Herbs That Grow in Shade
Evening Primrose |
Trees in Your Landscape
Periwinkle |
If you planted a charming sapling a couple of decades ago that now towers over you home, you're not alone. There are more dwarf trees available now than there were back in the day. If you misjudged just how tall that arbor day project was going to grow between the time your kids were toddlers and the day one of them would ask you for the car keys (or were misled by the description on the label) you may well be dealing with a big swath of garden that's in shadow much of the time. The answer to opening up your landscape may not be to cut down the tree, though.
If you haven't had your tree trimmed in a number of years, creating good air flow by judicious pruning can help keep your tree healthy and looking good. It will also promote dappled light, a much better growing condition for many plants (including your lawn) than deep shade.
Trees do pose some unique challenges though:
Tree roots may extend farther than you expect. The root systems of a tree can be as wide as its aerial canopy. From a practical perspective, that means plants placed close to trees have less room to put down their own deep roots. This can make them more vulnerable to stress, drought conditions and cold snaps.
Trees can also be water hogs. The area directly under a tree's canopy usually remains relatively dry, too, even during wet weather. What water does penetrate may be soaked up by thirsty tree roots before plants have a chance to get a good drink.
Choose the Right Herbs for Your Growing Conditions
The bad news is that many common plant varieties may not get enough water to survive under (or near) trees, even when they can tolerate some shade. Plants that manage to do well under trees usually have somewhat shallow roots themselves. They are also champions at being able to access moisture quickly before it passes deeper into the soil. Many are traditional woodland residents. If you have problem with trees in your landscape, prefer woodland plants and herbs for those locations. One excellent example is sweet woodruff. There's a photo of this charming little plant below.
Herb Plants for Shade
The following is a list of attractive herbs that do well in shade. For the best results, position plants where you can dig six inch deep and six to eight inch diameter holes. Provide plants with rich soil, and give them a two to three inch layer of protective mulch unless otherwise noted in the plant profiles you see here or elsewhere.
Angelica - Angelica archangelica
Black Cohosh - Actaea racemosa
Catnip - Nepeta Cataria
Chives |
Chervil- Anthriscus cerefolium
Chives - Allium schoenoprasum
Cilantro - Coriandrum sativum
Evening primrose - Oenothera -
Ginger (wild) - Asarum canadense
Goldenseal - Hydrastis canadensis
Hyssop (anise) - Agastache foeniculum
Lemon balm - Melissa officinalis http://suite101.com/article/understanding-lemon-balm-a49042
Mint - Mentha -
Valerian |
Parsley - Petroselinum crispum (likes shade, but needs room for taproot growth)
Pennyroyal - Hedeoma pulegioides
Periwinkle - Vinca -
Sweet Cicely - Myrrhis odorata
Sweet Woodruff - Galium odoratum
Tarragon, Russian - Artemisia dracunculus L.
Thyme - Thymus vulgaris
Sweet Woodruff |
Valerian - Valeriana officinalis
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Periwinkle - By Dcrjsr (Own work) [CC-BY-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Vinca_minor_periwinkle.jpg http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AVinca_minor_periwinkle.jpg
Evening Primrose - By Dr. Thomas G. Barnes, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/Evening_primrose_%281%29.jpg http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AEvening_primrose_(1).jpg
Chives Photo - From my garden
Varerian Photo - Valerian1_Wiki.jpg By Christian Hummert (Ixitixel) (eigenes Foro) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Valeriana_officinalis_%28Flower%29_2.jpg
Sweet Woodruff Photo - From my garden
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