Mature trees may cast dense shade, affecting the growth and appearance of sun-loving plants below them. Large trees, in addition to the shade they cast, compete with smaller plants for water and nutrients. Shade can vary in degrees from part, filtered to dense shade. For example, part shade suggests that sunlight reaches the ground only part of the day. Filtered shade is some sunlight filtering through the foliage of a tree.
Dense shade describes the shade under a large, heavily-leaved tree.
Shade can also be categorized as dry or moist, depending on soil moisture and how often the area is watered. Small trees that can be grown in dry shade include ginnala maple and hoptree. Trees that do well in moist shade are serviceberry and redbud. Permission is hereby given to duplicate this Plant talk Colorado TM script as is if credit is given to the sources.