In order for flowers, herbs and vegetables to grow
successfully, they need have the right conditions. They is essentially
sunlight, water levels, types of soil, health of soil, and climate.
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| Sunny container with pentas, lobelia. |
Sun & Shade
From my perspective, the amount of sunlight hitting your
beds daily is the number one factor that will determine your success. My small
yard has tremendous variation in sun and shade because of the trees in my yard
and in my neighbors yards, and also the trees out along the curb, the house,
the shed, the fence and the surrounding buildings.
For example, this spring I will
be moving a little bed of shade-loving hosta that now get almost full sun
because of a tree in my neighbor’s yard. The flower beds in the front of the house are
almost full-shade now, but they were not that way four years ago then they were
installed. This is really bumming me out because I never wanted to be a shade
gardener. I love the flowers all summer and fall! Alas, I can still grow them, I just
have to change where I grow them in my urban yard. And I am educating myself
about growing in the shade.
How to Document
Shade and Sun
Six years ago when I first moved to my house, in the
early summer I spent a (sunny) day taking photos of the yard every hour to see
where the sun and shade landed. I marked a few spots all around the house and
every hour or so I took a photo from those same locations. At the end of the
day I had a good idea where the sunniest and shadiest locations were and how
many hours the sun was hitting sections of the yard. I think I need to do that
again this May because of the changes in the height and density of the trees
that cast shadow in my yard.
Have Fun with What
You Have Available
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| Shade containers including begonias, creeping jenny |
The container garden on the porch step is an example of
the extremes in my yard. The cement step is about 10 feet wide and 3 feet deep
and this very small space has opposite conditions--one half is full-sun and the
other half is full shade. Once I finally figured this out for myself a few years ago, I am excited playing around with what types of plants I put in
the containers each year. On the shady side (see photo at left), I usually grow frilly begonias
because they need shade and they are so gorgeous to look at when I come in and
out of the house. A few feet away, I
fill the pots with sun-loving flowers and herbs (photo above), tying everything together
using color.
Set Yourself Up to Succeed
If you are trying to grow plants in the wrong kind of
light, they will fail to put it plainly. So be prepared, know where you have
the most and least sun and choose plants that will be happy in those
conditions.
You can read Part 1 here where I explain all of the places
I find my garden inspiration.
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