PLOTTING WITH SHADY CHARACTERS

Most of the things we lovingly grow prefer full sunshine. You read the same advice time and again: ‘Grow it in a sunny, open spot in rich, moisture-retentive but well-drained soil’. I think those words apply to 90% of what we grow!

So the question arises: What can be done about those shady corners or, trickier still, what can you grow if your entire garden lurks in the shade? My last garden was just that sort of garden – long and narrow, it was heavily shaded by a fence on one side, while the bottom half was overshadowed by a large tree in the neighbour’s garden. But I love a challenge and, despite the limitations, I managed to produce more-than-respectable harvests of fresh, garden-grown goodness.

50 SHADES

There are many degrees of shade, from partially shaded for a few hours a day,