Shade-loving edibles

There are a number of shade-loving perennials grown in parks and gardens that can also be enjoyed on your plate. We included many in our design for the Kitchen Garden at RHS Garden Bridgewater.

Ostrich fern

Matteuccia struthiopteris, or more commonly the ostrich or shuttlecock fern, is another ornamental, robust and resilient, shady perennial

Perennials are plants that live for multiple years. They come in all shapes and sizes and fill our gardens with colourful flowers and ornamental foliage. Many are hardy and can survive outdoors all year round, while less hardy types need protection over winter. The term herbaceous perennial is used to describe long-lived plants without a permanent woody structure (they die back to ground level each autumn), distinguishing them from trees, shrubs and sub-shrubs.

whose edible shoots, known as fiddleheads, can be eaten. Cooked as a spring green, they taste somewhere between asparagus, broccoli and spinach.

Hostas

Other common shady perennials that are edible are hostas. These fantastic structural, leafy plants are enjoyed in Japan as sansai, meaning ‘mountain vegetables’. If you can get to them before the snails, their ‘hostons’ – the rolled-up leaves that emerge in spring – can be snapped off at the base and then fried for a few minutes. I love them with a little light soy sauce and sesame oil.

The fresh foliage of hostas is eaten in Japan

For dappled shade

Good edible perennials for areas with dappled shade include rhubarb, wood sorrel and sweet cicely. Horseradish and lemon balm will also happily flourish in these spots, but be warned, they spread quickly and can take over an area. So keep their thuggish behaviour in check by growing in pots.

The leaves, stalks and roots of sweet cicely are all edible

We also planted nettles in the Kitchen Garden at Bridgewater because in spring their tips are delicious when steamed. Nettles offer masses of healthy nutrients

To grow well, plants need a wide range of nutrients in various amounts, depending on the individual plant and its stage of growth. The three key nutrients usually taken up from the soil are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Plants also need carbon, oxygen and hydrogen to make carbohydrates — their main energy source. Carbon and oxygen come from the air as carbon dioxide, while hydrogen is drawn from water absorbed by the roots. Other important soil nutrients include magnesium, calcium and sulphur. Most garden soils contain enough of these nutrients to support healthy plant growth.

and are wonderful for wildlife. So if you have a corner of your garden with nettles growing, consider it a great start to your edible shady garden – just don’t forget to wear gloves!

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