The Shade Gardening Podcast is a thoughtful, practical guide to gardening where sunlight is limited. Hosted by professional gardener Marcus Bergin, it explores the plants, design ideas and real-world challenges that shape gardens beneath trees, beside walls and in overlooked corners.
From dry shade and difficult soil to wildlife, changing weather and the way gardens make us feel, each episode combines experience, honest conversation and useful advice. Whether you’re planting your first shady border or rethinking an established garden, you’ll find ideas, reassurance and inspiration here. Discover more at marcusbergin.com.
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Welcome to The Shade Gardening Podcast: Your Guide, Marcus, Shares His Story
Season 1 · Episode 1
Saturday, September 7, 2024 • Duration 14:49
In this first episode of The Shade Gardening Podcast, Marcus, your host and a professional gardener with over 20 years of experience, introduces himself and shares his passion for shade gardening. Learn about the podcast’s focus on helping you transform those tricky, low-light areas of your garden into lush, thriving spaces. Marcus also teases future episodes that will cover plant profiles, design tips, practical advice, and interviews with experts. Whether you’re just starting your shade garden or looking to deepen your knowledge, this podcast will guide you every step of the way!
Ep. 02 What is Shade? The Basics of Shade Gardening
Season 1 · Episode 2
Wednesday, September 11, 2024 • Duration 26:34
In this episode of The Shade Gardening Podcast, we explore the fundamentals of shade gardening. What exactly is shade, and how does it differ from traditional gardening? Marcus breaks down the different types of shade—full, partial, dappled, and deep—and explains why understanding these is key to your garden's success. We also discuss the unique challenges and rewards of gardening in low light.
This episode features a plant profile of the beloved Hosta, offering tips on how to care for this shade-loving favorite. Marcus also shares design tips for layering plants to create depth in your garden, and practical advice on soil preparation to help your shade garden thrive. Whether you’re new to shade gardening or looking for advanced tips, this episode is packed with useful insights to help you make the most of your shady spaces.
EP: 03. Choosing the Right Shade Plants: Featuring Heuchera and Design Tips
Season 1 · Episode 3
Thursday, September 12, 2024 • Duration 23:12
In this episode of The Shade Gardening Podcast, we explore plant selection for shade gardens, with a special focus on the versatile and colorful Heuchera, also known as Coral Bells. Marcus explains how to choose the right plants for different types of shade, from full to dappled, and how to use foliage, texture, and even flowers to create a vibrant and dynamic garden in low light.
Discover the best Heuchera varieties for your garden, how to care for them, and tips on using them in garden design. Plus, we’ll share some practical advice on keeping your shade garden healthy and thriving. Whether just starting or looking for new plant ideas, this episode will teach you how to build a beautiful, low-light oasis.
Creating a Wildlife-Friendly Shade Garden: Attracting Pollinators and More
Season 1 · Episode 4
Thursday, September 12, 2024 • Duration 19:02
In this episode of The Shade Gardening Podcast, we explore how to turn your shade garden into a haven for wildlife. Learn how to attract beneficial creatures like bees, butterflies, birds, and more with the right plants and design strategies. Marcus covers the best shade-loving plants, including Pulmonaria, that provide nectar and shelter, and explains how to create habitats using layered planting techniques.
We’ll also share tips on adding water features, using native plants, and avoiding harmful chemicals to support a thriving ecosystem in your garden. Whether you’re looking to bring more wildlife into your space or simply want to enjoy the beauty of nature up close, this episode will help you create a garden that’s both beautiful and beneficial for the environment.
Tackling Common Shade Gardening Challenges: Soil, Pests, and Plant Growth
Season 1 · Episode 5
Wednesday, September 18, 2024 • Duration 18:14
In this episode of The Shade Gardening Podcast, we’re addressing some of the most common challenges faced by shade gardeners, from dealing with compacted soil to managing pesky pests like slugs and snails. Marcus shares practical tips on improving soil health, balancing moisture, and boosting plant growth in low-light conditions. We also dive into natural solutions for pest control and explore ways to create a healthy, thriving shade garden.
