Create a shade garden

Some of the elements that make a shade garden are many trees, different types of plants as well as furniture to provide sitting space as you enjoy the shade .

What you need to know:

Planning for a shady garden does not have to be hard, especially if you know the right plants and trees to plant as Zuurah Karungi writes.

A garden is one of the features that give a home a touch of beauty. This is because a good flower garden makes your home more appealing to those who see it but how best your garden will look depends on the efforts and creativity when planting it.
A garden can be set in any way depending on the owner’s preference. So, while some people prefer gardens with less trees and simple flowers; others will go for shady gardens that have a couple of trees and flowers.
A shady garden is made of multiple trees and shrubs that create a forest-like nature in the garden. Such a garden is always pleasant to look at ,especially if it is set in the proper way. It also creates a shade and brings a cool breeze around the home.

Considerations
When planting a shady garden, you need to be mindful of where and how you plant the trees and flowers. It is also vital to be well informed about the tree types that work for shady gardens.
Joy Atugonza, a florist on Bukoto Street, says the size of the garden depends on the owner’s interest.

Trees
Tony Kyagulanyi, a florist on Wandegeya Kampala says trees in a shady garden need to be planted on the sides of the garden.
He explains that the trees planted should have roots that go underground (tap roots) and not sideways and you should also avoid trees with fibrous roots because their roots may become wild causing cracks in the garden that may damage the house as well.
However, kyagulanyi warns against planting trees that grow too tall for example mahogany or eucalyptus trees because they can damage the house or electric poles when they grow.
Janet Kahunde, a florist, says keeping the trees shaped will make them good looking. She adds that to keep them in a desirable size, you need to constantly trim the edges.

Kyagulanyi advises that before buying trees, you need to consider the type of soil in your compound because soil matters a lot in tree growth. “If your soils are poor, with poor drainage or low water absorption, consider adding some fertiliser or planting specific types that bear those conditions.
Atugonza adds that fruit trees can as well work for shady gardens. She, recommends trees such as mango, orange, apple, guava and lemon trees.

“These trees are multipurpose because they create beauty and provide fruits and the smell from lemon trees will repel mosquitoes” says Atugonza.
However, she says these trees need a lot of attention because they shed a lot of leaves.
Kyagulanyi says trees suitable for a shady garden are palm tree, podo tree, cedar tree and Christmas tree among others. He says cedar is important in a garden because it’s a mosquito repellant.

Grass
Kyagulanyi advises people to use grass that require less care
“There are some grass types that will need weekly attention. I advise you to use grass like buffalo and Bahia grass because these types need less care,” Kyagulanyi says.
Kahunde adds that grass should be planted in the middle of the compound supported by two to three trees of a minimal size. This will bring out the beauty in the garden.

Lighting
Atugonza says it would be awesome if the colours used in lighting match with the fence or colour in the house.
Lighting gives the garden great glamour at night and will also help you to scare away snakes and other animals.

Furniture
Kahunde says furniture should be put under the shade; In this case, you can either use chairs or tree trunks because they all work for the shady garden.

Flowers
Kyagulanyi says flowers should be planted in front or in between the trees.
He says people should put keen interest in the flower selection because some flowers may not be suitable for shady compounds. He advises that bright coloured flowers are better for shady compounds.
He points out flowers like lantana, ashoka, yesterday today tomorrow flower, America flower and jolanta, saying they have good colours that can match with the trees and bring out an amazing look.