Are some of the areas in your yard too shady for fescue? Stop wasting your time and resources and let us help you design an attractive shade garden that will be more suitable for these areas.
Low light availability is the main obstacle in shade gardens so it’s essential to select plants that can thrive in these conditions. Shady areas can be broken into three categories: light shade, medium shade, and full shade.
Light shade means that the area receives full sun for some amount of time during the day. Medium shade areas only allow direct sun exposure for a minimal amount of time. Minimal time of direct sun may be only for an hour. Or, it may be that the area possibly only receives filtered light because sunlight is blocked due to the overhead canopy from trees and other plants. Full shade areas receive no direct sun and possibly only a minimal amount of reflected light.
Color can also be an obstacle to overcome in shade gardens as plants for shady areas may lack the vibrant color of sun-loving plants. However, there are options to bring color to your Raleigh shade garden.
Some tricks of the trade include introducing pastels into the garden because they tend to show up better than darker colors. Yet, you can also get great color from foliage as some plants have very striking leaf color. Including flowering annuals in your garden too can also provide a splash of color.
Of course, other factors to consider include soil type, moisture availability, and air circulation of the site, and hardiness of the particular plant choice. All of these challenges can be overcome with a little knowledge about proper plant selection for the particular site. We have some great ideas for large and small spaces! And, we know what plants work well in the shady places of the Raleigh area.
Below is just a sampling of some ideas we like for Raleigh landscaping:
A mix of evergreen and deciduous shrubs can offer year round interest. A few that we think are a great choice include camellias, azaleas, osmanthus, hydrangeas and gardenias. These selections will provide you with a fragrant and colorful garden year round. There are different varieties of each of these species and we can help you select the best ones for your landscaping and garden design.
The foliage of hostas, coleus, and caladiums can also offer eye-popping color as well as the flowering annuals of impatiens, vincas, and lobelia. Some groundcovers are also suitable to shady areas and provide an alternative to fescue. Periwinkle is a great choice that adds a little color, and mondograss or dwarf mondograss can be utilized in many different ways – such as a border, adding texture or depth to a space, or as filler between pavers and stepping stones.
So, if you are tired of struggling with fescue that just won’t grow, or you are just ready to transform that light challenged place in your yard into a garden oasis, let us help.
Give us a call at 919-844-3441 and we will be glad to assist you.
