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In every garden there are bound to be places where the sun rarely or almost never shines. Most often, such areas are located on the north side of the house and various buildings. Blind fences also provide shade, which, depending on the location of the fence, can move throughout the day. If you have mature fruit trees or even forest trees on your site, such as birch, spruce, pine and others, then the space under them is usually empty, since rarely any plants want to grow in such conditions. And summer residents and gardeners who want to decorate every square centimeter in the garden are haunted by the idea of planting some attractive-looking shade-tolerant plants in such shady places.
But the shadow can also be different. And, although the vast majority of garden plants and flowers love the sun and strive for it, many of them need a break from the scorching rays of the sun during the day. And some of the flowers, which originate from shady forests, would prefer to grow constantly in a zone of diffused sunlight.
Easiest to choose for decorating shady places in the garden perennial flowers. Among them there are many who want to live away from the sun.If you want to diversify shady places or get your shade-tolerant plants to bloom this season, then you need to think about annuals. True, shade-tolerant annuals are the exception rather than the rule, since the vast majority of them are able to develop and bloom well only in the presence of sunlight. But still, among annuals you can find suitable candidates for relocation to shady areas of the garden. It’s about annuals for shade, blooming nevertheless, all summer, and will be discussed in this article.
Plants and shade
If we talk about shady areas, their illumination is determined not only by the intensity of sunlight, but also by its duration, which can change depending on the movement of the sun. Thus, there are areas that are in dense or complete shade throughout almost the entire day.
An example would be a portion of the area north of any buildings, or an area of land under spruce or old tall apple trees that provide almost impenetrable shade.
It’s another matter if the area is illuminated by the sun only in the morning or evening, and most of the time in the middle of the day is hidden in the shade. In such conditions, which can be called partial shade, many shade-tolerant plants will grow and bloom with pleasure. Among annuals there are also many varieties that will tolerate such conditions quite well.
There is also a third option for shady conditions, which will also be attractive to many shade-tolerant plants, especially in the south. This is the so-called diffused light, which is formed in the shadow of the crowns of most deciduous trees: birch, acacia, aspen, bird cherry, plum, cherry, and pine. Such a shadow can also be formed due to some kind of artificial shading in the form of a mesh or polycarbonate coating, the use of which has become very popular in recent years, especially in the southern regions of Russia.
Shade-tolerant annuals love sunlight, but, due to their general unpretentiousness to the degree of illumination, can tolerate many conditions. For shade-tolerant annuals, 3-5 hours of sunlight in the morning or evening will be enough. But the intensity and duration of flowering in some species of shade-tolerant annuals can be reduced under such conditions.
Shade-loving annuals prefer to grow exclusively in diffused light. Shade-loving species of annuals will happily develop and bloom provided the sun appears only for a few hours a day, preferably in the morning or evening hours. Typically, these annuals have dark, richly colored foliage.
Shade-loving annuals
There are not so many plants in this category, but they will gladly take on the role of decorating shady areas.
Balsam
This ancient, shade-tolerant garden plant, beloved by many, can be either annual or perennial.True, perennial varieties in the Russian climate are also grown as annuals. But, at the end of summer, they can be transplanted into containers and sent indoors for the winter.
Impatiens need fertile, light soils with sufficient moisture. Although it also does not tolerate excessive moisture, especially in the initial stages of growing plants. Impatiens are very heat-loving and therefore can only be planted as seedlings when the slightest possibility of return frosts has disappeared.
The flowers of this annual bloom in shades of red, white, pink and purple.
Begonia
This genus of plants is almost the most numerous in the world in terms of the number of species and almost all of them can be classified not only as shade-tolerant, but also shade-loving. In Russia, mainly two species are grown in open ground in the summer - tuberous begonia and ever-blooming begonia. Both species can be propagated by seeds, but it is necessary to start germinating the seeds in January, since they develop very slowly in the first stages.
In the future, tuberous begonia can be stored for the winter in the form of tubers.
Both types of begonias disapprove of direct sun and will do quite well in partial shade. Unlike many other shade-tolerant plants, they retain their bright color in such conditions. They can be planted directly in the ground or grown in containers. Only because of their love for warmth, it is recommended to plant them outside no earlier than the last frost has disappeared.
