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Good bushes for shade

30 Low-Maintenance Shrubs for Shade

By

David Beaulieu

David Beaulieu

David Beaulieu is a landscaping expert and plant photographer, with 20 years of experience. He was in the nursery business for over a decade, working with a large variety of plants. David has been interviewed by numerous newspapers and national U.S. magazines, such as Woman's World and American Way.

Learn more about The Spruce's Editorial Process

Updated on 09/09/22

Reviewed by

Kathleen Miller

Reviewed by Kathleen Miller

Kathleen Miller is a highly-regarded Master Gardener and Horticulturist who shares her knowledge of sustainable living, organic gardening, farming, and landscape design. She founded Gaia's Farm and Gardens, a working sustainable permaculture farm, and writes for Gaia Grows, a local newspaper column. She has over 30 years of experience in gardening and sustainable farming.

Learn more about The Spruce's Review Board

Fact checked by

Sarah Scott

Fact checked by Sarah Scott

Sarah Scott is a fact-checker and researcher who has worked in the custom home building industry in sales, marketing, and design.

Learn more about The Spruce's Editorial Process

The Spruce / Catherine Song

Shrubs that grow in shade can add color and cheer to drab nooks as well as canopy-covered areas of your property. Ranging from short bushes to tall hedges, shade-loving shrubbery includes both evergreen and deciduous plants.

Some shade-tolerant shrubs produce beautiful blossoms, while others are famous for their attractive foliage. Many offer year-round appeal, making them perfect for shady yards where sun-loving plants simply cannot thrive.

Learn about 30 low-maintenance shrubs that will spruce up shaded areas of your lawn and garden without a lot of effort.

Low-Maintenance Shrubs for Shade

• 01 of 30

  The Spruce / K. Dave

  Mountain laurel is a native plant in eastern North America. Its natural habitat is in woodland areas, where it is shaded by trees. This shrub sports glossy evergreen leaves and produces showy clusters of flowers in late spring.

  Cultivars have been developed just for use in the landscape, including the dwarf Minuet laurel, which has more vibrant flowers than those on wild mountain laurels.

  Where soil is not sufficiently acidic, fertilizing with an acid-enhanced fertilizer, like that used for azaleas and rhododendrons, will help mountain laurel thrive.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 4 to 9
  • Color Varieties: Rose, pink, white; blooms may have purple markings
  • Sun Exposure: Prefers part shade, but can tolerate full sun
  • Soil Needs: Thrives in cool, rich, acidic soil that is moist but well-drained; does not do well in clay

• 02 of 30

  The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

  Among deciduous shrubs, Japanese rose is one of the most shade-tolerant shrubs available and will do better than survive in shade. This bush flowers in spring and may bloom multiple times in partial shade. The bark is kelly green to greenish-yellow throughout the winter. 

  Seriously overgrown shrubs can be revived by cutting them all the way back to the ground in the fall.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 4 to 9
  • Color Varieties: Yellow
  • Sun Exposure: Partial shade
  • Soil Needs: Loamy soil

• 03 of 30

  The Spruce / Loren Probish

  As their name suggests, climbing hydrangeas are vines, but they can be trimmed and maintained as if they were shrubs. They tolerate shaded areas, but they tend to yield better flowering displays when exposed to a reasonable amount of sunlight.

  Naturally peeling bark on their stems provides winter interest.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 4 to 8
  • Color Varieties: White, blue, pink, purple
  • Sun Exposure: Partial shade
  • Soil Needs: Acidic, well-draining

• 04 of 30

  kongxinzhu / Getty Images

  As with climbing hydrangeas, the blooming of Carol Mackie daphne shrubs may be enhanced if the plants receive sufficient sunlight. But this fact is hardly problematic, as these plants are worth growing for their variegated leaves alone. Their flowers are also noteworthy especially because they are wonderfully aromatic.

  Daphnes do not like acidic soil; adding lime can help neutralize soil that is too acidic.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 4 to 8
  • Color Varieties: White to light pink
  • Sun Exposure: Partial sun to partial shade
  • Soil Needs: Well-draining and moist soil

  Warning

  Both the berries and leaves are toxic and should not be eaten. They may also irritate the skin. Do not plant Daphne shrubs if you have children or pets that live or frequent your garden.

• 05 of 30

  The Spruce / Autumn Wood

  Emerald and Gold euonymus is a bush with bi-colored leaves; in this case, the name tells you exactly what those two colors are. The gold color gets brighter with sun exposure, but this plant is plenty attractive in shade.

  There are many kinds of euonymus. One is quite notorious as an invasive plant, the winged spindle tree.

  While this is a shrub that grows in shade, lack of sufficient sunlight may rob it of its primary selling point: its fall color.

  Euonymus can be a very fast-growing plant; you can control it with hard pruning in the spring.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 5 to 8
  • Sun Exposure: Partial sun to full sun
  • Soil Needs: Moist and well-drained

• 06 of 30

  The Spruce / David Beaulieu

  One of two popular shade-tolerant Japanese hollies, the Hetz holly has smaller leaves than the American and English hollies, giving it the nickname "box-leaved." The berries of this plant are black, unlike the familiar red berries on other hollies.

  Like boxwood shrubs Hetz's Japanese holly can be closely sheared to form shaped hedges.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 5 to 8
  • Color Varieties: White insignificant flowers
  • Sun Exposure: Prefers full sun but tolerates shade
  • Soil Needs: Well-draining soil; will tolerate clay

• 07 of 30

  The Spruce / David Beaulieu

  Sky Pencil holly is a variety of Japanese holly with a distinctive tall, columnar shape. You can't miss this "architectural plant," and once you have identified it, you will never forget it. Sky pencil, with its smooth-edged leaves, works well in corners and tight spaces. Its black berries attract a wide range of birds.

  Unlike some hollies, this one does not require much pruning, but if you do choose to trim it, do so in winter, when the shrub is dormant.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 5 to 8
  • Color Varieties: Greenish white and small
  • Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
  • Soil Needs: Well-drained acidic soil

• 08 of 30

  The Spruce / Adrienne Legault

  A type of needled evergreen (as opposed to a broadleaf), hemlocks can be trimmed so as to promote the development of dense foliage, making them great for privacy screens. The shrub cultivars of this plant make terrific hedges.

