Making the Most of Shade: How to Plan, Plant, and Grow a Fabulous Garden that Lightens up the Shadows [Paperback]

Larry Hodgson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 21, 2005

A gorgeous celebration of the shade garden--featuring nearly 300 perennials, annuals, bulbs, ferns, ornamental grasses, and climbing plants that will thrive without direct sunlight
A shaded garden can be a soothing sanctuary that even the most dedicated sun worshipper can welcome on a hot summer day. But how do you get plants to grow in a spot where trees and shrubs hide the sun? In this stunning volume, garden expert Larry Hodgson shows how to create a lush and lovely garden filled with plants that will flourish in the shade.

The first part covers the basics of shade gardening, including planning, planting, and problem-solving. Here readers will find out how to use shade-tolerant grasses and groundcovers for the root-filled areas under trees; discover solutions for dry shade and heavy needle and leaf drop; and learn what to do if a tree should fall and a shade garden is suddenly thrust back in the sun. The second part is devoted to an encyclopedia of shade-loving plants.

Complete with expert designs for five different kinds of shaded gardens, Making the Most of Shade is a splendid new gardening title by the popular author of Perennials for Every Purpose, which Susan McClure, author of Easy-Care Perennial Gardens, called "a treasure . . . the next best thing to having a friendly expert whispering in your ear as you plan, plant, and perfect your perennial garden."

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Gardeners who weed, plant, and prune under the sun's beneficial rays may think they have it "made in the shade" when it comes to horticultural variety, but there's a downside to all that versatility, according to Hodgson. Those who garden, figuratively speaking, where the sun don't shine, have less weeds, watering, and other bothersome maintenance than their full-sun compatriots. Sharing his considerable expertise throughout this comprehensive guide, Hodgson entertainingly educates both novice and seasoned gardeners about the myriad merits of shade gardening. From cultural considerations to design decisions, Hodgson covers those relevant topics necessary to transform dark garden corners into radiant exhibitions of texture and color. Hundreds of popular and lesser-known perennials, annuals, bulbs, vines, and grasses are profiled in-depth, their inclusion based on decades of Hodgson's personal and professional experience. With informative special features, helpful at-a-glance tips, and lots of color photographs, Hodgson's enlightening guide is a ray of sunshine for shade gardeners. Carol Haggas
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

Booklist

May 1, 2005

Gardeners who weed, plant, and prune under the sun’s beneficial rays may think they have it "made in the shade" when it comes to horticultural variety, but there’s a downside to all that versatility, according to Hodgson. Those who garden, figuratively speaking, where the sun don’t shine, have less weeds, watering, and other bothersome maintenance than their full-sun compatriots. Sharing his considerable expertise throughout this comprehensive guide, Hodgson entertainingly educates both novice and seasoned gardeners about the myriad merits of shade gardening. From cultural considerations to design decisions, Hodgson covers those relevant topics necessary to transform dark garden corners into radiant exhibitions of texture and color. Hundreds of popular and lesser-known perennials, annuals, bulbs, vines, and grasses are profiled in-depth, their inclusion based on decades of Hodgson’s personal and professional experience. With informative special features, helpful at-a-glance tips, and lots of color photographs, Hodgson’s enlightening guide is a ray of sunshine for shade gardeners. -Carol Haggas

Library Journal - June 1

Shade-a welcome retreat for gardeners who want to escape the heat on a hot day or a curse for those who want to grow lots of colorful flowers? Hodgson (Perennials for Every Purpose) here discusses varying degrees of shade and their advantages and disadvantages, revealing that plenty of shade does not exclude one from having a lush and beautiful garden. For gardeners who want more shade, he offers detailed lists of the top shade trees and shrubs; the book's second half features nearly 300 shade-loving plants (perennials, annuals, climbing vines, and more), plus detailed information on growing, top performers and varieties, and problem solving. Design tips on how to combine colors and textures as well as a presentation of five garden plans in various themes (Japanese, Victorian, Native, Textured, and Annual) keep gardens looking bright and beautiful. Most helpful is Hodgson's chapter on how to cope with problems like root competition from trees, growing plants in dry or moist shade, and what to do when your neighbor or a storm knocks down the tree that is your shade source. Along with George Schenk's The Complete Shade Gardener, this is an excellent addition for public libraries.-Phillip Oliver, Univ. of North Alabama Lib., Florence

