{"id":12592,"date":"2020-03-19T11:13:57","date_gmt":"2020-03-19T16:13:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.wnpt.org\/mediaupdate\/?p=12592"},"modified":"2020-09-21T15:00:13","modified_gmt":"2020-09-21T20:00:13","slug":"vg-shade-garden-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.wnpt.org\/mediaupdate\/2020\/03\/19\/vg-shade-garden-1\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Volunteer Gardener\u2019 Made in the Shade, Part 1"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Woodland Phlox, Phlox divaricata<\/em> | Credit: eliza28diamonds<\/a> from Pixabay<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In this confusing time when so many of us are stuck inside, the optimist in me is thinking about the future and how my garden can benefit from this time of solitude and introspection. Will Rogers once said, \u201cThe farmer has to be an optimist or he wouldn\u2019t still be a farmer.\u201d I think the same applies to gardeners. We have to deal with all the same problems farmers do, albeit on a smaller scale. We have droughts and floods, pests, and plants that die in spite of our best efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have a lot of shade on my property. I\u2019ll bet most gardeners in this beautiful, tree-plentiful state are blessed with shade. Yes, I said blessed. <\/em>Shade gardens offer a cool respite from summer\u2019s heat and humidity. They also retain much more water than their sunny counterparts, requiring less irrigation or hand watering. There is generally less weeding of shade gardens because the most aggressive weeds thrive in full sun. Mulching heavily with all the leaves nature provides will further inhibit weed growth. Shade gardens can also be a boon for wildlife and beneficial insects. <\/p>\n\n\n\n