Garden Challenges - Damp Shade

This garden “problem” is often found alongside waterways under trees. If you are lucky enough to have naturally flowing water through your garden in shade, instead of fighting against it why not make the most of it and create a lovely, colourful and interesting planting.

There is a huge variety of plants that will very happily grow in damp shade. Foliage plants especially look amazing where shade and dappled sunlight sets of the many tones of green leaves and foliage is rarely burnt or burned by the sun. Many plants that thrive in this situation have big architectural leaves which give an almos tropical feel to this type of planting. As well as a huge range of foliage colour and shape there are a number of flowering plants that will add pops of colour and lift shady corners. 

Osmunda regalis and candelabra primulas

Some of my favourite gardens include a shady natural or man-made stream or water way, sometimes dammed to make ponds and with lush foliage and flower plantings. This adds another dimension and lots of interest to a garden and of course wildlife will thank you too. Walking under trees with the sound of water underneath and between plants is wonderful.

As Monty Don has said "Cool shade with the murmur of water is the equivalent of a long cold drink on a boiling summer's day".

As these plants grow into one another, they cover the ground and help absorb any excess water thus dealing with two issues at once. Wet and damp soil can be difficult to weed or culivate so covering it with plants is an easy way to help maintenance and we all like a garden that we can enjoy more than we have to toil in.

Rodgersias beginning to emerge at Dawyck Botanic gardens

If there is a huge excess of water it might be an idea to create a pond and plant damp, moisture-loving plants around the edges. There are many ways of building ponds so I'll leave that to another post. If you have a wet site without a natural place for water to go then creating a pond will give somewhere for the water to collect, encourage wildlife, and again create another feature in the garden. Digging drainage channels can reduce water and piling up the removed soil can increase the depth of soil and thus help drainage.

Pond in Anton Hill Garden, Norfolk

Osmunda regalis

Carex dipsacea

A lot of the solutions and plants for damp shade are very similar to the article I wrote on Waterlogged gardens but with added shade! If you are determined to address the damp or wet soil then there are some solutions that can be followed.

If it’s not immediately obvious why the soil is retaining water, an easy way to assess the cause and then be able to improve it is to dig a hole two feet deep. Leave covered overnight, if there is water in the bottom, you have a high water table. If it is dry, fill with water and see if it drains away overnight. If the hole has contained the water this suggests a clay soil, usually compacted and so not allowing natural drainage.

If the water table is high there isn't a lot can be done, and you need to garden according to the conditions. It does mean you can consider creating a bog garden, which wild life will love and you can grow a large selection of water and moisture loving plants.

Another solution to wet soil is to build raised beds. These can add a great feature to your garden and give the plants drainage and good growing medium as you can choose what mix of compost, soil, etc to fill the raised beds with.

Raised beds at Woodside

Equisetum hymale

Astilbes

Cornus alba 'Elegantissima'

Alnus glutinosa

The Quirky Bird Gardener recommend the following plants:

Ferns

Asplenium – “Harts Tongue Fern”

Osmunda regalis - 'Royal fern'

Grasses

Carex

Descampsia

Hackenochloa

Herbaceous

Alchemilla molis

Asarum europium

Astilbe

Brunnera macrophylla

Caltha

Candelabra primula

Cowslips

Digitalis purpurea

Erythronium

Gunnera mannicata

Hellebores

Hosta

Iris Sibirica
Ligularia

Meconopsis

Persicaria

Polygonatum x hybridum

Pulmonarias

Rodgersia

Thalictrum

Trillium

Shrubs

Cornus - 'Dogwood'

Trees

Alnus cordata - 'Italian alder'

Sambucus - 'Elder'
Salix - 'Willow'
Amelanchier canadensis - 'Snowy mespilus'
Metasequoia - 'Redwood'

Other blogs of interest:

Building the pond in the native garden

Creating the nursery entrance

Garden challenges - Waterlogged Gardens and Bogs

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