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The first step toward a successful shade garden: create a design
f* ' -t
your pathways. Thoughtful
placement helps to create an
enchanting atmosphere in
which to stroll or linger.
Whether or not you
choose to work with a
landscape designer, creating
a simple layout concept will
help make a garden not only
for people to enjoy, but also
where all the plants you love
can thrive.
Draw a simple layout
using a bubble diagram to
place the major elements
of the garden. First, lay out
the different seating areas
and objects of interest in
your space. Create multiple
layouts to see how the
relationship of these desired
spaces change with each
different orientation and
has five months of flowering. This evergreen
has a few leaves regularly turning red in the
winter and spring. Gordlinia prefers full to
partial sun, well-drained soil, and consistent
moisture. It is easier to grow than franklinia
(Franklinia alatamaha) and really worth
trying.
■ Ffummingbird summersweet (Clethra
alnifolia ‘Ffummingbird’) - This native
deciduous shrub blooms in the middle
of summer with white fragrant flower
spikes. They are sweetly fragrant and
enjoyed by butterflies, a variety of bees,
and, not surprisingly, hummingbirds. It is
a dwarf variety, growing to about 3 feet tall.
Summersweet prefers consistently moist soil
and partial sun, but can tolerate full shade and
wet soils.
■ River oats (Chasmanthium latifolium)
- This native four-season grass can grow to
nearly 3 feet tall in partial sun to the deepest
of shade and thrives in average soils and
moisture. The oat seed heads hang elegantly
It’s July in Atlanta, which means many
of us are looking for ways to beat the heat.
For some, that means waking up at 6 a.m.,
whether to get some gardening work done or
just to enjoy a garden without melting.
Personally, I prefer gardening strategically
and setting a later alarm. I start working in the
sunny areas upon waking, and by 10 or so,
I definitely am working in the shade. I don’t
mind a good sweat, but since reaching the
half-century mark, I would rather not work in
the sun in 90-plus degree weather.
The Environmental
Gardener
1
Greg Levine
co-executive director
of Trees Atlanta,
describes himself as
happiest when his
hands are in the dirt.
A well-shaded garden provides more than
just respite from the summer heat, including
habitat for unique plants and reduced
maintenance for you. My nieces sum it up as
a cool place to get away from each other and
vibe.
If you want to create a shade garden and
you’re starting with a treeless lot, the first thing
to do is to create a plan. We are all tempted to
just buy some of our favorite plants and place
them in the first convenient spots, but there’s a
better way than winging it!
Getting your ideas on a piece of paper
can make a big difference over the life of your
garden. After all, a tree can easily live well
over 100 years. Even the simplest design will
help give your shade garden structure that can
make the garden more usable, enjoyable, and
refined. So, get out the pencil and paper now,
and you will be ready to
start planting in the fall!
Here are a few
things to consider
when designing a shade
garden:
1. Create a garden
with places where people
can engage with their
surroundings, not just
a pretty view from the
kitchen window. Design
“rooms” throughout
your garden using
foundational plants
to define and frame
the spaces. Gardens
that include places for
seating, eating, and
resting will increase the value of the shade
garden to the family.
2. Develop a path system before you
plant your first tree or flower. Focus on how
you want to move through the space. The
paths can meander through the garden or be
more direct. Either way, using plants with
interesting structure or color can help pull
attention, creating the desire and intrigue to
move throughout the space.
3. Incorporate alluring objects, sculptures,
varied seating, and screening at places along
location. Next, draw
circles to represent the
placement of trees and
large shrubs that separate,
enclose, and define the
spaces. Your efforts will
help communicate your
ideas to a designer or will
just help you create a
better shade garden.
Frame your space
and create a foundational
structure by selecting
some bottomland tree
species that tend to be
fast-growing and tough.
Sycamore (Platanus
occidentalis), pine
(Pinus spp.), tulip poplar
(Liriodendron tulipifera), and river birch
(Betula nigra) can be used to create quick
shade and enclosure for the shade garden.
These are a few flowering plants that
have interesting structure, texture, or form to
bring interest to the well-shaded garden in the
middle of July:
■ Sweet Tea gordlinia (x Gordlinia
grandiflora ‘Sweet Tea’) - A beautiful, 30-foot-
tall tree that has white camellia-like flowers
from July to November. No joke, my tree
and tremble in a breeze, turning a bronze to
orangey-red in the fall. It is a prolific re-seeder
and, when the conditions are right, it can
be a great groundcover and a bit of work to
control. I find it easiest to cut it where I don’t
want it, and eventually it weakens and fades
out.
■ Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii
— DwarfTurks Cap — This woody perennial
is extremely drought tolerant once established
and relishes the heat of summer. Starting in
late June, early July, small twisted red flowers
looking like hibiscus that refuse to open its
petals, are produced which are guaranteed
hummingbird attractors along with selected
butterflies including Sulphurs. The blooming
continues well into September and October,
when small red fruit replace the flowers. This
is one perennial that will not fade away, but
after several years you may wish to separate a
few out for friends.
Once you complete your design, it
gets even more fun because you get to go
shopping. You can do this with a good
conscience, knowing your plants won’t be
sitting in their containers or have a lifetime
of being moved around. Good luck and get
started. un
30 July 2021 | [d
AtlantalntownPaper.com