Watering the Shade Garden

by Doug
(Somewhere in Lake Ontario)

OK - you have the watering the shade garden handout for this course. I'm looking forward to seeing what you have to say about the points of view and the guidelines for figuring out drip irrigation systems.

Was this useful? Did it make you think about your shade garden in new ways?

Did the math make sense to you?

Got any additional questions you didn't ask before?

As always, use the form below and we'll take another run at providing even more information on shade gardening in the next week.

Doug

Comments for
Watering the Shade Garden

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I'm late, but thank you very much
by: Fate

Way late, but the book is great and will be used for the coming year. Many thanks.

Great, but some questions
by: Pat Howayeck

Enjoyed your book. Very informative. I garden under several ash trees and a large maple in a sandy soil and planned on switching to drip irrigation next year. I'm concerned about digging in compost because of the roots of the trees. I'm talking about the fiberous ones not the large ones. Would it work to dig compost into the individual holes that you place the plant and then top dress with compost every year? I've found that in my sandy soil weeping hoses must be placed about 1 ft to 1 1/2 ft apart in order to get good coverage of water would drip irrigation to each individual plant work better for someone with sandy soil? Thanks for the great info.

Watering the Shade Garden
by: Sandy M.

Your e-book was very helpful and nice to look at too. I see now I haven't been watering nearly long enough although looking at my plants should have told me that :)

Shade e-book helpful
by: Anonymous

Doug, your shade/watering handbook was very informative.

How deep do you bury your weeper hoses?

Doing it Mostly Right
by: Nancy

Informative and nice big print. Loved that! Mostly, I'm doing things right under our two huge fir trees. We laid a layer of chicken wire down before adding soil and compost to keep the gophers/moles out. We have many!!. Using drip irrigation and mulching. What about the big roots and the distance up a tree, though. Those were excellent questions.

Hard truths...
by: Anonymous

As usual, great job! People who tell it like it is are few and far between. Sometimes the truth isn't pleasant but in my opinion it is far preferable to know the worse and understand it and be prepared for it. Making sure that a shade garden area is watered to meet the needs of the garden plants AND the trees somehow slipped by me in the past. Duh....sometimes the simplest truths get missed.

There were several questions that I hadn't gotten a chance to send in earlier that I'd still like you to address. When dealing with trees, especially older well established ones that have a lot of the tops of the big roots close to the tree exposed, is it alright to put new dirt on them? How high up on the tree trunk is acceptable to add dirt to? Is it possible to enclose an area around the tree with some type of wall, then build up the soil in a semi-raised type bed to have plants in? I've understood that putting dirt over an established tree root/trunk area is not good for the tree and I definitely do not want to kill or harm the tree. Oh, and I'm speaking strictly of deciduous trees not evergreens.

Another question is in regards to the shade of a building which does not have rain gutters so there is quite a deluge at the roof drip line during rain storms. If adding guttering is not an option, renting does have some disadvantages unfortunately, what is the best way to handle this type of shade area? Again, is a raised bed built out away from the building past the drip line the way to go? If so, what would be best to do or put in the 12-24 inches between the building and the raised bed area? Rock? Mulch?

Also, it would be great if you could include more information on exactly what plants are good for shade gardens. What ones are fairly easy to grow and therefore a good choice versus which ones are prima donnas that might be better for more experienced shade gardeners.

Glad to see you are feeling better now. Love these classes!

? soaker hose
by: Ann

My shade garden has greatly improved this last year using a ground sprinkling system. I would like to use the weeping type soaker hoses in other beds but with our iron water the hoses clog up rather fast and cease working. Is there a remedy for that?

Good stuff
by: Teresa

This is my first e-book from you. I have a question about planting under a tree. How far away from the tree trunk should you be before planting? Is there a rule of thumb or just try and see what works? As you can tell, I am relatively new to flower gardening and needs lots of help.
Thanks.

I was wrong
by: Penny

Okay, so I was doing just about everything wrong. I thought mulch wasn't used in a shade garden, and I've been watering with a hand held hose. I will use the information from your ebook and expect great things in the future! Thanks!

shade garden e-book
by: Anonymous

It was very informative, but more perhaps for a beginning gardener. I use mulch, and compost, and soaker hoses. I would like to know how long to leave my soaker on, but I did find the formula a bit complicated. I would love more options for shade plants, but can you list the common names as well? Thanks!

Watering the shade garden.
by: Fred Martin

I appreciated the information. It gives me a better understanding that I can use in all parts of my garden.

Ginger plants
by: Anonymous

I love ginger plants for shade:)

Watering the Shade Garden
by: Mary Simons

Doug - I just finished the e-book on watering the shade garden. Very good and very informative. Our one acre lot has 50 very large and mature trees on it - therefore, all my gardens are in shade and I have many. What I would give for a patch of full sun... Watering has been my biggest challenge in our ever increasing dry summers in southeastern PA. Overhead watering has been what I have been doing - you're right - it don't work. Wasting gallons and gallons of water. We collect and shred our leaves in the fall and I use them for mulch as well as the leaves that fall in place. Drip irrigation has been the way I have wanted to go, but our planting areas are so big, I wasn't sure how to do it. Your book has helped. Thanks.

water, water, water
by: diane zone 6

As usual, your info was most useful. I know now I haven't been watering enough which is why my shade garden survives but doesn't thrive.
Being math challenged, I will have to study the water requirements, but I think I get it.

Shade Gardening EBook
by: todlake

Thank you once again for sharing your wisdom with us. I actually think I am doing well with my shade garden - approx 150 sq ft under shagbark hickory grove. My plan was to use a row of 6 rainbarrels to help water this bed. Do you have any experience with rain barrels ie can you use them with soaker hoses? Is there enough pressure? They are about 15 feet from the shade bed. It sure would be a great use for the free water.

You hit it right on!
by: Gardenesque

Easy to read, understand and full of lots of info. I am in horticulture classes and it is always great to read more because your mind is open to those that have done it and can share it to add great knowledge. Awesome job Doug.

Watering the shade garden
by: Annieta

Hi Doug, I am writing from South Africa. Thank you for the wonderful information much appreciated

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Doug Green