Plus, we’ll highlight Japanese Forest Grass in our plant profile and offer design tips on adding color and contrast to your shady spaces. Whether you're new to shade gardening or looking to overcome specific problems, this episode is packed with useful advice to keep your garden flourishing all season long.
Creating Colour in Shade: Best Blooms for Low Light Spaces
Season 1 · Episode 6
Wednesday, September 25, 2024 • Duration 35:46
In this episode of The Shade Gardening Podcast, host Marcus delves into one of the most exciting aspects of shade gardening—bringing vibrant, colourful blooms into those shaded areas of your garden. While shade gardens are often known for their lush green foliage, they can also be full of colour, texture, and life! This episode will guide you through some of the best shade-loving plants that offer bursts of beauty even in low-light conditions.
We start by discussing how to choose the right plants for different types of shade, from full shade to dappled and partial shade. Understanding your garden’s light conditions is crucial to selecting plants that will thrive and give you the best display of colour.
Marcus shares his top plant picks for adding colour to shady spaces, featuring some stunning options like Astilbes, with their soft pink, purple, and white feathery plumes, and Bleeding Hearts, known for their romantic, heart-shaped flowers that dangle from arching stems. If you’re looking for something more delicate, Marcus introduces Tiarella (Foamflower), which produces beautiful clusters of tiny white or pink flowers that hover above its green or bronzed foliage, adding an airy and ethereal texture to the garden.
The episode also covers Hellebores, which are among the earliest bloomers and come in a range of colours, from rich purples and dusky pinks to soft greens. These hardy plants are perfect for adding winter and early spring interest to your shade garden. And let’s not forget Heucheras (Coral Bells), which are beloved for their vibrant, colourful foliage in shades of deep purple, lime green, and coppery orange, offering contrast and vibrancy.
But adding colour is just the start! Marcus gives expert advice on designing your garden with these plants, showing how to create a cohesive look by balancing cooler tones like blue, purple, and white with bold accents like the deep red of Heucheras or the bright pink of Bleeding Hearts. He also shares the importance of layering plants by height and bloom time, so your garden has something blooming all season long, from the first signs of life in early spring to late summer and early autumn.
Next, the episode focuses on how to extend the bloom season in your shade garden. Marcus walks you through early bloomers like Hellebores and Primroses for spring, Astilbe and Foxgloves for summer, and Toad Lilies (Tricyrtis), which provide a burst of colour in late summer and early autumn with their exotic speckled flowers. For the grand finale in autumn, Japanese Anemones bring a final splash of pink or white blooms before the garden settles into winter.
To tie it all together, Marcus features a detailed plant profile on Tiarella (Foamflower), a must-have for any shade garden. He explores how Tiarella thrives in dappled or partial shade, bringing a light, airy texture with its delicate white or pink blooms that float above its striking foliage. It’s an excellent companion plant to Hostas, Astilbes, and other woodland favourites, making it perfect for creating a serene, woodland-style garden.
Whether you’re new to shade gardening or a seasoned pro looking for fresh ideas, this episode is packed with design tips, plant recommendations, and advice on how to make your shady spaces just as vibrant and colourful as sunny gardens. From understanding light conditions to strategically planning bloom times and textures, Marcus provides all the tools you need to turn your shade garden into a peaceful, colourful retreat that’s bursting with life year-round.
Tune in to discover how to transform your shade garden into a calming oasis filled with seasonal interest, and as always, happy gardening!
Architectural Shade Plants – Adding Structure and Height to Your Garden
Season 1 · Episode 7
Wednesday, October 2, 2024 • Duration 32:56
In this episode of The Shade Gardening Podcast, we explore how to add structure and height to your garden using architectural shade plants. These plants bring bold form and drama to low-light spaces, helping transform flat gardens into dynamic, multi-layered spaces. We’ll discuss some of the best architectural plants, including:
Fatsia japonica: With its large, tropical leaves, Fatsia grows up to 6-10 feet, making it perfect for creating a lush, jungle-like atmosphere.
