Best plants for shade and part shade in Lancashire gardens

Posted on 13th April 2026 at 18:19

Shady areas can be some of the trickiest parts of the garden to get right.

One corner stays damp and cool, another sits under trees and dries out quickly whilst another only gets a bit of morning sun before falling into shade for the rest of the day. It's no surprise that many people in Lancashire end up wondering what will actually grow there!

The good news is that a shady garden doesn't have to be dull. In fact, some of the most beautiful spring plants and best foliage plants thrive in shade or part shade. The key is understanding what kind of shade you are dealing with, then choosing plants that suit it.

In this guide, we will look at the best plants for dry shade, part shade and damp shade, along with some reliable spring performers, good options for pots, and one simple planting combination that works well in a sheltered shady spot.

How to plant early potatoes

Posted on 16th March 2026 at 17:37

Growing your own potatoes is one of the most rewarding jobs in the garden. Early potatoes are particularly popular because they are easy to grow, mature quickly and can be harvested in early summer.

If you’re new to growing vegetables, early potatoes are a great place to start. With the right timing and a few simple steps, you can enjoy your own homegrown crop just a few months after planting.

Here’s how to plant and grow early potatoes successfully.

What’s Flowering in March in Lancashire?

Posted on 6th March 2026 at 10:41

March is when Lancashire gardens finally start to wake up after winter. The soil is still cold and the weather can be unpredictable, but there are already some brilliant plants putting on colour. If your garden still looks a little tired after winter, this is the time of year when early spring plants begin to take over, bringing colour back to borders, beds and containers.

Here’s a real-time look at what’s flowering right now in gardens across Lancashire.

Preparing Your Garden for Spring in Lancashire

Posted on 24th February 2026 at 15:32

By late February, most gardens in Lancashire look tired. Lawns are patchy, borders are bare, and everything feels stuck in limbo between winter and spring. But this is actually the most important time to get organised. Preparing your garden now makes spring easier, cheaper and far more enjoyable. A few hours of work in February can save weeks of effort later in the year.

This isn’t about making things look perfect. It’s about putting foundations in place so your garden grows properly when the weather improves.

What to Plant in February in Lancashire Gardens

Posted on 9th February 2026 at 09:32

February often feels like the longest month for gardeners. The days are still cold, the ground is wet, and spring feels a long way off. But in reality, February is one of the most important months for getting ahead in the garden - if you plant the right things.

In Lancashire, the key is understanding what can cope with cold, damp conditions and what needs to wait. Planting now isn’t about instant results. It’s about giving plants time to establish so they’re stronger and healthier when spring growth kicks in.

Tulips

Posted on 12th November 2022 at 08:31

Tulips come in a great variety of colours; these easy going spring bulbs never fail to delight. The best time to plant tulips is late October, November or December. With so many to choose from you are sure to find something to your taste.

Tulips are relatively cheap to buy and easy to grow. They are guaranteed to lift spirits bringing the garden alive after its winter rest.

Even in small groups of pots, tulips make a real impact.

Tulips have a long flowering period, by choosing early flowering varieties you can have blooms in March, these can be followed by varieties flowering in April and May giving many weeks of colour.

Choose an area of grass that can be left untidy for the early part of the year for a stunning effect. The Darwin hybrids are the most reliably perennial.

Tulip Ballerina is an elegant, slender and tall tulip with a lovely scent.

Monsella is an example of a double tulip with twice the number of petals it has a real splash of colour and a sweet lemon fragrance as a bonus.

Plant daffodils for spring sunshine

Posted on 7th October 2022 at 10:34

Daffodils are possibly the easiest flower you will ever grow and will reliably come back year after year. Planted in sun or part shade most garden varieties are hardy and our climate is ideal for them. Grown in borders, containers or naturalised in grass they are a welcome sight in spring and as the leaves contain minute razor-sharp crystals deer and rabbits tend to leave them alone.

Planted now and requiring no winter attention daffodils will provide rays of sunshine in spring.

N. Sweetness has bright yellow flowers and a beautiful scent, it is in the jonquilla group and has upright, narrow foliage and several fragrant flowers per stem. They readily form clumps and are excellent for cutting.

Daffodils are best planted in groups of single species. If you are growing in grass plant them in an area that can be left unmown until the leaves have gone brown. Plant twice the depth of the bulb and allow two and a half times the size of the bulb between planting. If the bulbs are being planted in pots place much closer as they look best crammed together for real impact.

