Late last Spring, I put in my first shade (well, shady for my Florida yard) garden. My sandhills property is more suited for desert gardening than shade gardening. I wanted a place to sit and read and enjoy the butterflies and hummers without frying. It was 10 - 15 degrees cooler under the trees than in the rest of the yard.

I had to clear a path through this clump of trees, trim several branches and dig out lots of roots before planting. I have no method to my madness...just plant what I like. It gets early morning sun, high shade during the day then 1 hour of sun before sunset.

I can't wait for it to fill in this year. I have already added several bee balms, red shrimp plant and 2 hanging baskets of fuschia from the trees. The hummers love this spot as did the zebra longwings last year.

Here's a few pics a month or so after I planted it last year. Enjoy!

Very nice, Rhonda! All of our Florida gardens need a nice shade area! Well done!

Absolutely lovely. Just a gentle reminder that under the ground there are all the roots of those trees, competing with your flowering plants. The root systems of the trees extend out beyond the reach of the branches, and oaks have roots quite near the surface. So, if you find later in the season that your plants start struggling somewhat, that is the reason. The water, fertilizer and any soil amendments you used when planting the flowers will 'attract' roots of the trees.

I have huge oaks all around the house, and struggled with this for years. Now I plant my favorite shade loving plants in large pots, and move them around as they bloom, for best effect. You can also sink pots into the ground to give your plants a head start, but eventually the trees will get their roots into the pots, too!

Some plants compete well with oak tree roots, and others simply give up. Heliconias, caladiums and gingers seem to do fine in the ground under my oaks, but things with fine roots like cane begonias simply can't compete. Bromeliads are excellent under oaks, as they don't really have much of a root system, and take most of their nutrients from the air. Hummingbirds like several kinds of bromeliad flowers, too.

Long story short, if some of your butterfly plants start to peter out, I'd lift them and put them in pots to keep them going.

Tara!

Thanks Elaine for the kind words and advice. I figured I'd be battling with the roots and I've been pulling suckers constantly. I'll see what works under the trees and move what doesn't to other places in the yard. I usually get too ambitious and learn through trial and error

I wrote you early this morning but guess I forgot to hit 'finished'.

So I'll say it again.

You have a very pleasant space developing there, and love it!

Thanks David! That means a lot coming from someone with such beautiful gardens

You are so welcome Rhonda, and Thank you. I do all my garden work myself as well as working with others on their's and that means a lot to hear you like the way they look!

Love that spot under the trees. I use the shade from a huge palm to get my Shade garden. I've been know to drag a chair out there to sit after a hard day of digging in the dirt. I find I'm planting under there more & more in pots. The Iris & gingers are about the only things in the ground.

Jean! That's the first place I head after playing in the dirt too By the way, I love your profile pic quilt. I quilt too, but not nearly as much as I did when I lived in Ohio. I like to quilt by hand with the quilt over my lap and it kept me cozy warm in the long winters.....just a little too hot here to do that here

A very talented friend created the Avatar for me!!!!! I'm searching for an old metal head & foot board so I can make a garden bed & cover it with a quilt made of flowers.

I was hand sewing binding on a large quilt last nite & wishing it were a few deg cooler!!!!!

Jean,

What a nice friend The quilted flower bed idea is awesome. Plese make sure to post pics if you do create one.

Rhonda