Shade Garden
Objective and Design
The Shade Garden became a part of the Sherwood Demonstration Garden in part as a result of the layout of the acreage. One entire length of the SDG is under the canopy of mature oaks on the property of the Folsom Lake College, El Dorado Center. Another important reason for having the Shade Garden is that it is very typical of many parts of El Dorado County.
The SG has all the elements of the challenges of gardening in a shady situation. Found within the SG are areas that are in deep shade, some in filtered shade, some in morning sun and afternoon shade and some that have more shade during the summer months than in the winter.
Additionally, while the majority of the SG typifies the dry shade conditions that are endemic to EDC, a part of it lies along the bed of a creek that is dry during the summer months but flowing in the wetter months. The ground along the creek bank retains more moisture than the rest of the SG.
The overall goal is to provide information to the gardening public that will help them deal with their shady situations.
What's New!
As the rest of the yard cooks in the hot summer sun, the Shade Garden provides cool reprieve. Big-leafed hydrangea and its large-headed flowers bring a refreshing cheer to any shady spot.
Other large-leafed plants like these Hostas have dramatic flare and delicate flowers. They do well in pots under oak trees, as shown in the demonstration garden, but could also be planted in a shady moist area in the ground.
For those spots that get some afternoon sun, think about planting some echinacea. This one is called 'PowWow Wild Berry'. Echinacea are usually cool colors of purple, pink, and white. These are paired with the true-blue of dwarf plumbago for a refreshing color spot.
