Planting In The Shade

One of the biggest challenges when it comes to lawn care is managing the shaded areas of a lawn. Filling in the bare spots can seem impossible considering grass needs an abundant amount of sunshine in order to grow and flourish. If you are trying to make your shady areas look lush and green, you may find the following tips helpful.

Possibly the simplest remedy would be to trim your overhanging trees and shrubs. If the shade is the result of tall trees or shrubs, pruning them will help to provide more light.

If trimming is not an option for you, try adding fescues to your lawn when you seed and fertilize. Fescues are low maintenance grasses that are tolerant to shade and drought, which makes them a desirable species of grass that can adapt to many different conditions.

When cutting the grass that you have in shady areas, you should set the blades of the lawn mower higher. Maintaining a slightly taller height will help the grasses to retain the moisture and stay green, rather than being burned up in the heat of the summer. High traffic will wear down the shaded grass and cause it to rot more easily, so try to stay off of it as much as possible.

Also, you may have to be more meticulous about weeds and moss in shady areas of your lawn. The lack of sunlight often encourages the growth of these unsightly plants.

If the above tips for growing grasses are not working for you, it might be time to get creative. You could turn this shady section of your lawn into a beautiful rock garden using plants that do not need a lot of direct sunlight. Plants that do well in shade include Bigroot Geranium, Toad Lily, Ajuga, Bleeding Heart, Hosta, Hellebore, Astilbe, Monkshood, Japanese Ferns (really any Fern species), and many many more. Adding a few lawn chairs and a small table can make this once unsightly area a nice spot to sit during the heat of the day.