The cooling effect of a shade garden in midsummer can be one of life’s great pleasures. The combination of shade and dappled sunlight encourages people to stop and enjoy a cool, quiet respite from a busy day. While some may think of shade as a deterrent to gardening, it can be an asset in the landscape if the special needs of shade-loving plants are considered

There are distinct degrees of shade in the landscape: dappled, open and dense shade.

• Dappled shade in produced by trees and creates a moving pattern of sunlight and shade. This type of shade allows for the widest range of gardening options for growing both shade and sun-loving plants.
  
• The shadow cast on the north side of structures creates the second type of shade, called open shade; plants in these areas are shaded in the morning and early afternoon, but are in sun during the late afternoon. For shade-loving plants, there is a big difference between the intensity of the sun at 10 o’clock in the morning and 2 o’clock in the afternoon. Open shade can be a challenge for shade plants, often resulting in burning of the leaf edges caused by the hot, late afternoon sun.
  
• Dense shade is the deepest shade, found where tall walls and fences block all but the narrowest strips of light. Dense shade can also occur under trees with thick foliage such as Norway maples and some conifers. Plant selection for dense shade is limited.

Dry shade is a condition that can be found in any situation of dappled, open or dense shade that also involves mature trees. Dry shade occurs because most trees are shallow-rooted, removing nutrients and water from underlying plants. This competition for water and nutrients can make it difficult to establish plants under large trees without supplemental watering.

Shade-loving plants usually have more chlorophyll (green pigment) in their leaves than plants adapted to the sun, making them more sensitive to light and better able to make use of a reduced amount of light. However, this sensitivity won’t allow exposure to direct sunlight for an extended time. Direct sunlight bleaches the leaves to a yellow or gray color which will then scorch at the edges or develop burn spots on the surfaces facing the sun.

However, within a species of plants that prefer shade, such as Hosta, there can be differences in the shade requirement of specific cultivars. Generally those Hosta with blue coloration reguire more shade, while those with yellow, gold or white variegation will tolerate more sun.

After assessing the amount of light in your landscape and whether your shade conditions are dry or wet, you may discover you can plant part of the area with true shade-loving plants and another part with sun-loving plants that tolerate some shade.

Most sun-loving plants will tolerate some degree of shade during the day as long as they also receive the amount of sun they need. The shady environment can also be modified to allow more sun through pruning of existing plants.