Almost everyone wants to have a beautiful backyard, but not all backyards are blessed with full sun. Luckily, there are plenty of plants that like the shade. Here's some tips on using shade annuals for beautiful backyard gardens.
Shade annuals can be grown in warm and cool weather depending on the strain of annual you plant. The temperatures for warm season annuals are between 75 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit while cool weather annuals prefer temperatures around 70 degrees. Many cool weather annuals are hearty and can stand some frost if the temperature dips below 70 degrees.
Tropical annual shade grasses can add a unique feel to your garden. Try an ornamental rice like Black Madras for green and purple grasses. These look great used in ornamental grass patterns or simply planted in a freestanding pot.
If the sheer amount of shade annual choices is weighing you down, consider ordering a mix of seeds that fit into a theme. For example, a mix of shade annual jungle foliage, a mix of small flowering shade annuals, or simply stick with a color theme in your bloom color choices.
Planting your shade annuals in the appropriate soil is important for thriving color. To minimize the amount of soil you will have to bring into your garden, determine the type of soil you already have. Soils are generally loamy, silty, sandy or clay based. Ask at your local garden center what type of shade annuals will work well in your soil type. If you are not sure of the type of soil you have, bring a sample to your local garden center. Most shade annuals do well in a loamy soil, which is an even mix of clay, sand and silty soils.
