What to do if got too much shade?

A yard or garden space with a lot of shade is often lamented as forcing too many limitations on gardeners. Never fear! This problem is often much easier to remedy than you may think, usually just by pruning some trees and bushes:

1. Go out with clippers and/or a small pruning saw to remove all “nonnegotiable” branches and twigs — anything obviously dead or diseased, particularly the lower branches of thick trees.
2. Go on to thinning — taking out growth that’s rubbing against other branches or crowding the interior of a plant.
3. For anything you can’t handle, call in a certified arborist or a tree company.

You need the services of a tree company if you decide to take out an entire tree. Check with local authorities; in some areas you need permission to cut down trees. In the end? More sun, more light, and more air —a whole new yard!

If a more permanent structure, such as a house or fence, causes your shade problem, you may still have more planting options available than you think.

Regardless of whether bushes and shrubs are a shade problem, you should prune them to remove some or all the offending thicket to keep your garden (and yard in general) looking good. Try an early-spring pruning foray. (This is also the time to do drastic chopping back, say, if you want to reduce a hedge’s height; cut no more than one-third at a time — you can prune again next season.)