Shade is the subject of this month's Design Workshop at Gardening Gone Wild. Shade connotes coolness and peace, a respite from the blazing sun. Squirrelhaven has shade in abundance, from full shade to morning shade with afternoon sun, all of it dry. In fact, the only place on the property with a full sun situation is a corner of the front lawn. There is so much I could say on this topic that it could fill a book. I decided, therefore, to limit myself to the shade of the woodland garden in the middle of the day, during the growing season, when it is most appreciated.
It is difficult to describe the degrees of shade with any exactitude. The best I can do to describe the mid-day shade is to borrow a term from art, "chiaroscuro," from the Italian "light-dark." Breaking the rules of photography by shooting in the middle of the day, I was reminded of the paintings by the Baroque master Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, whose paintings are famous for their use of this technique. This type of shade is fluid and dynamic.
In the middle of the day, the blooms of Geranium maculatum seems to be lit from within in the bright beams through the overhead canopy of leaves.
In this type of light, chartreuse foliage seems to glow.
Strong contrasts in light and shadow call for strong colors,
while white flowers shine.
Dodecatheon media alba
Cornus alternifolia
It seems to cast a spotlight on different plants at different times, calling the viewer's attention.
Corydalis 'Blackberry Wine'
Tree Peony with Phlox divaricata in shadow
Cornus alternifolia 'Stackman' (Golden Shadows) with Phlox divaricata 'Clouds of Perfume'
I was excited when I moved to Squirrelhaven, as I finally had a chance to garden in the shade. I suppose there are gardeners out there who hate shade, and view it as an obstacle to achieving their garden visions. They just don't know what they're missing.