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Gardening in Dappled Shade

 

Dappled shade occurs over plants that grow under a canopy of tall trees, usually tall deciduous trees.  It is also called dappled sun.


It is especially common in forests and woodland gardens.  But it can also occur under, for example, 2-3 mature fruit trees that somewhat close together.


Here are the plants we have covered so far that grow in dappled shade conditions:


Some plants that normally do not tolerate shaded conditions (such as part shade or full shade) may tolerate dappled shade.


An example of this is cherry tomatoes.  Because cherry tomato fruits are smaller than those of other  tomato categories, they do not take as much energy or as many resources for the plant to produce.  This also results in a shorter days-to-maturity period than that of larger tomatoes, even if they are planted in the shade.


Whether or not plants will tolerate dappled shade depends on how much sunlight gets through the canopy.  Because of this, dappled-shade gardens require even more experimentation than other gardens.


Sun recommendations can vary by region.  Plants grown in hot regions or conditions may need more shade than standard suggestions.


In other words, some plants that normally only tolerate (but do not prefer) dappled shade may actually require dappled shade or similar conditions, not full sun, when grown in tropical and subtropical areas as well as areas with very direct sun or very hot summers.  


Further Reading

Check out these other articles about other sun conditions:



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