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 380 pages
• Publisher: Rodale Books (April 21, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1579549675
• ISBN-13: 978-1579549671
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #78,849 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Made in the shade, September 30, 2005

By 

W. Oliver (Alabama) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Making the Most of Shade: How to Plan, Plant, and Grow a Fabulous Garden that Lightens up the Shadows (Paperback)

This is a great book for anyone who has a lot of shade and don't know what to do with it or for those who are wanting shade! For those who already have shade, the author shows how you can have a fabulous garden using a variety of plants that provide dramatic leaf structure and some that even flower. Of course not all shade is the same and the various types of shade are explained. Some typical problems concerning shade gardening, such as dry shade or excessive moist shade, is discussed as well. Over 300 plants are profiled individually in the last half of the book. For gardeners who want more shade, a list of shade trees and shrubs is provided. Most helpful is a section of shade garden designs based on various themes (Victorian, Japanese, Native, etc.).

56 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book......, December 11, 2005

By 

Dianne Foster "Di" (USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Making the Most of Shade: How to Plan, Plant, and Grow a Fabulous Garden that Lightens up the Shadows (Paperback)

MAKING THE MOST OF SHADE, Larry Hodgson offers hundreds of ideas about working with the trees you now have or actually creating shade. My all-time favorite book on shade gardening has been George Shenk's classic as it was he who first pointed out the virtues and sins of various trees and bushes regarding their roots and foliage, but one of the criticisms I have of Shenk's book is the dearth of color illustrations. Hodgson's book more than makes up for this shortcoming, and he adds enough text about each possible entry to actually inform the user. I have been shade gardening for some years now, and am in the position to say...yes, that works for me, or no, that is not something I can do.

For example, I tried Tiarella (Allegheny foamflower) a few years ago and failed probably owing to its sensitivity to the heat and light in my yard (as it's name implies this denizon of the forests prefers something other than the hot Virginia sun in July. Well, Hodgson says there are plenty of hybrid Tiarella plants "pushing" the original into the background". So even though I am careful about invasive vegetation and try to plant native or local fauna where possible, I will probably try the `Eco Running Tapestry' but only after I check with the local VA extension service. Those creeping stems in the new hybrids may not be the best thing in my garden, and Hodgson says the `Wherry' foamflower is a "natural that doesn't produce creeping stems" so I may try that again, now that I am a more experienced gardener and understand the value of mulching annually with leaf compost. I have Creeping Woodruff (Galium odoratum) coming out of my ears leaving few places to plant Tiarella. The Gallium is a wonderful carpet that dies back along August and smells like sweet bedstraw (its common name), so I am not likely to remove it. In the spring it mixes well with Solomon's Seal or "fairy bells" (Polygonatum), Astilbe, Hellebore, and bulbs. In early summer, the Hosta lillies look swell with the Galium.

I like this book very much, and it just might replace Shenk's book in my affections, although it never pays to own only one book on shade gardening.

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful book, like all by Hodgson..., November 3, 2006

By 

Elizabeth Bennett "Canadiana" (Southeast Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Making the Most of Shade: How to Plan, Plant, and Grow a Fabulous Garden that Lightens up the Shadows (Paperback)

I borrowed this book from the library, and found myself quoting from it so often at work (at a perennial nursery), that I've decided to buy it. What's more, I'm getting it not only for myself, but also for a friend and for my boss, who's very interested as she sells a lot of shade plants and has also just created a new shade garden.
I liked much about this book, especially the information on plant hardiness. Hodgson gardens in Canada in zone 3, but has much snow cover, and many plants thought not to be hardy that far north, are hardy for him. This matches my own experience.

Also, the information on how to establish plants in the root zone of large trees is excellent! As is the information on which trees make "good" partners for a shade garden.

Hodgson does not hesitate to recommend certain plants as "top performers".

Altogether a first rate book, useful to the novice and experienced alike.