It’s a beautiful weekend and off to the garden centre you go. Entering, your senses are overwhelmed with the beautiful blooms and fragrances that whisper ‘spring’. You see something new and pretty and inspect the tag, Full Sun. Yet another bloom that won’t survive in your shady retreat.

Don’t despair, there are many benefits and solutions for shady spaces.

The first step for addressing a shady yard is to consider the source. What’s causing the shade? Once you know the source you can determine the other factors you need to consider before choosing plant material for that area of the yard.

For example, a large tree with a dense canopy or a building can both shelter the areas below from rain. Trees like maples with shallow surface roots draw moisture and nutrients from the soil, making it tough to grow anything at their base.

Before you go and cut down that maple, consider the benefits the shade is providing for your yard and the people in it. As the SPF creeps higher on sunscreen, a shady place to sit out of the high summer sun is ideal. A shady retreat can mean more time enjoying your yard. That tree is also providing oxygen and improving the air quality in your yard. Trees reduce the “urban heat island effect”. This occurs when exposed hard surfaces like buildings, pavement, decks and patios absorb heat and then heat the surrounding air, both day and night.

Different sources provide different types of shade. In most cases, buildings create a part shade condition in the morning or afternoon. Trees provide dappled or full shade, depending on the density of their canopy.

Part shade can be a great condition to work with, if the planting area is on the east side of the building. It will get sun during the cool humid morning hours and be protected from the burning afternoon sun. These are great conditions for perennials like Astilbe and Helleborus, or a flowering shrub like Cornus kousa chinensis if you are looking for some height.

Full and dappled shade gives you an opportunity to grow some plants that would be damaged by harsh full sun conditions. A flowering shrub like Dicentra (Bleeding heart) can be beautiful, and groundcovers like Epimedium or Tiarella can add some interest to your space. Most ferns do well in full or dappled shade. Some examples for interesting texture and colour are Asplenium (Hart’s tongue) or Athyrium (Japanese painted fern). Most of the Carex grasses will also do well in partial to full shade.

If you are having trouble getting something to grow in full shade, consider altering the conditions from above; thinning out a tree canopy that is creating dense shade in your garden can change the conditions into dappled shade. Routine pruning of trees promotes better tree heath also, by allowing more air circulation.

Back to the maple, dry conditions under a tree with surface roots can be addressed with a creeping groundcover. Euonymus fortunei (big leaf winter creeper) could spread and create good coverage, however it would require some maintenance as it can be a bit invasive. Consider also removing some of the surface roots and planting in containers in the ground to create some separation, and give things a head start. If you plant in the early spring, more light will get through while the plants are establishing themselves before the tree fills in. Just remember, if you try container planting, prune your tree crown to balance the roots removed below.

Once you have established shade and soil conditions in your yard, speak to a professional at your local nursery, they may have some great suggestions of plant material that grows well in your area.

• Jen Cuddie has been designing for 10 years. Originally a graphic designer, and always a plant lover, she heard the call of the outdoors and worked as a construction foreman managing garden installation for a residential design/build firm while she applied her design knowledge to landscape planning. Now as a landscape designer and project manager, Jen works for Oriole Landscaping Ltd. For more information, visit www.oriolelandscaping.com.