Landscape architect Karen Dominguez Brann offers suggestions for a shady garden on a busy street. Her first recommendation is to amend the soil with planter mix, a combination of redwood bark and compost that adds nutrients and improves the soil's tilth. Incorporate amendments with a shovel or a tiller. Good structure is crucial to an effective garden design. Plants are added according to height, shape and bloom color. In shady areas, white-flowered plants are used to add brightness. The following plants thrive in varying amounts of shade: Laurus nobilis (sweet bay, bay laurel) is a slow-growing evergreen shrub or tree that requires full sun or partial shade and good drainage. Sweet bay has leathery, aromatic leaves and produces clusters of small greenish-yellow flowers in the spring, followed by black or dark-purple berries. Hardy only to Zone 8, sweet bay may be grown in containers in cold climates so that it can be moved to a protected area in winter. Heliotrope (Heliotropium arborescens) is a tender shrub often grown as an annual. It requires partial shade in hot summer areas and well-drained soil. It produces clusters of fragrant flowers in summer. Star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides), a tender evergreen vine often grown as a groundcover, requires some shade in hot regions. Star jasmine produces perfumed pure-white star-shaped blooms in summer. Trim it with hedge shears after it flowers to keep plants low and bushy. Star jasmine is hardy to Zone 9. Select variegated plants to bring light into the shady garden. Although variegated plants are often prized for their attractive foliage, scientists don't completely understand the phenomena that cause variegation. Begonias--many of which have showy variegated foliage--require ample moisture, partial shade and a fertile, well-draining soil. Keep plants' tips pinched back to encourage bushy, full growth. Impatiens, popular shade-loving annuals, can also help highlight dark areas of the garden. At planting time Karen suggests adding blood meal and bone meal to the soil. Blood meal is a natural source of nitrogen, and bone meal provides phosphorous. After planting, mulch around plants with ground bark. Mulching helps reduce weed growth, retain soil moisture and give the garden an attractive finished look. Add a fountain to drown traffic noise, and you've created an oasis in the shade.
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