Cool plants for shade

Shade in a mature garden of any size is as unavoidable as grey hairs sprouting on one's head. Embrace and highlight it with pretty shade-lovers and clever shade management.

- Anna Celliers

Handy tips to manage full shade:

Full shade is classified as a place with no direct sunlight in any part of the day.

1. Do tree surgery by regularly removing low overhead branches to lift the crowns of trees to a more plant- and human-friendly level. It will allow in more light and will help to dry out very wet soil.

2. 'Feathering' deciduous and even evergreen trees by removing some crossing branches to allow in more light can create better growing conditions for plants around their bases. This can also rejuvenate precious old trees, but is maybe a job for a tree specialist to do.

3. It is cool and mystical in the shade of mature trees, so before doing battle deep in their midst trying to plant beneath them, rather think about meandering natural pathways, using stepping stones and an organic mulch of coarse bark nuggets or fallen leaves that both the deciduous and evergreen tree would supply free of charge. You can add other elements like a garden bench to enjoy the coolness.

4. Use the main trunks of trees as an anchoring structure for the wonderful plants known as epiphytes that will grow on a tree's bark without damaging the tree. Two of them to use are the bird's nest fern (Asplenium nidus) and the common staghorn (Platycerium bifurcatum).

5. Another way of lightning-deep shade is to light up the stems and bark with well-placed garden lights which will turn your jungle into a fairyland at night.

Plant suggestions for full shade with ample moisture include Adiantum capillus-veneris (maiden hair fern), Chlorophytum comosum 'Vitattus' (Hen-with-chickens), Plectranthus verticillatus (moneyplant) and Cyrtomium falcatum (Japanese holly fern).

Semi or half shade