Black Adn White Flower

One of the most enjoyable gardens I've created is a shade garden on my patio. This is where I like to relax on a hot summer day and having all these beautiful plants around me is very soothing and pleasant.

To create a shade garden, you must first have good loamy soil and of course, shade. Usually the north side of the house is the shadiest, or if you have a lot of shade trees, you can create the garden there. The only problem with areas under trees is the competing tree roots, so you may want to use containers, or build a large planter box under the tree. Then add your loamy soil and some amendments such as peat moss and fertilizer.

The first thing I like to plant are ferns and hostas. They are very complimentary to the colorful flowers. I also like baby tears, which you can plant in little mounds and it will eventually spread and make a pretty green ground cover. Some of the annuals I plant in summer are impatiens. They're very colorful and once they get going, they need very little care. Just make sure they get enough water and fertilizer and they will be beautiful all summer and into the fall.

Around the edge of the roof of my patio, I hang pots of nonstop begonias. They come back every year and are gorgeous to behold. They also need plenty of water and I usually add Osmocote time released fertilizer in the spring before I hang the pots. I've had the same pots of begonias for many years. At the end of the season, I take the pots down and put them in an inconspicuous spot to die back. This process is what feeds the tuber (root) for the next year. When the plant is all dried up and falling away from the pot, then you can clean up all the foliage and put your pots in storage.

In the spring, look for the first signs of little pink nubbins to show and you know they're waking up. Take them out and cover the top with a nice layer of mulch and the Osmocote. Then begin watering. When you have three or four inches of growth, you can hang them up again. Begonias can also be planted in beds, but it's harder to let them die back there as they will look unsightly.

Another plant for shade is the hanging fuschia. They can be very beautiful, but are fussier than some plants, as they are heavy feeders and don't do well in the heat. They usually need extra watering on hot days, sometimes twice a day. They also live a long time with proper care. You can grow them in the garden or on a trellis.

In the fall, I remove the summer flowers and plant pansies, violas, primroses and Iceland poppies. This is also when bulbs should be planted for spring blooms. They work great as underplantings in your beds and in planters. You can get some really gorgeous displays of color with tulips, daffodils and narcissus. There's also hyacinths, crocus and many other bulbs that will give you years of pleasure.

My name is Eleanor Brodnansky and I love to garden. I have been gardening for well over 40 years and I have lots of information to share with those who are just getting started gardening. My website is: It is loaded with articles on soil improvement, composting, organic gardens, drip systems, garden design, vegetable gardens, flower gardens and much more.