Do you want to produce fruit, but your garden is in partial sunlight? There are some fruit-bearing plants that can thrive in the shade
Plants that produce showy blooms / flowers or copious quantities of tasty fruit, usually love sunny exposures and a lot of sunlight. And in fact, when we think about the layout of orchards, they are rarely found to be sheltered from the elements or from direct sunlight. However, it is not an inflexible rule, and indeed, there are some notable exceptions.
In fact, there are several fruit trees and shrubs / bushes that prefer a position a little more protected from the scorching sun, or those that benefit from the shaded areas of a garden. That said, many of these plants do not have to be in shade throughout entire course of a day. Read on to find out more about fruit trees that thrive in filtered sunlight and / or partial shade:
Among the fruit trees that can grow in this type of lighting, there are:
- Pears: they need a little sun, but they also bear fruit in partial shade. Generally, the ideal location for these plants is where they get a few hours of direct sunlight in the afternoons only.
- Plums: the opposite applies for these trees. They want some sun in the morning but shade in the afternoon. It is important that they are planted in places where there is a degree of humidity, but without the risk of being exposed to stagnant water.
- Papayas: this tree is native to tropical and subtropical climates, but it can now also be cultivated in various other climatic zones, largely (and unfortunately!) because of climate change. It takes a little bit of planning, but it can be successful!
Among the shrubs and bushes that prefer partial / filtered sunlight, berries are the most notable (but there are others):
- Blueberries: Find out what species you are dealing with, as there are a few which prefer partial shade and are even resistant to the cold.
- Currants: both red and black, they manage to bear fruit even when they are in partial sunlight for a large part of the day. But like blueberries, the more sun they get, the more fruit they will produce.
- Raspberries: among the most generous fruit bushes there are, raspberries bushes manage to bear fruit even in dim light and also tend to spread rapidly in the garden.
- Elderberry: these are perfect for spots in partial shade, and also grow quite large. Even the flowers can be eaten!
- Gooseberry: it is a very rustic and thorny bush, also perfect for making a hedge.
In short, growing in partial sunlight still means making sure the plants / bushes / trees get a little direct sunlight for part of the day. So study the exposure of the garden where you plan to plant, for all seasons: if the spot is touched by a few hours of direct sunlight (all year round), it will probably be a good position for these fruit-bearing plants!
