Shadow Art: Shade Garden Design Ideas and Inspiration

I love shadows.  I am enchanted by the silhouettes and shapes brought about the interplay of light and darkness to create outlines of shade: Shadow Art.  

It was so popular years ago ~ I even “borrowed” my girlfriend’s two children to have their profile portraits or “shadow portraits” rendered to gift her.  

Now, I am just so attracted to that ephemeral, artful shade that creates a unique, fleeting outline, illustration or pattern.  

And to the beauty of the Shade Garden. 

Today, I was reminded of of the beauty of shade when I read in the Times’ book review about children’s picture books.

“Shadows are almost always presented with negative connotations; When people are shady they can’t be trusted; when a place is shady danger is lurking there; to throw shade is to speak disparagingly; to cast a shadow over something is to ruin it. “

However, the interplay of light and dark in a well-designed Shade Garden is garden art delivers a fascinating color montage of grey, black, white, and the soft pastels that work best in a cool, refreshing shade garden.

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Shade gardens can be designed and installed in little spaces created by trees or a building if you live in a city or townhouse.

Shade gardens can also be expansive woodland gardens.

Shade gardens require good garden design and planning, no matter the size.

Use a mix of trees, shrubs, perennials, and annuals in order to create a layered look that will transform the space into a natural setting. 

Assess the amount of light the space receives ~ morning light is best, with some afternoon sun. 

What type of Shade do you have?  Partial Shade: (2-6 hours of shade) or Full Shade (6+hours a day/Little to No Sun) This is surely what we have in our Gotham apartment rooftop garden that is surrounded by other buildings. Or do you have Dappled Shade? This is most often what you have underneath tree canopies where the light seems to dip in an out during the day.   Take note of how protected the area is from the elements. Too much rain or winter wind will dessicate or drench the plants. 

Take note of the seasonal light, as well.  While there is less light in spring and fall due to the sun’s angle; in fact, the area gets more sun because the trees haven’t leafed out or as in the autumn, the leaves have fallen, exposing the understory plants to more light.  Spring ephemerals, especially the glorious bulbs add a seasonal syncopation that you will fall in love with.  There are fall-blooming bulbs too.

Take note of the area as a microclimate, observing its air/wind circulation and temperature, as well as soil, in addition to the light.

Pick the right plants. Use foliage color to brighten and set the mood.

Use natural hardscape elements, rocks, stones, water features, art, and one of my favorite go-to garden accessories: mirrors!  Utilize not only colorful foliage plants but textured ones as well.

In my own garden, I redesigned a space that was too steep and the size was a leftover garden bed from the previous owners.  (!) 

So I made the bed wider; regraded it; created a wall to support the new garden bed and then looked for green plants with a reddish pedigree ~ sort of as a salute the Japanese red maple that had been trying to take center stage for years.

After I removed the the Annabelle hydrangea that was stealing the show for years, the maple is having its moment.

Soil, soil, soil is key ~ to any garden.  Fill with the best soil you can get your dirty little hands on 😀

Use plants that have similar water and sun needs. Shade Garden plants typically don’t have many weeds as those nuisances prefer sun; plus Shade Garden plants need less water too, unless they are planted under big trees. 

And do use evening lights ~ I use the solar ones ~ to softly illuminate the garden in the evening. Even more rapturous.  And the solar lights are easy to move around, so that as the garden grows and/or the light shifts with the seasons, you can readily change their location.

I used a mix of flowering shrubs in cool blue and pink, along with Ferns, Japanese Forest Grass, red hellebores, and native ginger.

This year, we added a lovely copper rain chain.  I love its delicate glamour and design. And the sensual elegant look and sound of the rain drops dripping, ever-so-gently, down…

You’ll love the sound of rain water slowly dripping, cascading, down…
And the sight of water beads like dazzling diamonds….
Pollinators love it too.

Rain Chains add a sensual element to your garden design. Plus, they are easy to install and are beautiful in any weather. (No more “ugly” downspouts)

You can see it here in the upper left of the first image viewed from the shade garden and on the right, as seen from the upper terrace.

You can read the full garden design and plant list here from a previous Garden Glamour post 

And all the cool shades of green make the garden eye candy in every season.  I love to do my yoga and meditation on the porch above this garden in the warmer weather.  I feel like I’m forest bathing. In paradise.

Be inspired. 

Don’t “Shy” away from a Shade Garden.  They are so glamorous. 

More Plant Suggestions: Hostas, Lungwort, coleus, caladium, low or carpet or dwarf conifers ~ Cephalotaxus Harringtonia is one of my most favorite, Korean Spice Viburnum, Clethra,  Epimedium, Tiarella/Foam Flower, Lady’s Mantle, Astible, Siberian Bugloss/Brunnera macrophylla, Deutzia, Solomon’s seal, begonias, ferns of all kinds.