  In the northern end of the hardiness range, hemlocks appreciate a thick layer of much over their roots in winter.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 3 to 7
  • Color Varieties: Small, non-ornamental, yellow to light green
  • Sun Exposure: Partial sun to partial shade
  • Soil Needs: Rich, acidic, and moist

• 09 of 30

  The Spruce / Adrienne Legault

  Yews are one of the plants used in Christmas traditions. These needled evergreen bushes are valued for their showy, red, berry-like cones and as shrubs that grow in shade. Some people find them boring or overused, but the versatility of these tough plants makes their case for them.

  Yews should be trimmed in early summer to keep the shape attractive.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 4 to 8
  • Sun Exposure: Sun, partial shade, or full shade
  • Soil Needs: Well-draining soil

  Warning

  Yews are toxic plants. Do not plant if you have children or pets that live or frequent your garden.

• 10 of 30

  The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

  This shade-tolerant bush offers the best of both worlds; it is not only a flowering shrub but also an evergreen. Andromeda shrubs may offer something else, too: fragrant flowers. Some people find their smell offensive, while others find it pleasing.

  Feeding is best done with an acid fertilizer, such as that used for azaleas.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 5 to 8
  • Color Varieties: White
  • Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade; flowering is reduced in shady conditions
  • Soil Needs: Moist, well-drained soil; prefers slightly acidic soil

• 11 of 30

  African Scurf Pea (Psoralea pinnata)

   Rebecca Johnson/Getty Images

  African scurf pea is a medium-size shrub (you can also train it into a small tree) that produces lilac-blue flowers that may remind you of sweet pea. It is nicknamed "Kool-Aid bush" because the fragrance can be reminiscent of grape Kool-Aid. The foliage, which looks something like rosemary, has a fine texture.

  The plant can become straggly unless pruned to maintain an attractive shape.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 9 to 11
  • Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
  • Soil Needs: Moist, well-drained

• 12 of 30

  The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

  Serviceberry trees and shrubs are members of the Rosaceae family, which includes roses and many flowering, fruiting trees and shrubs. Deciduous serviceberries are found throughout the Northern Hemisphere.

  Alder-leaved serviceberry has clusters of flowers in spring and produces edible purple-blue fruit. They offer four-season interest with their beautiful blossoms, pome fruits, autumn leaf colors, and bark color in winter.

  Alder-leaved serviceberry can be prone to rust and powdery mildew fungus; maintain good air circulation to minimize these problems.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 4 to 9
  • Color Varieties: White
  • Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
  • Soil Needs: Moist, but well-drained, soil

• 13 of 30

  Liisa-Maija Harju / Flickr / CC By 2. 0

  Alpine currant is a European native that features bright green foliage. It is often used to create a border or hedge. You will need both male and female plants for this small, dioecious shrub to produce its berries, which are ornamental rather than edible.

  These shrubs are easy to maintain for shape, as they can be pruned at any time.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 2 to 7
  • Color Varieties: Greenish yellow flowers and red berries
  • Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
  • Soil Needs: Prefers moist well-draining soil but is tolerant of drier conditions

• 14 of 30

  Spotted Laurel (Aucuba japonica)

  PAVEL IARUNICHEV / Getty Images

  Aucuba also called spotted laurel, is a rounded evergreen shrub with colorful leaves. If you have both male and female plants it will produce red berries in the fall. Aucuba can grow up to 15 feet tall with glossy elliptical leaves. Tiny spring flowers usually bloom in early spring.

  These shrubs should be fertilized once a year as new growth appears, using an acid-based fertilizer.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 7 to 9
  • Color Varieties: Reddish-purple
  • Sun Exposure: Part shade to full shade
  • Soil Needs: Moist, organically rich, well-drained soil

• 15 of 30

  The Spruce / Leticia Almeida

  Several different species of Rhododendron produce beautiful spring blooms in various brilliant shades. They include both evergreen and deciduous varieties and can grow in many different climates. Rhododendrons are often used as foundation plantings but can grow quite large unless regularly pruned.

  Unless your soil is already heavily acidic, fertilize yearly with an acid-enhanced fertilizer in late winter or early spring.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 4 to 9 depending on the variety
  • Color Varieties: White, pink, yellow, purple, red
  • Sun Exposure: Partial shade
  • Soil Needs: Acidic soil

• 16 of 30

  Andrei Stanescu / Getty Images

  California Sweetshrub is a low maintenance shrub that produces a pleasant fragrance that some say resembles that of red wine. This plant is often used to control erosion along creeks and riverbanks. It's also a good choice for areas frequented by deer, as they avoid it.

  Pruning is best done by removing old, overgrown stems all the way to ground level, rather than by pruning the tips of branches.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 6 to 9
  • Color Varieties: Deep red
  • Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
  • Soil Needs: Moist soil; won't tolerate drought

• 17 of 30

  The Spruce / Kara Riley

  Camellia is also known as tea plant because its leaves and twigs can be used to make a fragrant tea. But if you are growing it for ornamental purposes, you will be more interested in its glossy foliage, fragrant fall flowers, easy maintenance, and long life.

  A slow-growing plant, it needs little if any pruning and only light fertilizing.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 7 to 9
  • Color Varieties: White or pink
  • Sun Exposure: Partial shade
  • Soil Needs: Rich, acidic, well drained loam

• 18 of 30

  The Spruce / David Beaulieu

  Canadian Bunchberry is a subshrub that you can use as a ground cover for damp, shady areas. Bunchberry is a relative of the dogwood, and produces blossoms that give it nicknames such as "creeping dogwood" and "bunchberry dogwood."

  Bunchberry is an ideal choice for cold, damp areas where other shrubs may struggle to survive. Mulching with peat moss will help provide the acidity this plant craves.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 2 to 6
  • Color Varieties: White with red berries
  • Sun Exposure: Shade
  • Soil Needs: Moist, acidic soil

• 19 of 30

  The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

  Checkerberry is also known as American wintergreen. Its leaves can produce a minty scent, and its edible, red berries taste like wintergreen gum. A tiny shrub (often just three inches tall), it can be used as a ground cover in acidic soil.

  Prune in winter or early spring, before new growth begins.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 3 to 8
  • Color Varieties: White or pale pink
  • Sun Exposure: Partial shade
  • Soil Needs: Low nutrient and good drainage

• 20 of 30

  The Spruce / K. Dave

  Chinese fringe-flower is an evergreen shrub also known as Chinese witch hazel. Like witch hazel, it has fringe-like flowers that bloom very early in the spring. Chinese fringe-flower has a spreading form and can grow up to 12 feet in height. Its foliage is usually green, though some varieties feature purple leaves.

