Easy Color in the Shade

Easy Color in the Shade

(3-Minute Read)

Tallahassee Summers can be tough to handle. Just going from the house to the car can result in a sweat-soaked shirt, for goodness sake! If you love to garden but can’t take the heat, learning to work with shade is a must. Here are some easy-to-grow plants that offer color in the shade so you can keep the garden going all summer long.

We all dream of a garden full of color, but it can sometimes feel like it’s just too much work. That’s where “Easy Color” plants come in. Garden color doesn’t have to come from finicky flowers or short-lived annuals. Easy Color plants should each have most of the following attributes:

Colorful: Of course! These plants should have colorful leaves and or flowers that have a huge impact on your landscape. I like variegated leaves because that color lasts all year. Even though flowers don’t last all year they can have a massive impact while in bloom.

Thrive in Shade: Gardens in the sun dry out fast in the summer and freeze hard in the winter, but shady gardens are protected from the summer sun and the cold winter winds. Plants grown in the shade usually require much less water and protection than those out in the open.

Compact Growth: Large growing plants are likely to need lots of pruning. Pruning plants takes precious time and effort from our busy days. Plants with compact growth habits need very little pruning to stay full and pretty. If you give your plants enough room when they are planted you might not have to trim them for years.

Long-Lived: Annuals are generally beautiful and showy, but they only last a season or two. Long-lived shrubs can offer you color for years or even decades if they are planted in the proper location. Planting long-lived shrubs in your garden means you won’t have to replace them for a very long time.

Pest Resistant: The modern gardener has all manner of sprays at their disposal to fight off insect and disease pests whenever they appear, but treating plant problems can be a real hassle. Just skip the whole issue by choosing highly pest-resistant plants. Choosing the proper conditions for your plants will also help them stay healthy enough to fight off pests on their own.

Low Inputs: Some plants require lots of rich soil and fertilizer to grow properly, which may result in gorgeous flowers but at the cost of hard work and extra money. Easy Color plants should survive on basic inputs like water, average soil, mulch, and just a little bit of fertilizer.