In many urban gardens, especially in neighbourhoods with mature trees, shady garden areas are an inevitable part of the urban garden. Depending on the amount of shade and sun, there are a few plants and edibles that can be grown, such as pennyroyal mint, ferns, hostas, and wild ginger.
If you have a very shade area (you’ll know as even the grass won’t grow here), growing moss may be another great option. Moss will help minimize soil erosion, suppress weeds, keep the area neat and tidy looking, and allow you to keep something growing. It is low maintenance, beautiful looking plant that is easy to start or transplant. They obtain their nutrients from the air and require shade, moisture and acidic soil conditions to flourish. They also thrive in poor quality soil as well and are drought resistant when established.
In terms of moss varieties, we recommend hypnum or cushion moss which can be purchased from specialty growers. Moss can be used not only in shade gardens, but in rock, water and patio gardens too. Try growing moss if you have a shady area of your yard that you want to keep green and lush.
Cover Image by TANAKA Juuyoh, used under its Creative Commons license.
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