  Mulch the soil heavily to keep it moist.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 7 to 9
  • Color Varieties: White, yellow, or red flowers
  • Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
  • Soil Needs: Rich, acidic, well-drained loam

• 21 of 30

  KENPEI/Wikimedia Commons/CC By 2.0

  Coast Leucothoe produces urn-shaped bunches of small flowers that are similar to those on Pieris japonica; in fact, the two bushes belong to the same family (Ericaceae). This weeping evergreen shrub is native to the U.S. and is often used in place of boxwood for hedges and boundaries.

  Before planting, dig in a good amount of peat moss to a depth of 18 inches, which will provide acidity and improve moisture retention.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 5 to 9
  • Color Varieties: White flowers
  • Sun Exposure: Partial to full shade
  • Soil Needs: Acidic soil

• 22 of 30

  The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  You'll recognize Common Boxwood as the evergreen shrub often used for hedges and topiaries.​ A classic plant for formal landscape design, it boasts dense light-green leaves and a compact shape. English boxwood shrubs grow to about three feet, but their slow growth makes it easy to keep them pruned and looking pristine.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 5 to 8
  • Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
  • Soil Needs: Well-drained soil

• 23 of 30

  The Spruce / David Beaulieu

  Witch hazel is a tall shrub that will add fall color to your garden. It's a very early-blooming plant, with fragrant flowers appearing as early as mid-March in most locations. A vase-shaped plant, it grows to tree height if not kept pruned.

  You can make extracts from the witch hazel shrub to harness the plant's astringent properties.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 3 to 8
  • Color Varieties: Yellow
  • Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade 
  • Soil Needs: Well-drained, acidic soil amended with compost

• 24 of 30

  The Spruce / K. Dave

  Dwarf fothergilla is a deciduous flowering shrub known for its fluffy flowers in spring and its fall leaf colors. In spring, this shrub is tipped with 1- to 3-inch-long flowers that look like bottlebrushes and smell a bit like licorice. The leaves are dark green on top, and bluish-gray on the bottom.

  In the colder hardiness zones, this plant may need to be wrapped with burlap in the winter to prevent windburn.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 5 to 8
  • Color Varieties: White
  • Sun Exposure: Full sun to full shade
  • Soil Needs: Moderately moist, well-drained, slightly acidic soil

• 25 of 30

  The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

  You can attract hummingbirds with buckeye, also known as the firecracker plant. It will grow in all textures of soil and can be maintained as a shrub or a tree. Red buckeye is especially desirable because of its bright flowers, textured bark, open structure, and appeal to all kinds of wildlife.

  Red buckeye can be grown with multiple or single trunks.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 4 to 8
  • Color Varieties: Orange, Red/Burgundy
  • Sun Exposure: Full sun or partial shade (stays more shrub-like in shade)
  • Soil Needs: moist, well-drained, rich soil that is slightly alkaline

  Warning

  Buckeyes produce a toxic nut that can cause kidney failure in children and pets. It also produces abundant fruit, twigs, and leaves which can produce a great deal of garden litter.

• 26 of 30

  The Spruce / Leticia Almeida

  The red tip photinia is an evergreen shrub that produces young red leaves, while its older leaves are green. If you prefer red leaves, you can simply trim new growth on a regular basis, and the plant will continue to produce new leaves all year long. While red tip photinia typically grows to about 10 feet tall, some cultivars can grow to 20 feet.

  It is an excellent low-maintenance shrub for hedges and privacy screens, and can also be shaped as a small specimen tree.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 7 to 11
  • Color Varieties: White (grown for foliage)
  • Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
  • Soil Needs: Well-drained, sandy, or loamy

• 27 of 30

  The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

  Japanese skimmia will produce white flowers and red fruit if you have both a male and a female. It is a broadleaf evergreen with greenish bark, leathery green leaves, bright flowers and berries, and a pleasant fragrance. It grows slowly, topping out at about four feet tall and expanding to about five feet wide.

  While pruning isn't essential, a light pruning during the dormant season can keep the plant neat.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 6 to 8
  • Color Varieties: White flowers, red fruits
  • Sun Exposure: Partial shade
  • Soil Needs: Moist and rich with a slightly acidic pH

  Warning

  All parts of the skimmia plant are toxic.

• 28 of 30

  California Holly (Heteromeles arbutifolia)

  Andrei Stanescu / Getty Images

  California holly, also called toyon or Christmas berry, is the shrub that some suppose gave Hollywood its name.​ It's indigenous to California, is drought-resistant, and has small flowers that produce red berries. All these qualities make it a favorite plant for California xeriscaping.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 9 to 11
  • Color Varieties: White
  • Sun Exposure: Full sun to light shade
  • Soil Needs: Well-draining soil

• 29 of 30

  The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

  The tree peony is a deciduous sub-shrub that blooms in mid to late spring. It produces big, beautiful peony flowers in many different shades. Tree peonies are good borders or hedge plants, particularly because their foliage is nearly as attractive as their blooms. This is a different plant from Chinese peony (Paeonia lactiflora), a perennial, although the two share certain traits.

  Tree peonies have modest water needs and react badly if they are overwatered.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 4 to 8
  • Color Varieties: White to pink, red, or purple
  • Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
  • Soil Needs: Fertile, well draining loam

• 30 of 30

  The Spruce / K. Dave

  Different species of viburnum can give your garden color in multiple seasons, not only because of their multi-colored flowers but also with their leaves and fruit. The arrowwood type is an excellent choice for shade.

  These flowering shrubs bloom with clusters of flowers in spring, and they produce both red fall foliage and blue berries in fall. They can grow up to 10 feet and are equally as wide.

  Viburnum shrubs will spread by suckers unless you remove them.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 2 to 8
  • Color Varieties: White
  • Sun Exposure: Full to partial sun
  • Soil Needs: Tolerant of many soil types including wet soil

Watch Now: Tips for Selecting the Right Shrubs

Article Sources

The Spruce uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

1. A Dangerous Garden Thug Exposed: Daphne Laureola. Master Gardeners Association of British Columbia.

2. Labossiere Alexander W., Thompson Dennis F. Clinical Toxicology of Yew Poisoning. Annals of Pharmacotherapy, vol. 52, no. 6, pp. 591-599, 2018. doi:10.1177/1060028017754225

3. Amelanchier alnifolia. Missouri Botanical Garden.

4. Hamamelis virginiana. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, University of Texas.

5. Red Buckeye. University of Kentucky, Department of Horticulture.

6. Japanese Skimmia. Washington State University Extension PNW Plants.

29 Best Shrubs for Shade Gardens

By

Vanessa Richins Myers

Vanessa Richins Myers

Vanessa Richins Myers is a seasoned horticulturist, writer, and educator with over 10 years of training and experience as a professional horticulturist and gardener. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in horticulture, with an emphasis in landscape design and urban horticulture. She volunteers as a community garden specialist.

