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Róisín

What Grows in Shade?

I'd like to grow something in my house but have failed so far. The house is dark (small, crappy windows) and gets hardly any natural light. So far I've killed lavender, basil, fuschia and yet more lavender. *sniff* They were all loved, talked to, and watered but died anyway. So is there any type of edible potplanty organism that would flourish in what feels like my dungeon Laughing

Cheers in advance.
N.V.M.

been there done that... Very Happy haha, i almost even considered mushrooms. seriously though, plants need light,even if its artificial. so, maybe you would consider a grow lamp of some sort? or some extreme care, such as bringing them outside during the day? that'll open up many options for you.
tawny owl

Anything that grows in a woodland should grow - ivy, fatsia fatshedera, vinca, hostas, lily of the valley, for instance. In general, look for plants with large and/or glossy leaves; the large leaves make for efficient use of what light is available, and the glossiness is there to reflect as much light around the plant as possible, so they're usually the ones that will grow best in shade. Lavender is a Mediterrranean plant and is adapted to sun and dry conditions, as are most other grey-leaved plants. Most annuals, such as basil, also need a lot of sun because they need to put their whole life into one year and they just don't have the energy stores to keep going in shade. I am slightly surprised your fuchsia didn't grow - if it was a fancy one, though, you could try the usual red species one, as that's native to the British Isles, and thus adapted to the climate.
jema

We have wild strawberries flourishing in chalky soil in the shade.
cab

Of course, yields in the shade are always lower, when you're growing something edible. Still, I've grown coriander on a shady window ledge, and you can sprout seeds indoors in complete darkness.
Róisín

Thank ye so much. I'll be having a much more informed root (no pun intended!) in the garden shop next payday Very Happy
tawny owl

Oh yes, and ferns and violets, of course!
judyofthewoods

Surprisingly aloe vera, a desrert plant, seems to do fine in shade. Maybe ransom, chives, lemon balm.
JudithNZ

Any of the mints, water cress (it will grow in soil), loose-leaf lettuces, ferns, mouse plant (has an unusual flower the shape of a mouse, complete with tail), moss (several varieties, can be fun to grow). I grow a lot of things in containers, even outdoors. Then I can shift them into shade, protection from frost, or into the sun as and when it suits me and the plants. But lots of things will grow in the shade/dark.
Bugs

Reading a herbal teas book, with a list of plants suitable for shade, of which the windowsill sized ones are hyssop (odd?) parsley and tarragon

You could also have a mess about with the RHS plant selector: http://www.rhs.org.uk/rhsplantselector/default.aspx
ButteryHOLsomeness

cab wrote:
Of course, yields in the shade are always lower, when you're growing something edible. Still, I've grown coriander on a shady window ledge, and you can sprout seeds indoors in complete darkness.


i've grown coriander in a shady spot as well

also mustard, radishes and rhubarb, from seed! all did very well in a shady and somewhat windy spot
Róisín

Right well this is just to let ye know how I got on. Smile

After reading the replies I realised that I could do a lot more if I didn't just sit there and look at the plants in the sitting room. So after a trip to my mothers, I uprooted some rosemary growing out her back garden, shoved it in a huge pot with mosspeatystuff and carted it the 260km back to the dungeonflat. Instead of putting it on a shelf and hoping it would grow, I've set up a little table for it itself, which is in an awkward spot by the slanted bedroom window. And it's working! I move it around according to where the light is streaming in in it's thin line at whatever time of day.

So thanks for all the encouragement and ideas Very Happy All meals are rosemaryflavoured now!
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