It’s best to provide afternoon shade for many vegetables in the garden if you live in a climate where the summer sun is intense, especially in India.
Adding shade to your garden is similar to covering your plants with “sunscreen.” Do you want to know how to make shade in your garden? Here are some of my favorite ways to add shade to your garden and help it survive the summer heat.
The morning sun provides plenty of energy through photosynthesis without the heat stress that comes with all-day sun exposure.
The amount of moisture lost through transpiration can be reduced by providing shade for plants (evaporation of water from plant leaves).
When temperatures exceed 100°F, most vegetables become stressed. Shade keeps direct sunlight off the foliage, and it can be up to 10°F cooler in the shade than in the open.
Even shade-loving plants require some sunlight to survive. Shade plants, on the other hand, have a wide range of water requirements. In catalogs and on plant labels, terms like “partial shade,” “full shade,” “dense shade,” and others are frequently used to describe the degree of shade that plants prefer.
Understanding those terms, as well as the various levels of shade in your garden, is the first step in creating a lovely shade garden.
A partial or medium shade describes conditions in which your garden is shaded for about half of the day. This equates to four to six hours of sunlight and four to six hours of shade per day. It’s no coincidence that “partial shade” and “partial sun” sound alike. Plants that prefer partial shade, on the other hand, place a premium on getting at least four shaded hours. The emphasis shifts to getting at least four hours of sun with partial sun plants. The term “full shade” refers to areas that receive only two to four hours of direct sunlight per day. Dense shade is a term used to describe grass seed for shady lawns.
Full or dense shade does not imply a lack of sunlight for plants. It means that these plants can survive for the most part of the day with only indirect light.
Areas along the edges of shady gardens or where sunlight filters through leaves and hits the ground all day are referred to as “light shade,” “filtered shade,” or “dappled shade.” Look for plants that thrive in your growing zone when selecting plants for your shade garden. Then concentrate on plants that will thrive in your garden’s shade. Keep in mind that most shade gardens are a mix of various shades, so keep that in mind.
Plants in the back or middle of a shade garden spend more time in the shade than those near the front or edges, where more sunlight reaches them. Planting plans are also influenced by your location. In northern gardens, where the sun is less intense, plants that prefer full shade in hot southern suns may prefer more exposure. You can create a garden that soothes and satisfies the senses while beautifying its shady home by understanding your shady garden plants and providing the care they require to reach their full potential.
