Shade. Green shade. With the recent 90-degree days, I have been thinking that every garden has to have shade.

I thought I had a very shady garden, but my husband and I did a shade study. We took photos of the back garden every couple of hours to see how shade moved across the space. It turns out that most of the garden gets six to seven hours of sun, which counts as the full sun required by most vegetables, and many flowers.

Trees for Shade

Now I am thinking about ways to add more shade to the central portion of our garden. We have already planted one multi-stemmed river birch and a weeping cherry.

Before the summer is over, we will plant another fairly large (at least 6-foot) river birch. We think another small tree would be desirable, but can’t quite make up our minds which one — should it be a redbud, with its purple/pink flowers in the spring?

Should it be a dwarf crabapple, with its spring blossoms and fruit for the birds?

One advantage of a dwarf crabapple is that its size can be easily controlled by pruning. But, maybe we should plant a pagoda dogwood, which has distinctive tiered and layered branches and foliage.

Then, there is the decision about where to place the tree. We know the river birch will be toward the south side of the garden. Where would another tree go? Perhaps the better question is, where do we want the shade to go?

To be decided.

Shrubs for shade

We have already planted several shrubs, including red twig and yellow twig dogwoods that will reach 6 to 9 feet tall. They will also throw shade.

Clethra alnifolia, also called sweet pepperbush or summersweet because of its fragrant upright flower panicles, will easily be 6 feet tall, again throwing shade.

Highbush cranberry, Viburnam trilobum, is not a cranberry, but the red berries that appear in the fall will attract some birds. It will grow to between 8 and 15 feet and can be controlled by pruning.

Aronia, or chokeberry, can be classed as a small tree or a large shrub. Ours has really settled in and will increasingly throw more shade. As you can see, there are different ways to create shade in the garden.

Perennials for shade

Shade trees and shrubs that create shade also create a need for low growing plants that enjoy shade. Deciduous trees and shrubs, like the ones I have — or am thinking about — allow the sun to penetrate to the ground in the spring, and allow spring blooming bulbs from the small crocuses and daffodils to bloom.

Some slightly more unusual bulbs include snowflakes (Leucojum), which look very much like a large snow drop and bloom after the snow drops have gone by. Iris reticulatas are small irises, often no more than 6 inches tall.

In addition, there are other low growing spring bloomers that welcome the dappled sunlight.

Tiarella, or foam flower, not only produces foamy pink or white racemes of blossoms in the spring, but the low-growing heart-shaped leaves spread rapidly, covering the ground.

A related, more lush plant is the heucherella, a heuchera (coral bells) and tiarella hybrid. The foliage is similar, but the blossoms are more substantial.

One of my favorite spring blooming groundcovers is barren strawberry, or Waldsteinia. Its name refers to the strawberry-like foliage, and its habit of sending out runners. It also has brilliant yellow flowers that look like cousins to white strawberry blossoms.

A groundcover that I appreciate, first for it delicate heart shaped foliage, is the epimedium. I think that is because I never saw the early spring bloom.

Epimediums, sometimes called fairy hats, are a large family, and the dainty flowers on firm slender stems come in a whole range of colors.

We have a famous epimedium nursery right here in Massachusetts — Garden Vision Epimediums in Templeton.

The flowers range from pale whites, yellows, and pinks, to plumy and deep purples. There is also a range of foliage color and form.

I have several epimediums, and I realize now that I have to move them into the back garden, where I can see them better and enjoy them more. One special benefit of epimediums is that they will thrive, even in dry shade.

There are many shades of green in a shady garden, but a patch of light can be a stunning accent.

I recently bought a Goldheart columbine, with its brilliant foliage, for what will eventually be a shady bed.

Hostas come in various shades of green, from the blue-green Wishing Well hosta to the creamy white of Dancing Queen. Both of these produce tall flower stalks, but for me, the tall blooms are unimportant.

Another family of familiar plants is the low-growing lamiums, like White Nancy, which produce insignificant blooms and a variety of foliage variegations. Always dependable and very pretty.

Of course, not every plant in a garden needs to bloom. The golden Hakonechloa aurea Aureola, Hakone grass, will supply that bit of sun in a shady spot.

I also have a small patch of shiny green European ginger. Both prove that flowers are not a necessity in a garden. Patches of green give the eye time to rest, before moving to a more colorful vignette.

What patches of green do your eyes rest on as you survey your garden?

Pat Leuchtman had written and gardened in Heath at End of the Road Farm since 1980. She now lives in Greenfield, where she continues to write and do her gardening.Readers can leave comments at her Web site: www.commonweeder.com