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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. Deaf fences also provide a shadow, which, depending on the location of the fence, can move during the day. If you have mature fruit trees or even forest trees, such as birch, spruce, pine and others, on your site, then the place under them is usually empty, because rarely any of the plants wants 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 any attractive looking shade-tolerant plants in such shady places.
But the shadow is also different. And, although the vast majority of garden plants and flowers love the sun and strive for it, many of them need rest from the scorching sun during the day. And some of the flowers, originating from shady forests, would prefer to grow constantly in a zone of diffused sunlight.
The easiest way to pick up perennial flowers to decorate shady places in the garden. Among them there are many who want to settle away from the sun. If you want to diversify shady places or get flowering from your shade-tolerant plants already in the current season, then you need to think about annuals. True, shade-tolerant annuals are the exception rather than the rule, since among them the vast majority are able to develop well and bloom only in the presence of sunlight. But still, among annuals, you can find suitable candidates for relocation to shady areas of the garden. It is about annuals for shade, which nevertheless bloom all summer, and will be discussed in this article.
Plants and shade
If we talk about shady areas, then their illumination is determined not only by the intensity of sunlight, but also by its duration, which can vary depending on the movement of the sun. So, there are areas that are in dense or complete shade for almost the entire day.
An example would be a piece of land north of any buildings, or a piece of land under fir trees or tall old apple trees that provide nearly impenetrable shade.
Another thing is if the territory is lit by the sun only in the morning or evening, and most of it is hidden in the shade in the middle of the day. In such conditions, which can be called penumbra, many shade-tolerant plants will grow and bloom with pleasure. Among annuals, there are also many varieties that will endure 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 scattered light, which is formed in the shade 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 Our Country.
Shade-tolerant annuals love sunlight, but due to their general unpretentiousness to the degree of illumination, they can endure many conditions. For shade-tolerant annuals, 3-5 hours of sunlight in the morning or evening hours 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 if the sun appears only for a few hours a day, preferably in the morning or evening hours. Usually these annuals are distinguished by a dark, saturated color of the 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 old shade-tolerant garden plant, beloved by many, is both annual and perennial. True, perennial varieties in the climate are also grown as annuals. But, at the end of summer, they can be transplanted into containers and sent to the house for the winter.
Balsam needs fertile, light soils with sufficient moisture. Although it also does not tolerate excessive moisture, especially in the initial stages of growing plants. Balsam is very thermophilic and therefore it can be planted only with seedlings when the slightest possibility of return frosts disappears.
The flowers of this annual open in red, white, pink and purple hues.
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 Our Country, in the open field in the summer, mainly two types are grown – tuberous begonia and ever-blooming begonia. Both species can be propagated by seeds, but it is necessary to start germinating seeds already in January, since they develop very slowly in the early stages.
In the future, tuberous begonia can be stored for the winter in the form of tubers.
Both types of begonias disapprove of the direct sun and will feel quite good in partial shade. Unlike many other shade-tolerant plants, they retain their bright color under such conditions. They can be planted directly in the ground or grown in containers. Only because of their love of warmth, it is recommended to plant them outside no earlier than the last frosts disappear.
Lobelia
It cannot be said that lobelia was a true shade-loving annual. She also likes to grow in the sun, but unlike many other annual flowers, in semi-shady places she does not lose either the brightness of her flowers or their abundance. This annual plant is also unpretentious to temperatures and completely endures cold and damp weather in its adult state, continuing to bloom intensively.
But with the top dressing of this annual, you need to be careful, because lobelia can intensively expel greens, but will be stingy with flowers.
Mimulus
Most mimulus are perennials by nature, but are grown in our country only as shade-tolerant annuals. The people called him a sponge for the shape of a flower. Translated from Latin, it is called “clown’s flower.” The name was given to the plant, apparently, for the bright, almost defiant color of the flowers. Interestingly, such a bright color does not fade at all when grown in shady conditions. Moreover, this flower practically cannot stand the direct sun, so it can be attributed to real shade-loving annuals. It is better to grow it with seedlings, as it develops slowly in the first months. But in autumn, mimulyus is able to withstand slight frosts down to -3 °.
The flowers are very beautiful – all the petals are dotted with patterns and strokes. In height, the bushes can reach 25-30 cm, and the diameter of the flower can reach up to 6-8 cm.
If he periodically cut off the shoots, thus stimulating new waves of flowering, then he is able to delight you with his exotic look until late autumn.
Mylucella
Among the shade-tolerant annuals, one can also find such a rare, unusual plant from Syria. Its popular name is Irish bells. Molyucella conquers not so much beauty as unusual appearance. On top of that, the plant has spikes invisible to the eye all over the 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 beautifully 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’s best to try to find seedlings of these flowers.
Nemophila
A small shade-tolerant ground cover native to America. Quite rare in gardens, although it deserves more popularity. The popular name is American forget-me-not. It is unpretentious, grows in almost any conditions. This annual is easy to grow from seed, thanks to its resistance to cold, it can be sown directly in open ground at the end of April. Nemophila is not a typical shade-loving flower, because it blooms and develops better in the sun. But due 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 can be proper watering. Nemophila does not tolerate soaking, but in dry weather it will definitely need additional watering to keep 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, he has many virtues, among which in the foreground is a charming aroma that can compete in intensity only with matthiola bicorne, or night violet. In addition, these plants can grow up to 100 cm in height and have flowers of 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. The flowers stand well in cutting, in water, up to several days without losing their attractive appearance.
But such a handsome man requires careful care. It definitely requires regular watering and top dressing throughout the flowering season. And it can continue until the onset of frosty weather.
When buying ready-made seedlings of tobacco, keep in mind that the Dutch varieties of this annual, although they may look more attractive, have little to no flavor.
Shade-tolerant annuals
Among other annual flowers, there are some unpretentious species that can grow well in light penumbra, so they can easily be classified as shade-tolerant annuals. But do not abuse their endurance, if the sun is not enough, then the intensity of flowering of plants will decrease sharply, and the colors of the flowers will fade.
Below is a list of unpretentious shade-tolerant annuals:
- Ageratum;
- Marigold;
- Calendula;
- Lavater;
- Flaxseed;
- Malcolmia;
- Matricaria or chamomile;
- Nasturtium;
- Rudbeckia;
- scabies;
- Smolka or viscaria;
- Fuchsia.
Also, many biennials can be classified as shade-tolerant plants:
- Viola or Pansies;
- Daisy;
- Foxglove;
- Forget-me-not;
- Lunnik.
Thus, by planting the shade-tolerant annuals and biennials mentioned above 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, shade-tolerant annuals can be used to create a flowering carpet under the canopy of fruit or deciduous trees in your garden.
