We’re traveling with Cherry Ong today, looking back on a garden tour she went on this past spring while visiting Toronto. The garden is a shady woodland garden dominated by four oak trees. Heavily shaded gardens can be a challenge sometimes, but this gardener has turned this one into a dreamy and appealing space.

The beauty of one of the property’s oaks is highlighted by the clumps of Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra, Zones 5–9) at the base.

In a sunnier part of the garden, a yellow peony (Paeonia hybrid, Zones 3–8) blooms. While peonies bloom heaviest in full sun, they still give a nice display in partial shade.

Hydrangeas are great for shade, and this climbing hydrangea (Hydrangea anomala, Zones 4–8) looks stunning. Climbing hydrangeas cling to walls, fences, or tree trunks. Slow growing at first, they are spectacular once mature.

Shade doesn’t have to mean just green. Silver foliage from brunnera (Brunnera macrophylla, Zones 3–8) and Japanese painted fern (Athyrium niponicum var. pictum, Zones 4–9) contrasts with dark-leaved heuchera (Heuchera hybrid, Zones 4–9) and bright orange begonias (Begonia hybrid, annual).

Goatsbeard (Aruncus dioicus, Zones 4–8) is a wonderful perennial for shade that is native to a wide swath of America and Europe. It has big clouds of white flowers in the spring, followed by ferny foliage through the rest of the summer.

Beautiful foliage of a ginkgo tree (Ginkgo biloba, Zones 3–8)

A pot of annuals brings pops of color to the garden.

Plume poppy (Macleaya cordata, Zones 3–8) has beautiful spring foliage. In the summer it is topped with clouds of small, creamy-white flowers.

Have a garden you’d like to share?

Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit!

To submit, send 5-10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden.

Have a mobile phone? Tag your photos on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with #FineGardening!

Do you receive the GPOD by email yet? Sign up here.

Fine Gardening Recommended Products

Planting in a Post-Wild World: Designing Plant Communities for Resilient Landscapes

Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.

Featuring gorgeous photography and advice for landscapers, Planting in a Post-Wild World by Thomas Rainer and Claudia West is dedicated to the idea of a new nature—a hybrid of both the wild and the cultivated—that can nourish in our cities and suburbs.

Buy at Amazon

Pruning Simplified: A Step-by-Step Guide to 50 Popular Trees and Shrubs

Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.

Pruning Simplified shows you exactly how to do it. This must-have guide offers expert advice on the best tools for the job, specific details on when to prune, and clear instructions on how to prune. Profiles of the 50 most popular trees and shrubs—including azaleas, camellias, clematis, hydrangeas, and more—include illustrated, easy-to-follow instructions that will ensure you make the right cut the first time.

Buy at Amazon