N. Cragford has highly fragrant multiple flowers per stem with pure white petals and an orange cup. They make excellent cut flowers and are a great for naturalising.

Daffodils are resilient plants, the number one reason for not flowering is being planted too shallow. They have everything contained in the bulb for the following years flower.

Perfect Perennials for Spring.

Posted on 5th April 2022 at 11:26

Pulmonaria officinalis, commonly known as Lungwort, it is a low growing plant that provides useful ground cover in shady sites, although it does tolerate sun. It is a double value plant as it has appealing foliage as well as attractive spring flowers. The flowers change from pink to blue as they age and then as the flowers die down the foliage thickens and spreads out. Different varieties are available with blue, white or red flowers and foliage varies from spotted to marbled.

Pulsatilla vulgaris, commonly known as Pasque flower and is an attractive addition to the front of the border or rock garden. It requires well drained soil in full sun and has lovely silky flowers followed by charming seed heads. This is a low growing, clump forming perennial that deserves a prominent location in the garden.

Bergenia cordifolia, commonly known as Elephant Ears, is an excellent ground cover. This easy going plant isn't fussy regarding conditions and situation, although it is best to avoid a sunny, dry position. The leathery, slightly glossy leaves are evergreen and the spring flowers vary from white, pale pink through to deep red depending on the variety. Bergenia Eden's Dark Margin is a choice form which has a pencil- line red edge to leaves which turn deep maroon in winter. It has short stems of magenta flowers in mid spring. The only maintenance required is removing any tatty leaves after winter .

Euphorbia Silver Edge is a stunning architectural addition to the garden with all year round foliage and yellow-cream flowers in spring which last until early summer.

Ideal for a hot sunny position in the border with well drained soil or in a pot on a sunny patio. Height and spread 60cm.

Camellias

Posted on 1st March 2022 at 23:15

Camellias are aristocratic shrubs that are valuable throughout the year.

The evergreen, shiny leaves are handsome in their own right but it is the flamboyant flowers that make this shrub a real showstopper. Despite their exotic appearance many Camellias are hardy but do appreciate a sheltered spot.

If you aren't able to plant in acidic, moisture retentive soil in the garden camellias can be grown in containers using ericaceous potting compost. It is important that camellias whether in the border or in a pot are never allowed to dry out. The buds are formed in late summer so it is particularly crucial that they are not allowed to dry out at this time.

Camellias are best positioned in dappled shade and are ideal in the shade of light woodland. If this is not possible position them so that they avoid early morning sun as rapid thawing out of the flower buds will damage the bud.

Camellia Dr Tinsley is an RHS award winning variety with upright growth and semi-double flowers of blush pink. It blooms in late winter to spring providing much needed winter colour.

Winter Flowering Shrubs

Posted on 7th November 2021 at 17:00

Winter flowering shrubs add an extra special dimension to the garden over the colder, wetter months. Although not the showy blooms of the warmer seasons many are scented and the unexpected beauty in winter is a delight.

Skimmia japonica 'Daddy's Dream' is an easy to grow shrub which bears small, green flower buds held in showy panicles throughout winter, these open into scented, creamy white flowers in spring. This shrub is best grown in part shade and grows to a height and spread of 90cm.

Viburnum tinus is a useful evergreen with glossy, dark green leaves. This large shrub bears clusters of pink buds which develop into white flowers between December and April. The flowers are followed by ovoid, blue fruits.

Jasminum nudiflorum bears clear yellow flowers on bare stems from November to late February. This lax shrub can be grown over banks or trained on a wall, any reasonable soil is suitable and it is ideal for a north facing wall. This easily grown shrub provides a real splash of sunshine in the gloomiest months.

Sarcococca is an evergreen shrub that could well be overlooked until winter when it bears small, creamy white flowers with an intense vanilla scent. It is an accommodating shrub that grows in any well drained soil in semi or full shade. The flowers are followed by shiny, black berries.

Mahonias are valuable evergreens in the winter garden. These architectural shrubs flower from autumn until spring casting a delicate scent over the garden. The flowers are followed by purple-blue fruits which decorate the shrub in summer. There are lots of different varieties available, most of which are suitable for growing in any reasonable garden soil in semi to full shade.

Strictly speaking Garrya elliptica doesn't have flowers but the tassels that drape the evergreen shrub in January and February make this a beauty of the winter garden. Best grown against a north facing wall this shrub is a real feature of the late winter garden.

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