Rodgersia: Known for its large, bold leaves and fluffy flower spikes, Rodgersia adds dramatic texture in moist shade.
Bamboo: Ideal for vertical height and creating a screen-like effect in shaded gardens.
Hosta 'Empress Wu': One of the largest Hostas, adding bold, architectural leaves to your garden design.
Japanese Aralia: Offers a tropical appearance and is great for adding height to smaller spaces.
We’ll cover design tips for layering plants, using tall plants like Fatsia at the back and combining them with fillers like ferns or spillers like Creeping Jenny. Learn how to use architectural plants as natural privacy screens and balance bold foliage with softer, flowering plants for a cohesive look.
To help maintain these plants, we’ll discuss spacing, watering, and pruning tips, plus how to plan for their mature size to avoid overcrowding.
In the next episode, we’ll dive into shade-loving groundcovers—the perfect plants for low-maintenance gardens. If you’re enjoying the podcast, be sure to subscribe and leave a review, and don’t forget to check out the blog for more shade gardening tips. Thanks for listening, and happy gardening!
Shade-Loving Groundcovers – The Perfect Plants for Low-Maintenance Gardens
Season 1 · Episode 7
Wednesday, October 9, 2024 • Duration 30:31
Welcome to The Shade Gardening Podcast! In this episode, we’ll explore how shade-loving groundcovers can transform your garden into a low-maintenance, vibrant space. Groundcovers are ideal for filling empty spots, suppressing weeds, and adding texture to your garden, all while requiring minimal care.
We’ll cover some of the best shade-loving groundcovers, including:
Pachysandra terminalis (Japanese Spurge): An evergreen groundcover that thrives in deep shade, forming a dense carpet of glossy green leaves.
Lamium maculatum (Dead Nettle): With its silvery-green leaves and pink, purple, or white flowers, this fast-growing groundcover adds colour and texture to shady areas.
Ajuga reptans (Bugleweed): Grows in dense mats with bronze or purple-tinged leaves, featuring blue flower spikes in spring.
Vinca minor (Lesser Periwinkle): A tough, evergreen groundcover with glossy green leaves and small blue flowers, perfect for deep shade.
Epimedium (Barrenwort): Known for its delicate heart-shaped leaves and colourful spring blooms, ideal for dry, shaded areas.
We’ll also discuss how to use groundcovers to layer with taller plants, soften the edges of paths, and fill gaps between larger plants. Groundcovers are a great way to create a natural, continuous flow in your garden.
While groundcovers are generally low-maintenance, we’ll share tips on proper watering, mulching, spacing, and pruning to ensure healthy growth and long-term beauty. Once established, they offer benefits like moisture retention and weed suppression.
In the next episode, we’ll cover 'Moisture-Loving Plants for Damp, Shaded Areas,' helping you turn tricky wet spots into thriving garden spaces. Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and visit the blog for more gardening tips. Thanks for listening, and happy gardening!
Moisture-Loving Plants for Damp, Shaded Areas
Season 1 · Episode 10
Wednesday, October 16, 2024 • Duration 24:21
Welcome back to The Shade Gardening Podcast! In this episode, we’re tackling one of the trickiest gardening challenges—damp, shaded areas that tend to stay wet after rainfall or remain boggy throughout the season. These areas can be tough to manage, but with the right plant selection, you can turn them into lush, thriving spaces full of texture, colour, and life.
We’ll start by discussing the unique conditions of wet, shaded spots, where poor drainage and limited sunlight can make it difficult for many plants to survive. Then, we’ll explore a variety of moisture-loving plants that actually thrive in these environments. From bold foliage to colourful blooms, these plants will help transform those waterlogged areas into stunning features of your garden.