Learn more about The Spruce's Editorial Process

Updated on 06/15/22

The Spruce

It can be tough designing a garden in a shady area. You have to make sure you choose the right shrubs for the conditions. Without the proper amount of sun, flowering shrubs may fail to produce blossoms or bloom poorly, and many shrubs will perform poorly overall. Deep shade can even kill your plants unless they are species that naturally grow in shade. The following plants are able to grow in at least part shade, and some can handle full shade.

Warning

Many shrubs that grow in shade are toxic, including:

• Aucuba
• Azaleas and rhododendrons
• Daphne
• Chinese yew 
• Heavenly bamboo
• Japanese pieris 
• Mountain laurel
• Red buckeye
• Skimmia

How to Design a Garden for Partial Shade

• 01 of 29

  African Scurf Pea (Psoralea pinnata)

  Andrei Stanescu / Getty Images

  This medium-size shrub is covered with lilac-blue flowers like those of the sweet pea and many other members of the Fabaceae family. They give off a fragrance that reminds some of Kool-Aid, inspiring the common name of Kool-Aid bush. The leaves are reminiscent of rosemary. It can be trained into a small tree.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 9 to 11
  • Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
  • Soil Needs: Moist, well-drained

• 02 of 29

  The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

  Alder-leaved serviceberries feature spikes of creamy white flowers that appear in April and May. Also known as Saskatoon serviceberry, they produce purple-blue pomes that are edible and a popular wildlife food. Varieties generally offer superb fall color that lasts a long time. This understory shrub is prone to forming suckers or shoots which should be removed to retain shape. Some cultivars will thrive in warmer climates but native plants are found in zones 5 to 9.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 5 to 9
  • Height: 12 feet or greater depending on cultivar
  • Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
  • Soil Needs: Well-drained, dry or moist

• 03 of 29

  The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

  Alpine currant is a small fruit bearing shrub, but it is dioecious, so you need both male and female plants for pollination. Both the male and female shrubs produce berries, but the female berries are inedible. Fully frost hardy, be sure to select a cultivar such as R. laurifolium for shade as many require full sun. All currants require fertile well-drained soil. Cut out older shoots and give straggly old plants a hard pruning in winter or early spring. Watch for aphid infestations during wet, humid weather.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 5 to 8
  • Height: 6 to 8 feet
  • Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
  • Soil Needs: Moist, well-drained, alkaline

• 04 of 29

  The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

  This evergreen shrub is usually planted for its striking leaves. Choose both male and female shrubs to produce the pretty red berries that appear in autumn. Aucuba is toxic, so it might not be the best choice for gardeners with young children or pets.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 7 to 10
  • Sun Exposure: Full sun
  • Soil Needs: Tolerates most soil types and conditions, but must be well-drained

• 05 of 29

  The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

  Azaleas and rhododendrons belong to the same genus, Rhododendron, and include both deciduous and evergreen shrubs. While Rhododendron range in height from dwarf to tree-like structures, most Azaleas are much more compact shrubs of up to five feet. There are almost endless varieties of Azalea today from which to choose including cultivars that bloom in spring and again in autumn. All Rhododendrons and Azaleas feature showy, brilliantly blooms in a full palette of colors. In addition to being shade plants, they also like acidic soil which is often prevalent in shady areas. Plants are shallow rooted so good drainage is essential. Dead head spent flowers to encourage blooming. Watch for weevils and powdery mildew.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 4 to 9, depending on variety
  • Height: 4 to 15 feet
  • Sun Exposure: Partial shade; some varieties can handle full shade
  • Soil Needs: Acidic, well-drained

• 06 of 29

  The Spruce / Adrienne Legault

  This shrub features a brilliant red color in the fall. A popular landscape plant this bush provides nesting habitat for many small birds. The multi-stemmed shrub is dense and twiggy with thick, tough roots making it extremely hard to remove, so be certain of your choice before planting. You may want to check with your local extension office, as the burning bush is considered to be invasive in some areas.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 4 to 9
  • Height: 6 to 9 feet
  • Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
  • Soil Needs: Well-drained, slightly acid

• 07 of 29

  The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

  California sweetshrub is a deciduous, bushy plant with aromatic, dark green leaves. A summer bloomer, the shrub produces fragrant purplish red flowers with multiple strap shaped petals. Sweetshrub tolerates light shade but will produce better foliage and bloom with some sun exposure.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 5 to 9
  • Height: 6 to 10 feet
  • Sun Exposure: Full sun to light shade
  • Soil Needs: Moist, fertile, deep and well-drained

• 08 of 29

  The Spruce / Kara Riley

  Several different kinds of Chinese tea are brewed from the leaves and twigs of the Camellia shrub. The leaves are picked at all stages of development. It can grow to a height of 10 feet tall but is usually pruned to about 3 to 5 feet for easier harvesting.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 7 to 9
  • Height: 3 to 10 feet
  • Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
  • Soil Needs: Well-drained, acid to neutral

  10 Best Plants for White and Silver Shade Gardens

• 09 of 29

  Lijuan Guo Photography/Getty Images 

  Carol Mackie Daphne features green leaves with a distinct yellow margin. It is a hybrid ('Carol Mackie' is the cultivar) that grows best in partial shade. It has tubular, light pink flowers, but when grown in shade it is favored more for its variegated foliage than its blooms.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 4 to 8
  • Sun Exposure: Part shade
  • Soil Needs: Moist, well-drained, neutral to slightly acid

• 10 of 29

  jikgoe/Getty Images

  This evergreen shrub is rounded and well-branched with deep green, oval, asymmetrical leaves. The flowers on this evergreen shrub can be white, yellow, or red, depending on the variety. Blooms appear in late winter and early spring. Half-hearty, the plant is also called Chinese fringe flower and can be grown as a potted shrub in northern climates but should be brought indoors when temperatures fall below 41 degrees F.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 7 to 10
  • Color Varieties: White, yellow, red
  • Sun Exposure: Part shade
  • Soil Needs: Well-drained loam, slightly acid

