Designing a shade garden Without color, a shade garden may appear small and gloomy. Plant in drifts of color for visual impact. Single plants get lost. Use a simple color scheme that relates to other landscape elements and the site. Employ solid-color flowers of several hues in gardens.
Bicolored flowers are more difficult to work with.
Allow adjacent areas of color to intermingle along the edges for a softer look. Plant light colors in shade gardens. Dark colors are harder to see. Select flowers in a harmonious mixture of cool colors for a soothing, restful feeling. Create the illusion of more space in a small garden by planting warm colors in front and cool colors in back.