Garden Centre

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Plants for shady corners in the garden

If, like me, you’re fond of Victorian novels, you’re probably familiar with the favourite Victorian garden venues – and they were never brightly sunny spots. The Victorian novelist favoured the shady corner: the ‘bosky glade’, the ‘secluded dell’ or the ‘shaded corner’ which was usually filled with some night-scented plant like honeysuckle, or was overhung with a similarly fragrant one like lilac – or as Alfred Lord Tennyson put it:

Come into the garden, Maud,
For the black bat, night, has flown,
Come into the garden, Maud,
I am here at the gate alone ;
And the woodbine spices are wafted abroad,
And the musk of the rose is blown.

Shady corners were long outlawed in British gardens though. Instead we were encouraged to think of every space as needing to be brightly lit, full of sun and, if necessary, ‘forced’ into Mediterranean productivity with glass, mirrors and heating systems.

The shady corner is having its comeback though, particularly as people become more aware that sitting in the blazing sun may harm our health in the long term, and shady loving plants offer a world of quieter interest that are ideal for restful contemplation, whether it’s the delicacy of a fern’s lacy appearance, or the subtle shades of green and white that can be found in some hostas.

Here’s my favourite dappled corner plant: a blue-green hosta that has elegant straight veins and contrasts beautifully with the firework shaped grass beside it. I often go and take my morning cup of coffee to sit and admire these two when they are at their best in June, and they never fail to make me glad I have a shady corner to relax in.

Labels: ferns, hosta, plants for shady corners, victorian gardens

The All Seasons Gardener at 7:06 AM 0 Comments

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