• 11 of 29

  The Spruce / Adrienne Legault

  The Chinese yew grows splendidly in full shade locations, as well as many other conditions, like cold, heat, and a range of soil types. Like most other varieties of yew, this shrub can be heavily pruned without sacrificing shape. A member of the conifer family, this spreading shrub has dark green, needle-like leaves and fleshy bright red berries.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 6 to 9
  • Height: 6 to 12 feet
  • Sun Exposure: Full sun to full shade
  • Soil Needs: Sand or loam, well-drained

• 12 of 29

  The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  The common boxwood is a favorite evergreen shrub used extensively in landscaping. Dense, dark green leaves can be shaped into topiary and make this shrub useful for hedging, screening and knot gardens. It can grow from 2 to 15 feet tall, depending on the variety. This versatile shrub will tolerate many different types of growing conditions but does poorly in wet soil.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 5 to 8
  • Height: 2 to 15 feet
  • Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
  • Soil Needs: Moist, well-drained loam

• 13 of 29

  The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

  The Common Witch Hazel brings winter interest to the garden with small, fragrant, spidery yellow flowers. Several cultivars of this shrub are available today, some with showier blooms that may appear from autumn through early spring and are fully frost hardy. Medium sized, this open, upright shrub will benefit with a hard pruning back of new growth shoots in late summer. Many beauty products include extracts from the witch hazel shrub, due to its astringent property.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 4 to 9
  • Height: 8 to 20 feet
  • Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
  • Soil Needs: Moist, rich, well-drained, acid

• 14 of 29

  The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

  The dwarf fothergilla is a deciduous, dense, bushy, shrub that will grow in semi-shade. Full sun, though, will bring more abundant tiny fragrant white flowers in early spring. Color carries through into autumn with the dark blue-green leaves turning to a brilliant red.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 6 to 9
  • Height: 3 feet
  • Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
  • Soil Needs: Moderately moist, well-drained, acid

• 15 of 29

  Daniela Duncan / Getty Images

  Gardenias are beloved in the southern United States and other warm areas for their fragrant, glossy, white or yellow flowers and dark green leaves. They need humidity or they will falter. In cooler climates, gardenias must be grown indoors and can be maintained with appropriate water and humidity. They can handle full shade in warm locations, but flowering may be affected. Prune after bloom by shortening strong shoots to maintain shape and habit.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 8 to 10
  • Height: 4 to 6 feet
  • Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
  • Soil Needs: Well-drained, slightly acid

• 16 of 29

  The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

  Glossy abelia is the result of crossing Abelia chinensis and Abelia uniflora. A semi-evergreen, arching shrub, grandiflora has yellowish green leaves with darker center and produces white bell-shaped flowers tinged with pink from mid- summer to mid-autumn. Shade tolerant, this shrub will produce a greater abundance of blooms in full sun. Abelias do best against a south or west facing wall.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 6 to 9
  • Height: 4 to 6 feet
  • Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
  • Soil Needs: Moist, well-drained, fertile

• 17 of 29

  The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

  Heavenly bamboo is named for its resemblance to bamboo plants. This semi-evergreen shrub has an upright growth habit that produces panicles of small, star-shaped, white blooms in mid-summer followed by spherical red fruits in warmer climates. It is considered to be invasive in some locations, and extremely difficult to eradicate once established, so check with your local nursery or extension office before planting. It is also poisonous, especially for cats and livestock.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 7 to 10
  • Height: 6 feet
  • Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
  • Soil Needs: Rich, moist, well-drained

• 18 of 29

  The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

  Many cultivars of Hydrangea are available today but two main types persist. Hortensias produce domed, dense heads of flowers while Lacecap blooms appear as clusters of flat open heads. Flower color can be altered by adding acid to the soil. PH of up to 5.5 results in blooms in the blue to purple color palette while more alkaline soil produces flowers in pink to red shades. White flowers remain unaffected by soil type. Deadhead spent flowers and prune older shoots back to the base in spring. Removal of deadwood encourages new growth.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 6 to 9
  • Height: 6 to 8 feet
  • Sun Exposure: Part shade to full shade
  • Soil Needs: Medium moisture, well-drained, highly acid to slightly alkaline

• 19 of 29

  The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

  This shade grown shrub requires a sheltered location and moist, peaty, acid soil. Grown for its evergreen foliage, leaves are narrowly oval and bronze in color maturing to a glossy dark green. Pieris japonica produces drooping clusters of red-budded, deep pink blooms in spring. Several other cultivars produce differently colored leaves and blooms including reds, whites and yellows. This plant is poisonous and you may not want to include it in your landscape if you have children or pets.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 6 to 8
  • Height: 5 to 10 feet
  • Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
  • Soil Needs: Medium moisture, rich, slightly acid

• 20 of 29

  igaguri_1/GettyImages

  The flowers on this shrub are much like those of orange trees, both in appearance and fragrance giving it the common name mock orange. Frost tender at 45 F, the plant thrives in milder climates. Planting against a south or west facing wall in colder conditions will improve survival. Japanese Pittosporum grows in a dense bushy-headed habit and can be pruned to small tree form. Star-shaped white flowers open in late spring later turning to a creamy yellow. Not all cultivars of Pittosporum will grow well in shade so be certain to pick the appropriate cultivar for your shade garden.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 8 to 10
  • Height: 10 to 20 feet
  • Sun Exposure: Full sun to full shade
  • Soil Needs: Well-drained is best but tolerates a range of soils and pH

• 21 of 29

  The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

  Kerria adds cheer to your garden with its large buttercup-like double, golden yellow flowers which may bloom more than once during the growing season. Gracefully arching branches oval, sharply toothed, bright green leaves can reach 10 feet in height. Thin out old shoots after flowering

  • USDA Growing Zones: 5 to 9
  • Height: 10 feet
  • Sun Exposure: Full sun to full shade
  • Soil Needs: Fertile, well-drained loam

• 22 of 29

  The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

  The mountain laurel is the state flower of Connecticut and Pennsylvania. It is poisonous to humans, deer, and livestock. Large clusters of deep pink flowers open in early summer from distinctively crimped, deep red buds. This broadleaf evergreen shrub prefers cool, moist soil in partial shade conditions, such as morning sun and afternoon shade.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 5 to 9
  • Height: 5 to 10 feet
  • Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
  • Soil Needs: Moist, peaty, acid

