knowhow

Most gardens will have some form of shade; this could be caused by the direction your garden faces, existing trees and hedges, fences or buildings. With some careful planning, taking into account the shady areas, it is possible to maximise your garden with correct planting. Things to take into consideration when deciding which plants to buy for shady areas: You will need to take into account the areas in shade and whether it is partial or full shade. You will need to determine whether your shady garden is dry or wet. A number of factors can cause a dry area, from walls and fences sheltering the beds to existing trees and their roots. Falling leaves will prevent rain from penetrating the ground and keeping the ground moist. Equally, if your trees are shallow rooted, they will also keep the ground dry. If your ground conditions are damp, your soil conditions are likely to be cool and moist. If you have clay soil, it will retain moisture well, and ferns would be an ideal choice here. Adding compost to dry conditions will help the ground to retain moisture. Wet ground conditions will benefit from adding gravel or grit to improve drainage, but it is important to make sure you don’t create sump conditions. Having a shady garden should not be seen as a negative, as there are many shade-loving plants that will brighten any shady or dark part of your garden. At Arundel Arboretum, we have many plants suitable for a shady garden. Consider Fatsia japonica, Rhododendrons, Pieris, Choisya ternata and Choisya ternate ‘Sundance’. We would highly recommend:- Acer palmatum Acer palmatum is a slow growing, deciduous Japanese maple, which can be grown as a shrub or small tree. The delicate foliage of Acer palmatum is small, five-lobed and deep green in the spring. These turn a stunning red in the autumn. It has an overall height of between 6-10m. Acer palmatum requires well-drained soil with an acidic pH, which will enhance the autumn colours. It can be grown in a semi-shaded position, as too much sun will scorch its fragile foliage. Camellia japonica Camellia japonica has lush, shiny green leaves, which look fresh during the winter months. Camellia japonica produces beautiful, colourful flowers from February through to April. They prefer a moist, acidic, well-drained soil, and are happier in a partial shade position. Too much sun can depress their flowers. They also need to be protected from frost, and it is wise to prune after they have flowered to encourage new growth. They have an eventual height and spread of 1 – 1.5m. They will require extra water during dry summer conditions. Skimmia japonica ‘Rubella’ Skimmia japonica ‘Rubella’ is a small, bushy evergreen shrub. Its dark green leaves can be up to 10cm long. Skimmia japonica ‘Rubella’ produces clusters of red buds during the winter, which open out to fragrant white flowers in the spring. They prefer a moist, well-drained soil, and have an eventual height and spread of 1-1.5m.  

With the majority of us leading busier lives, there is often little time to give our gardens the care and attention they need and deserve. With some careful planning and planting, your garden can still be the sanctuary you desire and can therefore enjoy. No garden will ever be totally maintenance free, but there are many ways to ensure that your gardening tasks can be kept to a manageable level. Here are a few ideas to get you started: Things to consider At the design and planting stage, give thought to how much time you have for your garden. If time really is premium, it would be wise to plant evergreen trees and shrubs as they will require less maintenance. Watering – watering your garden in the early years of establishment is vital for your trees and shrubs’ survival and ensure they will flourish and give you many years of enjoyment. If watering is a major issue (for example if you are frequently away), it would be wise to avoid planting up lots of containers. These require a lot of care – from the initial planting to re-potting, weeding and feeding. Consider planting a mixture of large specimen plants and some younger plants. Your large specimen plants will give you instant impact, but younger plants can establish more quickly and therefore require a little less attention. Borders and weed control – laying a weed suppressing membrane overlaid with mulch or attractive gravel can reduce weeds. It is vital however, to lay the membrane and mulch to the canopy of your plants. You must keep the top surface of the root systems of your plants exposed so that they can breathe. Please see our planting guide for further information on how to plant correctly. Covering over the root system will stunt the growth of your plants, stop them from flowering, make them much more susceptible to disease and eventually kill them. Keep the design of your borders simple – preferably with straight edges, as curves are harder to mow or edge successfully. Plants to consider Choosing low maintenance plants is key to your garden design. There are many interesting shrubs to choose from, including:- Pittosporum tobira ‘Nanum’ (dwarf Japanese Mock Orange) Pittosporum tobira ‘Nanum’ is an evergreen shrub. It has deep green, glossy leaves with small heads of creamy-white scented flowers which appear in the summer. Pittosporum tobira ‘Nanum’ is an excellent shrub for coastal conditions. It can be planted in full sun to partial shade and is tolerant of windy and coastal conditions. Pittosporum tobira ‘Nanum’ will grow on most soils except waterlogged or chalky conditions. It is slow growing and has a compact growth habit.    Leucothoe walteri ‘Zeblid’ Leucothoe walteri ‘Zeblid’ is a dwarf evergreen shrub. Their leaves are glossy when they first emerge, becoming dark green during the summer. In autumn and winter, they transform into a spectacular ruby red. Leucothoe walteri ‘Zeblid’ has small white flowers in spring. They like a moist spot and full sun to enhance their colours to full effect, but they can tolerate light shade.    Nandina domestica ‘Firepower’ (dwarf Heavenly Bamboo) Nandina domestica ‘Firepower’ is a compact, evergreen shrub. Its leaves are yellow-green during the summer, turning orange and red in the autumn and winter. Nandina domestica ‘Firepower’ produces small white flowers in the summer. Nandina domestica ‘Firepower’ thrives in well-drained fertile soil and to get the best autumn colours, prefers full sun and being sheltered from the cold. Magnolia grandiflora (Bull Bay) Magnolia Grandiflora is a large evergreen tree or shrub. It has glossy, leathery dark green leaves, with a rusty-brown underside. Magnolia Grandiflora produces highly fragrant, cup-shaped white flowers in late summer and early autumn. They prefer a sheltered position, with well drained soil, and can tolerate full sun or partial shade. Myrtus communis half standard (common Myrtle) Myrtus communis is a bushy, evergreen shrub with dark green glossy leaves, which give off a fragrant aroma if crushed. It has an abundance of fragrant white flowers and their white stamens are quite conspicuous. The flowers appear in July and August and are followed by purple-black berries. Myrtus communis thrives in full sun, with well-drained soil and can even tolerate frosts. However, it will need to be protected if it is in a particularly cold area. Myrtus communis will enhance a sunny border or can be grown successfully against a south or west-facing wall. We also stock them as half standards which can look spectacular. These will enhance your planting and will give height and definition. 

