Friday, August 7, 2026

Plants for Dry Shade

Beyond The Garden Basics is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber. In today’s podcast, America’s Favorite Retired College Horticulture Professor, Debbie Flower, shows us around her yard and garden. But it’s more than talking about the plants. Debbie also shares her planting and irrigation tips for a thriving garden of natives, perennials, trees and shrubs…most of which have been trained to do well on less water! There’s a human-corrected transcript at the bottom of this newsletter of the podcast if you prefer to use your eyes over your ears. Plants For Dry Shade One of the more vexing situations for gardeners: those sun-loving perennials and small shrubs that you put in years ago...when the surrounding trees and shrubs were much smaller...may be rather stressed these days, thanks to all the shade that they now have to tolerate. Add to that the modern requirements for a more water-efficient garden. The new question is: which plants don’t require much water...but can thrive in the shade, especially here in USDA Zone 9 of California? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit gardenbasics.substack.com/subscribe (https://gardenbasics.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)