Shade: Ideas and Inspiration for Shady Gardens

by Keith Wiley

Every garden has some shade—some gardens are even completely shaded—and gardeners tend to see shade as a problem. Questions about what to plant in shady parts of the garden are among the most frequest posed in gardening magazines, radio phone-ins, and online discussions. In this innovative book, award-winning gardening expert Keith Wiley turns all the familiar preconceptions on their heads by presenting garden shade in a positive light. Wiley first discusses shade—from dappled and partial to full and dense—in different situations and in every size and type of garden. He then considers the characteristics of shade-loving plants, showing how to use them with companions to create striking designs. He also looks at the practicalities of preparing, planting, and maintaining a shade garden. Complete with a directory of shade-loving plants, Shade shows you how to turn shady areas into highlights in your garden.

Genres: Gardening, Nonfiction

175 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2006

Reviews

[Lorilin · Rating 4 out of 5]

More garden design than anything else, which is fine. Lots of aspirational pictures. Not so many specific plant suggestions as other books.

A little dated. I don't think we call Japanese gardens "Oriental" anymore, do we?

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty pictures but more suited to the moist climate of England rather than California.

[Allison Kirchner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had a lovely balance of photos and text, and I was pleased that it was easy to read straight through. Although the author is from England, he also included gardens from different regions of the United States. I see that the book was published in 2006, and I couldn't help but wonder if he would write a different book today with the surging emphasis on native plants.

I am recently retired and looking forwarding to tinkering with the wooded areas to the side and rear of our home. We have lots of large trees (mostly oaks) with many smaller trees, shrubs, vines and ground covers sprouting wherever they can get sun. I look forward to identifying what I have, thinning and pruning as appropriate, and trying to add some variety and color. We have mostly "dry shade," and the soil is not very good.

The book helpfully reminded me of how difficult it can be to plant under large trees. Whenever I've tried, the roots are so dense that it is nearly impossible to dig a big enough hole for new plants. He suggests pots, beds or berms where necessary. He also reminds that shade plants under trees still need lots of water because the tree roots suck up the available moisture.

I realized that I don't really want a "woodland garden," but just a more attractive (and lightly managed) woodland area. Reading his chapters on pergolas, wisteria and bamboo made me cringe. There were lots of hints for me to use -- remembering to plan for winter and incorporate some evergreens where possible, planning for paths, considering natural vertical elements, trying to plant masses of certain species for maximum effect, choosing good ground covers and taking advantage of the existing moss.

I recognized relatively few of the plants he mentioned, so I definitely appreciated the plant guide at the end. I re-read the plant guide while comparing it to a list of plants native to our state. I wouldn't have tended to choose the showy Asian plants anyway, but there are some varieties of plants he mentioned that would work in our area.

[Debra Daniels-Zeller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book from the iconic Timber Press. Well done with lots of stunning pictures (probably all carefully placed by the author) this book makes a great addition to any gardener's book shelf. I loved the way the book was divided with woodland gardens, urban retreats, combining shade lovers. It's like an interior decorating book with plants outdoors. This book is a keeper that can be referenced many times. I especially liked the plant directory that lists a lot of great shade plants

[Tilden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful photos and some good advice but I noticed that in some of the garden photos there were quite a few plants that needed full sun and would not grow or thrive in shade.

There was quite a bit about woodland gardens which I can't think that many people would have as they are many acres. Most folks live in cities or suburbs with small plots of land.

I need to find a book that is more specific to my needs.

[Alger Smythe-Hopkins · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading and paging through the other Wiley book that I read just before this, and so I was rather surprised by just how badly this book compares. As with the other book, Wiley spends a lot of time on the logistics of creating shade. This is not the reason that I pick up a book about shade gardening, but then the book starts throwing things at the reader like "although this plant absolutely will not grow without full sun, it is really pretty and I include a picture". There is a page long discussion about how much he simply hates hostas, and he comes off kind of snobby about the subject, as if the only reason someone would grow a hosta is because they are lazy.He continues with his fern obsession, especially in Asian-fusion garden plans...but unlike the other book he offers very little in the way of planning advice or plant suggestions.

Also, his degree of interest in variegated foliage is off-putting. Anyway, skip this one in favor of Designing and Planting a Woodland Garden: Plants and Combinations that Thrive in the Shade.

Chau

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

Packed with color photos and ideas evangelizing shade gardening.

Inspires me to do more with the woodland garden.

Anyone laboring under the misconception that shade gardens have to be drab needs to read this book.

[Laura Gilfillan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of examples of shady gardens. Beautiful plants and flowers, and some good advice for garden design, but somehow a lot of the examples failed to really appeal to me, even though I'm usually quite fond of woodland gardens.

[False · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are so many books on this subject. This would not be "top ten." Just a piece of the pack.