Some of the plants we’ll cover in this episode include:
Ferns (Athyrium niponicum ‘Pictum’, Ostrich Fern): Known for their lush, feathery foliage, ferns bring a soft, elegant texture to shady, wet spots.
Rodgersia: With its large, dramatic leaves and fluffy flower spikes, Rodgersia adds structure and thrives in moist, shaded conditions.
Ligularia: A striking plant with bold foliage and bright yellow flowers, Ligularia is perfect for adding height and colour to consistently wet areas.
Astilbe: Offering delicate, feathery blooms in shades of pink, white, and purple, Astilbe is ideal for planting near water features or in damp, shady spots.
Hostas: Some varieties of Hostas are perfect for damp conditions, adding large, architectural leaves that create a tropical feel.
Primula japonica (Japanese Primrose): A shade-tolerant primrose that produces vibrant blooms in boggy or waterlogged areas, perfect for adding colour and height.
We’ll also discuss design tips for layering these plants, creating multi-dimensional garden beds by combining tall plants like Rodgersia with low-growing ferns. You’ll learn how to use moisture-loving plants to enhance areas near ponds, streams, or other wet spots while preventing soil erosion and improving drainage.
We’ll wrap up by offering care tips on watering, fertilizing, and pruning, as well as how to protect these plants during the winter to ensure they come back strong year after year.
Join us as we explore the best ways to turn your damp, shaded areas into vibrant, flourishing spaces! Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and visit the blog for more shade gardening tips. Thanks for tuning in, and happy gardening!
Getting Your Shade Garden Ready for Winter: Mulching, Pruning, and More
Wednesday, October 23, 2024 • Duration 19:50
Episode Title: Winter Prep for Shade Gardens: Essential Tips to Protect Your Plants
As the temperatures drop and the days grow shorter, it’s time to prepare your shade garden for the winter months ahead. In this episode of The Shade Gardening Podcast, we dive into essential tips and techniques to ensure your shade-loving plants survive the cold season and come back even stronger in the spring. Whether you’re an experienced gardener or just starting out, this episode is packed with practical advice to help you winter-proof your garden.
We start by exploring the importance of mulching—a critical step in protecting your garden beds from frost damage. I’ll guide you through the best types of mulch for shaded areas, including leaf mold and bark mulch, and explain when and how to apply them effectively. Mulch not only insulates the soil but also prevents winter erosion and keeps the soil from drying out during the colder months.
Next, we move on to cutting back perennials and performing a thorough garden clean-up. You’ll learn why it’s important to cut down plants like hostas and astilbes and how to avoid common mistakes that can lead to rot or pest problems over winter. We also discuss which plants to leave standing, such as ferns and ornamental grasses, to add interest to your winter garden and provide shelter for wildlife.
In shaded areas, fallen leaves can create challenges—particularly when they pile up and hold moisture, leading to mold or fungal diseases. I’ll explain how to manage leaf litter in a way that protects your plants while also enriching your soil. You’ll discover how to make your own leaf mold, an excellent natural mulch for shade gardens, and how to avoid the pitfalls of soggy leaves suffocating your plants.
For gardeners with delicate or evergreen plants in their shade gardens, we also cover protecting these vulnerable plants from frost and cold winds. From setting up windbreaks to using frost cloths, I’ll share actionable tips on how to care for your evergreens and ensure they don’t suffer from winter burn or frost damage. We’ll also touch on how to keep container plants safe by moving them to sheltered spots or insulating them with materials like bubble wrap.
And, for those with bulbs or container plants, there’s a bonus section on how to prepare them for winter. I’ll share advice on planting bulbs in shaded areas and how to overwinter containers to ensure they’re ready to bloom when spring arrives.
By the end of this episode, you’ll be equipped with everything you need to give your shade garden the best chance of thriving through winter and bouncing back beautifully in spring. Whether you’re mulching, pruning, or protecting delicate plants, these winter-prep tips will help keep your garden healthy and strong all season long.
