Semi-Shade (Dappled)

Semi-shade offers the best of both worlds: light enough for growth, sheltered enough for subtlety. These are the spaces that shift with the day: bright mornings, dappled afternoons, soft evening light. Most gardens will have quite a lot of shady-ish spaces. Often this semi-shade will be caused by other trees and bushes, but sometimes it is due to buildings or fences that block the intensity of the sun for periods of the day. This more temperate environment where the soil won’t dry out too quickly allows for a wide range of plants.

It’s quite often described vividly as ‘woodland edge’ and it is perfect for plants that value balance over extremes. Acers are a wonderful example, and they come in a myriad of shapes and sizes with hundreds of named varieties to choose from. This light woodland or woodland edge environment gives them that protection from all day blazing sun, and usually from wind, both of which can scorch the delicate foliage.