Shade gardens are cool, literally. From a personal comfort perspective, maintaining a shade garden spares the gardener from toiling under the hot sun. This benefit can be particularly important for very young, elderly, or heat-sensitive gardeners.
Because not as much sunlight reaches a shade garden, it won;t require as much attention to watering or weeding.
Summer Care of the Shade Garden
Watering: Your shade garden will need attention to watering throughout the growing season, particularly the first year. When rainfall is less than 1 inch per week during the warm season when plants are actively growing, provide additional moisture as needed, making sure to not overwater.
Weed Control: Weed control in a shade garden is usually minor. The use of a mulch is an attractive and effective means of controlling weeds and maintaining constant soil moisture and temperature for the root systems of your plants. Mulches that you might consider include aged shredded wood mulch, wood chips or pine straw. To be effective, the mulch should be applied at least 2 inches deep around the plants. Applying a lighter layer of compost 2 or 3 times a year is also beneficial.