• 23 of 29

  The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

  The flowers of this low-growing shrub are similar to those of true honeysuckle (Lonicera spp.), and the plant does belong to the honeysuckle family, Caprifoliaceae. It is prized for its white and golden yellow trumpet-shaped flowers which are often very fragrant and attract pollinators. Cultivars of the Lonicera family can also produce extensive vines which along with the shrub spread rapidly and may be invasive in some area. Check with your local cooperative extension office or agriculture officer before planting.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 3 to 8
  • Height: 3 to 8 feet
  • Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
  • Soil Needs: Well-drained, can be dry to medium moisture

• 24 of 29

  The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

  This Red Buckeye is the state tree of Ohio and can be grown as a tall shrub or small understory tree. Showy panicles of four-petaled dark red flowers appear in early summer to attract hummingbirds to your garden. Also known as Horse Chestnut, the common name comes from the shiny seeds, called buckeyes or horse chestnuts, that are encased in roughly rounded seed pods. The poisonous seeds ripen in the fall and should not be consumed by humans.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 6 to 9
  • Height: 6 to 9 feet
  • Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
  • Soil Needs: Fertile, well-drained, medium moisture

• 25 of 29

  The Spruce / Kara Riley

  The red tip photinia results from a cross between Photinia glabra and Photinia serrulata. This evergreen shrub produces small white flowers, but is grown primarily for its leaves, which are red or bronze for several weeks after they emerge, eventually turning green. The blooms are not fragrant, and most gardeners prune the plant to prevent flowering.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 7 to 10
  • Height: 12 feet
  • Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
  • Soil Needs: Well-drained, neutral pH, well-drained

• 26 of 29

  The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

  Skimmia is a true shade plant that grows best in dappled light but can thrive in full shade. You will need both male and female plants to produce the red or white fruit, typically found on female plants. It is a toxic shrub, due to the alkaloid skimmianin present in all parts of the plant. The berries can cause cardiac arrest if ingested in large quantities.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 7 to 9
  • Height: 4 to 5 feet
  • Sun Exposure: Part shade to full shade
  • Soil Needs: Moist, rich, well-drained

• 27 of 29

  Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia)

  yhelfman/Getty Images

  Toyon is also commonly known as California holly or Christmas berry. The town of Hollywood, CA is often said to be named in honor of this shrub, which was found in the area. The shrub's small white flowers lead to red berries that are popular among many bird species as well as coyotes and bears. The berries were traditionally eaten by Native Americans, although they contain a small amount of cyanide, which is removed from the berries when they are cooked. This plant may be pruned to form a small tree and kept as a smaller spreading shrub. Plant in a sheltered in area in colder climates.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 8 to 10
  • Height: to 20 feet
  • Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
  • Soil Needs: Fertile, well-drained

• 28 of 29

  The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

  The gorgeous flowers of the tree peony can come in hues of white, red, pink, or purple and can be as large as 12 inches across. The showy blooms are large, cup-shaped, single or semi-double, with incurving petals. They often show a dark basal chocolate maroon blotch and are often quite fragrant. Tree Peonies prefer dappled shade but will tolerate full sun, although hot sun can be hard on the flowers. If you do plant it in a sunny location, be sure to water regularly.

  • USDA Growing Zones: 4 to 8
  • Height: 7 feet
  • Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
  • Soil Needs: Fertile loam, neutral to slightly alkaline

• 29 of 29

  The Spruce / K. Dave

  Viburnums are an excellent choice for the shade garden adding four season color and interest with flowers, leaves, and fruit. There are more than 150 species found throughout the world, most being quite fragrant and providing food and shelter for birds and wildlife. Varieties that do well in full shade include leather leaf, arrowwood, and mapleleaf.

  • USDA Growing Zones: Varies by species
  • Height: 5 to 8 feet
  • Sun Exposure: Full sun to full shade
  • Soil Needs: Moist, well-drained (typically)

  Shade Loving Flowers and Shady Landscape Planning

Article Sources

The Spruce uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

1. Ribes alpinum. Missouri Botanical Garden

2. Aucuba japonica. North Carolina State University Extension

3. Rhododendron. Missouri Botanical Garden

4. Forrester, M B. Pediatric Nandina domestica ingestions reported to poison centers. Human & experimental toxicology vol. 37,4 (2018): 338-342. doi:10.1177/0960327117705429

5. Hydrangea blooms turn colors based on soil pH levels. College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences, UGA Cooperative Extension

6. Pieris japonica. North Carolina State University Extension

7. Idaho Panhandle National Forests - Learning Center.

8. Aesculus pavia. North Carolina State University Extension

9. Skimmia japonica. Oregon State University, College of Agricultural Sciences - Department of Horticulture

10. Toyon, Heteromeles arbutifolia. California Native Plant Society, Calscape

Shade-loving and shade-tolerant plants for the garden: perennial flowers and shrubs

Already in early spring, we begin to think about the layout of our garden, distributing the plants that we will plant in different corners of the summer cottage. As a rule, most are faced with the problem of choosing a plant for planting in shady places that you really want to decorate with beautiful flowers or shrubs, because such areas often remain empty and neglected.

Let's talk about those shade-tolerant plants that can grow normally in the most shady areas of the garden.

Content

• 1 What to plant in a shady place or what plants belong to the shade -tolerant
• 2 Popular trellis shrubs
• 3 Popular trendy flowers
• 4 Brief descriptions flowers
  • 4.1 Khosta
  • 4.2 Astilba
  • 4.3 Astilboides
  • 4.4 Buzulnik
  • 4.5 Badan

    Every garden has shaded areas, such as northern slopes, places near the fence or between large trees.

    In fact, the most shady places in the garden are the best places, because, as a rule, there is a favorite bench for relaxing on a hot summer day. However, not every plant will be able to withstand the shade, grow successfully and delight the eye with its flowering.

    Shade-loving plants are those plants that, no matter how strange it sounds, do not tolerate sunlight at all or suffer from its excess.

    However! Nevertheless, it is more correct to speak of “shade-tolerant plants” , since not a single plant can grow without light.

    As a rule, they have bright juicy and green foliage.

    All shade-loving and shade-tolerant plants can be divided into 2 varieties: decorative leafy and flowering.

    • Shade-loving flowers and flowering shrubs include the following: weigela, matthiola bicorne, daisy, forget-me-not, rudbeckia, fragrant tobacco, astilbe, brunner, lungwort, hydrangea (large-leaved, tree-like, serrate), geuchera, honeysuckle, bergenia, rogersia , arizema, cornflower, volzhanka, aquilegia, dicentra, aconite, tenacious (ayuga), May lily of the valley, cuff, astrantia, kupena, black cohosh, buzulnik.
    • Shade-loving decorative deciduous shrubs include hosta, fern, astilboides, euonymus, Thunberg barberry, privet.

