Growing for Success | The best blooms for shady spots

With competition from overhead plants, soil moisture and nutrients, even root space, can be hard to find. Millipedes, slaters, snails, slugs and a lot of other insects thrive in the cooler shaded areas.

Moulds and mildew can also be a problem in these areas, particularly if there is limited airflow through the garden.

All these factors can restrict your plant choice, but there are still plenty of plants that have adapted to these conditions that will fill out the understorey planting very well.

There are, however, a few trees, such as liquidambars and a lot of the ash trees, that are almost impossible to grow plants underneath.

In most other cases, though, the following plants will thrive in these trying conditions.

Native violet Viola hederacea is a low-spreading ground cover that grows to about 10cm high and can form a continuous dense mat.

Spreading by underground runners, it can cover large areas and prevent weeds from growing. It can also be used as a low-traffic lawn substitute for shady areas.

It has small round leaves with purple and white flowers that are held just proud of the foliage.

Ligularia Designer Verde, the tractor seat plant, is a feature foliage plant perfect for adding colour and texture.

Once established, the leaves can reach up to 30cm across and grow on stems to 70cm high. The kidney-shaped deep green leaves have a beautiful glossy finish to them.

From mid-summer onwards, they have bright yellow daisy-like flowers that add a further feature to the display.

They are a clumping plant that are very hardy and easy to grow.

In the same family is Ligularia dentata Pandora, with smaller kidney-shaped leaves that are dark purple to chocolate brown in colour.

Their heads of bright golden-yellow flowers that appear from late spring, continuing through summer, contrast nicely above the dark-coloured leaves.

Native to China and Japan, they tolerate heavy shade and quite heavy frosts, making them ideal for growing under deciduous trees.

For shady summer colour, it is hard to beat New Guinea impatiens with their bright five-petalled flowers standing out against their dark green, purple-reverse leaves. New Guinea impatiens can handle some sun but prefer morning sun and afternoon shade.

In our frosty climate, they will probably only last through to winter, but their impact of colour through spring, summer and autumn makes them well worth growing.

Begonia Fancy Free can flower off and on most of the year.

Growing to about 60cm high in a slightly weepy habit, the plant forms a low shrub up to 80cm wide.

Although they are frost-sensitive, they will recover from any damage caused, and just a quick trim over after the frosts have finished will see them back in flower in no time.

Tuberous begonia and bedding begonia will also give great colour in shaded areas, but treat it as a bonus if they don’t disappear over winter.

Coleus is another one that can give you great colour impact in a shaded garden over summer.

Their colourful leaves can add a tropical feel to the garden, but being an annual plant, you will have to replace them each year.

Ferns such as Blue Star fern, Kangaroo fern, Silver Lady fern, Autumn fern, Holly fern, and Bird Nest fern will all grow well in our region in heavy shade.

Once they are established, surprisingly, they do not require as much water as you would think, but they do like a good layer of mulch to help keep their roots cool.

Adding fern foliage to a shady garden can really help create a tranquil, cool-feeling ambiance to the area.

Of course, there are always the regulars such as azalea, Daphne, some of the gardenias, the low-growing camellias, and some varieties of fuchsia that are a good fallback for these problem shady places.

If you are unsure about what to plant and what will grow in your shady garden, take a few photos of the area and any surrounding or overhead plants, then drop into the garden centre and we will see what we can come up with for you.