The Shade Gardening Podcast

Essential Early Spring Tasks

The Shade Gardening Podcast

Show Notes

Spring Awakening – Essential Tasks to Revive Your Shade Garden

Spring is stirring, and it’s time to wake up your shade garden! In this episode of The Shade Gardening Podcast, we’re diving into the essential early spring tasks that will set your garden up for a season of lush growth and colour.

🌿 In this episode, we cover:

✔ Clearing winter debris and refreshing mulch for healthy soil ✔ Pruning and dividing shade-loving plants like ferns and hellebores ✔ What you can plant now (and what to hold off on!) ✔ Plant Profile of the Week: Pulmonaria – a spring gem for pollinators and shade gardens ✔ Design Tip: How to create year-round interest in your shady spaces ✔ Listener Question: "Is it too early to start planting?"

Plus, a sneak peek at next week’s episode, where we’ll explore quick, impactful ways to refresh your shade garden this spring!

Grab your gardening gloves and join me as we step into the cool, quiet world of shade gardening.

🔔 Subscribe now so you never miss an episode, and join the conversation in our Shade Gardening Facebook group!

🎧 Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major podcast platforms.

More from The Shade Gardening Podcast

Sep 7, 2026

Why can one gardener grow magnificent heucheras, hostas or brunneras while another repeatedly watches the same plants struggle and disappear?

Sep 1, 2026

There comes a point in late summer when some shade gardens seem to lose their way. The spring bulbs have disappeared, the hellebores finished months ago, the foxgloves are fading and even the hostas and ferns may be looking tired. Autumn hasn’t quite arrived either, leaving the garden caught somewhere between two seasons.

Aug 25, 2026

This extraordinary summer has left many established shade gardens looking almost unrecognisable. Hellebores have collapsed, astilbes have disappeared, hostas have fried around the edges, and even dependable ferns and hydrangeas have struggled.

Jul 9, 2026

Have you ever planted something that you later wished you hadn't?

Jul 2, 2026

Dry shade is often described as one of the toughest places to garden. Beneath mature trees, alongside hedges, or in those forgotten corners where sunlight is limited and the soil always seems dry, many gardeners simply give up.

See all episodes →