    Tip! When planting a shady area, don't just plant monocultures, shade-loving perennials and annuals look great in close proximity.

    Popular shade shrubs
    Thunberg barberry

    From shrubs for shady places, Thunberg barberry is ideal. In deep shade you will hardly get bright yellows and reds, and most likely it will just be a uniform green, but nevertheless, it is still a very conspicuous shade-tolerant plant.

    By the way! Read about planting and growing barberry here.

    Euonymus

    Another small and shade-tolerant shrub is euonymus . Its variegated and low form looks very good in the garden.

    Privet

    A low shrub Privet will be quite noticeable under the shade of trees. Its lemon-colored leaves seem to illuminate a shady spot.

    Weigela

    However, different varieties relate differently to the shade - there are more shade-tolerant, there are less.

    By the way! You can read more about planting and growing weigela here .

    Cotoneaster

    Cotoneaster will look very decorative in a shady corner. It has beautiful dark green leathery and shiny leaves. Again, varieties differ markedly in shade tolerance.

    Honeysuckle

    Imagine how pleasant it will be to sit in an arbor that is entwined with ornamental honeysuckle (Honeysuckle or Tatar honeysuckle) with its magnificent flowers.

    Kalina Buldenezh

    By the way, decorative viburnum Buldenezh (Snowball) is also shade-tolerant.

    By the way! The site already has detailed material about planting and growing viburnum Buldenezh .

    Popular annual and perennial shade tolerant flowers

    Favorite flowers for a shady garden will be mattiola bicorne, daisy , forget-me-not , fragrant tobacco, evening primrose.

    Fragrant tobacco

    If we talk about seasonal and annual shade-loving plants, then under the trees, where there is a lot of shade, in spring you can safely plant daffodils , crocuses , tulips and hyacinths0, because they will bloom in all their beauty long before the leaves appear on the trees.

    Brief descriptions of the most popular shade-tolerant and shade-loving perennials: shrubs and flowers She has the most diverse color of leaves, ranging from gray to yellow-green, there are even leaves with a white border.

    Please note! The site already has article about planting and growing Hosta .

    It is very appropriate to combine hosta with a wide variety of ferns, planting them in the shade of a house where everything is in order with humidity (it is high).

    Video: Care and Growing Shade Hosta

    Astilba

    This is a quirky plant that thrives in shade and grows well in moist soil.

    Important! Read more about planting and growing astilba outdoors .

    Video: Growing and caring for Shade Astilba

    Astilboides

    The most striking feature of this plant is its original large leaves. Its leaf can reach from 80 to 100 centimeters in diameter.

    Another distinguishing feature of astilboides is that the stalk is not usually attached to it: it grows directly from the middle of the leaf. In other words, it turns out such an umbrella on the leg.

    This luxurious and showy plant likes to grow near swampy rivers, it is best suited for decorating artificial ponds.

    Buzulnik

    There are a lot of varieties of buzulnik. Those that grow naturally have dark green leaves and irresistible yellow buds.

    Buzulniks, bred artificially, often have dark brown, even actually burgundy foliage and unusual, similar to daisies, yellow peduncles that can last for a whole month.

    Badan

    This is a completely unique plant, perfect for shade planting. In winter it leaves in a green state and after winter it again appears green to the eye. The fact is that under the snow the bergenia does not shed its leaves and does not die, but remains green all the time.

    The flowers of this plant are unpretentious and modest, but very cute.

    Another interesting property of bergenia is that its old leaves, which turn dark or brown, have special healing properties. In Tibet, they are brewed as a rejuvenating tea.

    Video: unpretentious and shade-tolerant bergenia

    Brunner (Forget-me-not)

    Indispensable for decorating a small shady area.

    In addition to the beautiful leaves of impressive coloring (variegated and green with a silvery cobweb), it also blooms angelically charming - small blue forget-me-nots.

    You can look at her for hours, she is so airy and beautiful. It's just impossible to look away!

    Video: planting and caring for the shade-loving plant Brunnera large-leaved

    Volzhanka (Aruncus)

    It remarkably withstands partial shade, but blooms a little less abundantly in deep shade. And still, the unpretentious Volzhanka blooms its inflorescences again and again!

    Video: unpretentious Volzhanka for planting and flowering in the shade0225

    Heuchera looks absolutely wonderful, which won the hearts of many gardeners. The number of leaf colors is surprisingly rich: from lilac-steel to bright red and green.

    The sizes are also quite diverse: from miniature forms to quite tall specimens.

    This is an absolutely unpretentious plant that does not require special attention, grows beautifully and does not lose its decorative effect from May to October.

    Important! Read more about planting and growing Heuchera outdoors .

    In addition, geykhera is very winter-hardy and tolerates the first autumn frosts well, leaving under the snow with leaves covered with hoarfrost.

    And in the month of May, geyhers start very quickly and gain their color due to amazingly beautiful foliage.

    It blooms amazingly beautifully, flower stalks rise high enough above the plant and last quite a long time.

    In the recent past, botanists crossed geuchera and tiarella and got a new variety of geucherella. The plant has become even more resistant to the preservation of colorfulness, and the color range is much wider.

    Video: everything about growing shade-loving geyhera

    Dicentra (Broken heart)

    It can grow both in open and sunny areas and in shaded areas. However, in the sun, the buds open and bloom early, and the peduncles do not differ in particular size and splendor. In shady places, the color picks up more slowly, but the flowers are brighter, larger and give pleasure with their wonderful appearance until July-August. Therefore, it will be good to plant a dicenter, for example, closer to the gazebo or house, the shadow of which will fall on the plant for most of the day.

    It will also look good near the fence.

    Please note! Read more about planting and growing dicentra from rhizomes and seeds in the open field .

    Video: how to grow a dicentra or a broken heart in a shady garden If you see him, then most likely you will just fall in love.

    At the end of the summer, it usually throws out a peduncle - a long panicle with silvery flowers. The spectacle is impressive! It is simply impossible to pass by without stopping.

    Another important advantage of this shade-tolerant perennial is the fact that it can grow in the same place for quite a long time.

    Kupena

    This flower is not widely used in our summer cottages, but nevertheless it is a very friendly plant, which, like no other, is suitable for the shady side of the summer cottage.

    Its coloration can vary from dark green to variegated, when the green leaf is bordered by white stripes along the edge.

    Delicate white and pink flowers all over the stem, resembling something like a lily of the valley - this is a very pleasant sight.

