Plenty of plants, of a variety of shapes, sizes and colours, thrive in partial shade, so it’s perfectly possible to create a full and attractive border even in these sometimes challenging conditions.
Once established, the Euphorbia, Geranium and Pachysandra will act as ground cover that protects against soil erosion, reduces evaporation of moisture from the soil surface and makes it harder for weed seeds to grow.
While waiting for the plants to fill out, an organic mulch, preferably homemade compost, will help in the same way. Mulches should be spread when the soil is already moist to help trap some of that moisture before it dries out in summer.
The Pyracantha, Leycesteria, Patrinia, Euphorbia and Geranium are also good for attracting pollinators into the garden, helping to increase biodiversity.
1 – Pyracantha ‘Saphyr Orange’ is a thorny evergreen shrub with glossy green leaves. Sprays of white flowers in late spring and early summer are followed by long-lasting bright orange berries in autumn, which will be enjoyed by birds.
2 – Leycesteria formosa GOLDEN LANTERNS is a deciduous shrub with long, arching stems. Emerging leaves in spring are orange, paling to bright yellow-green. White tubular flowers hang between showy dark red bracts in summer. Dark purple berries follow, which are also attractive to birds.
3 – Patrinia scabiosifolia is a herbaceous perennial with low clusters of dark green leaves. In summer, airy sprays of small yellow flowers are produced on branched stems.
4 – Euphorbia amygdaloides var. robbiae is a spreading evergreen perennial that forms colonies of leafy rosettes. From these rise rounded sprays of long-lasting yellow-green flowers in spring and summer.
5 – Geranium ‘Ivan’ is a spreading perennial with divided yellow-green leaves. Red-purple flowers with dark veining and a very dark eye are borne through summer.
6 – Pachysandra terminalis ‘Variegata’ is a mat-forming evergreen subshrub with cream-edged green leaves and spikes of small white flowers in early summer.