Got a dry and shady wasteland?

Here's how to turn it into a garden

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In almost every garden there is a shady, dry corner. Maybe it’s under a tree, maybe it’s next to a shed, maybe it’s a poky, neglected zone around the side of your house. Like skeletons in the closet, nearly everyone has a spot like this in their garden; a place where plants - and dreams - go to die, home only to ants, couch grass and the kind of builders’ rubble that somehow manages to populate all neglected garden beds.

These are, usually, depressing places. Like the kitchen drawer crammed with random detritus that you swear you’ll get to ‘one day’, their presence is an irritating reminder that, no, you haven’t *quite* got your shit together and no, you’re not *quite* living your best life.

Well, we can only turn a blind eye for so long! As the saying goes, the best time to plant a tree was yesterday, and the best time to turn your dry and shady garden wastelands into lush, beautiful places is…right now.

So let’s do that.

The perils of dry shade

First up, let’s talk about dry and shady beds generally. They are hard to plant for a couple of reasons. Namely, they lack the two things most plants need to survive:

sunlight and water. When plants photosynthesise (which they must do to grow and live), they use sunlight to convert CO2 and water into sugars and oxygen. In a shady, dry garden, they’re getting less sunlight and less water, so it’s not surprising that living becomes harder. Many, many plants will not tolerate these sub-optimal conditions. So the first rule of planting a dry shady garden is: we MUST choose our plants carefully. Some plants are tougher than others. Some plants have evolved to tolerate shade - typically plants that grow in the understories of forests. The thing about most forest understories, though, is they are usually leafy, cool places with rich, moist earth, not dry sand. Some plants have evolved to tolerate dry sand - typically plants that grow in arid regions, like sandy deserts and coastal plains. The thing about deserts and coastlines, though is they are usually very sunny places, not dense shade.

So we don’t just have to identify plants that can handle shade. And we cant just choose plants that will tolerate dry ground. We need to find the toughest, most roach-like members of the plant community that will willingly accept both of these less-than-ideal conditions.

Fortunately, there are a few tough-as-nails plants that will do exactly that.

Now, before I start listing plants, let’s get one thing straight. Most of the plants I’m about to tell you about will still do much better if you can provide them with some water and some light. And if you cant provide both of those things, focus on the one you can provide (which is usually more water). Given that you’re gonna be throwing these plants into the toughest spot in your garden, the nice thing to do is to make it a little more hospitable to them first.

If your dry and shady zone has sandy soil, like mine, this means adding a generous dose of Kaolin clay and organic matter (like a blended animal manure), which will help your sandy soil begin to hold onto more moisture. Water it all into your soil, until the soil stops repelling water and starts to soak it up instead. Dig down a few centimetres and make sure the water is actually soaking in. If it isn’t, you need more clay and manure.

Next, add a layer of lupin mulch, which will also help improve the soil and trap in more moisture. Don’t skimp on this step, the better you can make your soil, the healthier and more beautiful your plants will be. If you can, I would also really recommend improving your irrigation to the area. Any improvements you can make to get more water to your soil (and to keep it there longer with clay, manure and mulch) will help your plants survive and thrive.

What to grow

Ok, now for the plants. There are certainly more plants that can go on this list (there always are) but these are my current tried and tested picks, and the plants I’m growing in my driest and most shady zones.

I’m listing these plants in order of toughest to weakest. If your dry and shady beds have proven themselves truly antithetical to life, start at the top of this list, with the absolute toughest plants. Keep those alive, then start working your way down the list, adding the less-tough plants one by one. All the while, keep working to improve your soil (this will help you to keep more and more of the less-tough plants alive).