root competition and availability of nutrients and water)
• Plant selection – using plants that will thrive in low light conditions
• Hard landscaping to cover areas where plants struggle to grow
• Using pots where soil conditions are not beneficial to plants

A properly planned shade garden possesses a charm of its own, with quiet harmonies of light, colour, form and texture that are so different in character from its sunny counterpart. But, let’s face it, gardening in the shade can be daunting at first, and limited sunlight is often viewed with despair by those endeavouring to maintain a garden in shade; especially if they happen to be trying to grow plants that will not do well there. But rest assured; there are many attractive and interesting plants that will thrive in the shade; it is all a matter of determining how much shade your plants will receive, enriching the soil, and choosing the right plants.