Lobelia
It cannot be said that lobelia is a true shade-loving annual. She also likes to grow in the sun, but unlike many others annual flowers, in semi-shaded places it does not lose at all the brightness of its flowers or their abundance. This annual plant is unpretentious to temperatures and can easily tolerate cold and damp weather as an adult, continuing to bloom intensively.
But you need to be careful with feeding this annual, since lobelia can intensively expel greenery, but will be stingy with flowers.
Mimulus
Most mimulus are perennials by nature, but are grown in our country only as shade-tolerant annuals. People called it the gubastik for its flower shape. Translated from Latin, it is called “clown flower.” The name was given to the plant, apparently, for the bright, almost provocative color of the flowers. Interestingly, such bright colors do not fade at all when grown in shady conditions. Moreover, this flower practically does not tolerate direct sun, so it can be classified as a true shade-loving annual. It is better to grow it as seedlings, since it develops slowly in the first months. But in the fall, mimulus is able to withstand minor frosts down to -3°.
The flowers are very beautiful - all the petals are dotted with patterns and strokes. The height of the bushes can reach 25-30 cm, and the diameter of the flower can reach 6-8 cm.
If you periodically trim its shoots, thus stimulating new waves of flowering, then it can delight you with its exotic appearance until late autumn.
Molucella
Among the shade-tolerant annuals you can also find such a rare, unusual-looking plant native to Syria. Its popular name is Irish bells. Molucella captivates not so much with its beauty as with its unusual appearance. On top of that, the plant has thorns that are invisible to the eye throughout its entire surface, so it must be touched with caution. But it grows well in shady conditions. And if you want to show off an outlandish rarity to your friends, then molucella is what you need. This plant also dries well and can serve as a component of winter bouquets. This shade-tolerant annual is grown from seeds, but the process can be quite complicated, so it is better to try to find seedlings of these flowers.
Nemophila
A small shade-tolerant ground cover plant native to America. Quite rarely found in gardens, although it deserves greater popularity. The popular name is American forget-me-not. It is unpretentious and grows in almost any conditions. This annual plant is easy to grow from seeds and, thanks to its resistance to cold, can be sown directly into open ground at the end of April. Nemophila is not typical shade-loving flower, because it blooms and develops better in the sun. But thanks to its unpretentiousness, it is quite capable of blooming in partial shade without losing the color of the flowers.The only problem in growing this annual may be proper watering. Nemophila does not tolerate soaking, but in dry weather it will definitely need additional watering to maintain flowering.
Winged tobacco
This shade-tolerant annual was very popular with our grandmothers, but then faded into the background. In recent years, interest in the plant has been renewed. After all, it has many advantages, among which in the foreground is a charming aroma, which in intensity can compete only with matthiola bicorne, or night violet. In addition, these plants can grow up to 100 cm in height and have flowers in a wide variety of colors. Well, and finally, winged tobacco feels great in shaded areas. Its flowers open only in cloudy weather and always at dusk.
The length of the inflorescence can be up to 8-10 cm. Flowers stand well when cut, in water, without losing their attractive appearance for up to several days.
But such a handsome man also requires careful care. It definitely requires regular watering and fertilizing throughout the flowering season. And it can continue until frosty weather sets in.
When buying ready-made tobacco seedlings, keep in mind that the Dutch varieties of this annual, although they may look more attractive, have practically no aroma.
Shade-tolerant annuals
Among other annual flowers, there are some unpretentious species that can grow well in light partial shade, so they can be classified as shade-tolerant annuals.But do not abuse their endurance; if there is not enough sun, the intensity of plant flowering will sharply decrease, and the colors of the flowers will fade.
Below is a list of unpretentious shade-tolerant annuals:
- Ageratum;
- Marigold;
- Calendula;
- Lavatera;
- Toadflax;
- Malcolmia;
- Matricaria or chamomile;
- Nasturtium;
- Rudbeckia;
- Scabious;
- Tar or viscaria;
- Fuchsia.
Also, many biennials can be classified as shade-tolerant plants:
- Viola or Pansy;
- Daisy;
- Digitalis;
- Forget-me-not;
- Lunnik.
Thus, by planting the above-mentioned shade-tolerant annuals and biennials on your site, you can create amazingly beautiful flower beds and compositions even in those places that are illuminated by the sun only in the morning or evening hours. Many low-growing species of shade-tolerant annuals can be used to create a flowering carpet under the canopy of fruit or deciduous trees in your garden.