We continue to be very busy here at Arundel Arboretum Garden Centre. We have just taken delivery of our first load of stock from Spain. It was handpicked by us. We believe this is of vital importance, as an ethical plant supplier, that we source our stock and can trace its history. The stock was delivered to Arundel Arboretum Garden Centre the following week. As usual, we are extremely pleased with the quality and here is a taster of some of the new stock we have: Trachelospermum jasminoides (Star Jasmine) Trachelospermum jasminoides is a highly scented, evergreen vigorous climber. It produces clusters of stunning star shaped pure white flowers, which appear in July and will continue throughout the summer months. With age, they turn cream. Its leaves are dark green, which will turn bronze-red in the winter. Trachelospermum jasminoides is best grown against a warm, sunny wall and eventually reach a height of 8m. It will require sheltering from cold drying winds so bare that in mind when planting. Ficus carica ‘Brown Turkey’ (Fig) Ficus carica ‘Brown Turkey’ is an ideal fig to grow for the UK climate. It is fully hardy and can be grown in the UK successfully outdoors. Ficus carica ‘Brown Turkey’ is a popular self-fertile fig which produces an abundant crop of sweet, juicy figs that have a deep red flesh surrounded by brown skins. They have an attractive lobed foliage and striking trunk and branches. They can be fan trained against a sunny wall and will also grow happily in a container. The fruits develop in the spring and will ripen from August-September. A second crop of fruits can develop in late summer if the plant has been protected, these fruits will ripen the following summer. Ficus carica ‘Brown Turkey’ has an eventual height of 3m and spread of 4m. Myrtus communis (common Myrtle) Myrtus communis is a bushy, evergreen shrub with dark green glossy leaves, which give off a fragrant aroma if crushed. It has an abundance of fragrant white flowers and their white stamens are quite conspicuous. The flowers appear in July and August and are followed by purple-black berries. Myrtus communis thrives in full sun, with well-drained soil and can even tolerate frosts. However, it will need to be protected if it is in a particularly cold area. Myrtus communis will enhance a sunny border or can be grown successfully against a south or west-facing wall. We also stock them as half standards which can look spectacular. Olea europaea (Olive) – bonsai These look amazing and very different! Olea europaea is becoming more popular and as you will have seen from our previous blog Olive Tree Care – a guide they grow very successfully in this country. We have discovered the Olea europaea as a bonsai and they will enhance your patio with its delicate foliage and will also create a focal point. Viburnum tinus ‘Eve Price’ Viburnum tinus ‘Eve Price’ is a lovely, dense evergreen shrub. It has splendid dark green leaves and produces large pink buds that appear in late autumn. These buds burst open in the winter to reveal fragrant, white flowers, which can last up to six months. Once the flowers begin to fade, they are followed by black berries, which the birds absolutely love. It’s a very useful food source for them throughout the winter months. Viburnum tinus ‘Eve Price’ is happy in sun or shade, sheltered or even exposed sites. It is an ideal choice for difficult positions and once it is established, it is fairly drought resistant. Viburnum tinus ‘Eve Price’ can be grown as a shrub in a border, shaped and cut into a topiary or trained as a standard, which can look particularly good in pots either side of a doorway or gateway. This is just a small selection of the new stock we have at Arundel Arboretum Garden Centre. We pride ourselves on being a plant supplier that can offer exceptional quality stock, and friendly, professional, knowledgeable staff. We look forward to welcoming you to Arundel Arboretum Garden Centre to help and advise you on the right plants for your garden.