    The plant grows quite quickly, so if you need to fill the shady space under fruit trees or plant in the shade next to conifers, then kupena deserves your attention.

    Fern

    Another shadow king is the fern. Of course, he does not give flowers, no matter how much we want and do not expect, but he has amazing foliage, which comes in various colors, different sizes and shapes. He lives best in a damp shady corner.

    We are accustomed to the fact that the fern is always dark green, but now we have developed varieties with a dark brown color, lilac centers and silver leaf edges.

    If you plant a fern in the shade of your garden house or in another shady place, it will take all your attention and the attention of your garden guests.

    Video: fern care and cultivation in the shade under the crown of trees

    Rogersia

    Many flower growers call her the queen of the shady garden, which grows to a height of 1. 5 meters.

    Thanks to its magnificent large leaves, Rogersia is very picturesque throughout the season.

    Fluffy and fragrant white, pink or cream-colored panicle inflorescences bloom in early July and can last for more than a month.

    Shaded area design idea! Plant such tall and shade-loving plants as buzulniks, black cohosh and ferns in the background, make the second tier from the host, and on the lower plan - geyhera and geyherella.

    Only shady places are left unplanted in your summer cottage, and is it difficult for you to find suitable plant specimens to revive them? Use our tips and recommendations for landscaping, and then the whole mosaic of your garden will come together.

    Video: what plants to plant in a shady area

    Shade-tolerant plants for the garden: unpretentious shade-loving flowers, shrubs and herbs

    Shady corners in the garden will certainly be found. I would like to arrange them no less decorative than the front flower beds. And sometimes - and more interesting to compensate for the lack of sunlight. There is no need to roll them into concrete, you don’t have to nurse the oppressed sprouts either - there are many plants that feel great in the shade.

    Shade-loving and shade-tolerant plants - what is the difference
    The division into shade-loving and shade-tolerant plants is not entirely correct: all plants need the sun - this is the basis of biochemistry, their vital activity. It’s just that some species need the open sun, others have learned to get by with scattered or reflected (that is, “tolerate the shadow”). Usually these are the inhabitants of the undergrowth, and it is they who can be classified as shade-tolerant of varying degrees. There are those plants that feel worse in the open sun than in diffused light. That's just how they are usually referred to as shade-loving.

    Sisson Landscapes

    Fact: Shade-tolerant and shade-loving garden plants are considered synonymous in everyday life (just look at what users google and what search engines give them an answer). Gardeners do not make a difference: they are simply interested in unpretentious plants that can live without bright light - ideal candidates for landscaping a wooded area with preserved trees or planting in a flower bed in the shade of buildings. So, speaking of shade-tolerant and shade-loving plants in this article, we will generally write about species that manage with a small amount of indirect sun.

    Petriv Landscape Designe

    What shade do you have? Will it be a solid shadow on the north side of the house or near the fence, where direct sunlight does not fall at all. For such conditions, hosts (Hosta), multi-flowered (Polygonatum multiflorum), ferns, geraniums - red-brown (Geranium phaeum) and marsh (Geranium palustre), liverworts (Hepatica), doubtful Jeffersonia (Jeffersonia dubia), oak anemone (Anemone nemorosa), which love deep shade.

    Diffused light is provided by tall trees with a sparse crown, such as pines.
    

    KLUMBAShop Kameneva Natalia and Gavrilova Anastasia

    Large deciduous trees with a low crown create strong shading - the space in their roots is available only to slanting morning and evening sun rays. In the morning and evening, areas on the north side of large dense shrubs or conifers are also illuminated. Such conditions give protection from the midday sun to those plants that need it: these are cornflower (Thalictrum), thick-leaved bergenia (Vergenia crassifolia), shade-tolerant phlox flowers (Phlox) and perennial dicentra (Dicentra). Trees with a less dense crown cast a moving spotted shadow. Similar conditions often occur in orchards. Here, forest dwellers such as forest anemone (Anemone sylvestris), tiarella (Tiarella), lungwort (Pulmonaria), soft cuff (Alchemilla mollis) - flowers that love shade - feel great here.

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    Nicolas Pfeiffer Paysagiste

    Pay attention to the soil
    Soil quality is very important for shade dwellers. Most of them prefer richly moist but well-drained soil. It should be quite nutritious, but light. These are the soils of deciduous forests. Poor soils should be enriched with compost or humus. Acidity must also be taken into account. If necessary, especially when developing a site overgrown with natural forest, it is worth preparing planting pits for perennials, “filling” them with the type of soil that is optimal for them.

    CGD Landscape Design

    ASK-land

    Humidity and Drainage
    Sufficient moisture is really important for plants growing in the shade - they are used to it in their natural environment. Many of them have evolved broad, massive leaves to help collect scarce sunlight. And although the evaporation of moisture in the shade is much less, they may need abundant watering. Especially on dry sandy soils. However, these plants often have a thick rhizome located rather superficially. With stagnant water, poor drainage and runoff, their roots are prone to rotting. When preparing planting pits for such perennials, additional drainage from pebbles or broken bricks can be laid on the bottom.

    SEE ALSO
    22 Beautifully Flowering Plants for Damp and Damp Spots in Your Garden
    

    Shady Garden Favorites
    Among the shade-tolerant species there are shrubs and herbaceous plants, flowering and ornamental, large and miniature forms. They will help you create a lot of really interesting combinations.
    
    Shrubs
    Among the shrubs there are many natives of the forest that feel good in the shade and embody all the advantages and decorativeness of this form. They can be placed solo or made up of groups in the same way as in sunny places.

    • White Derain (Сornus alba) is one of the leaders in unpretentiousness. In addition to its other advantages - a beautiful shape and decorative red shoots that will decorate the site in winter - it has another undeniable advantage. Unlike most plants with decoratively colored leaves, which lose their color in the shade, white-variegated forms of turf (in particular, the now widespread variety "Elegantissima") retain a contrasting pattern of leaves. They will help to “refresh” a shady place, create the illusion of moving sun glare here.

    PAN Landscape

    • Warty euonymus (Euonymus verrucosa) and winged euonymus (Euonymus alata), growing in the shade, have a textured bark with growths, fruits of an unusual shape during the autumn, which is incredibly bright in autumn .
    • Physocarpus opulifolius - this shrub needs no introduction, it has been so popular in recent years. And all thanks to the large volume of large leaves, beautiful flowers, decorative seed boxes, and of course, its unpretentiousness.

    CGD Landscape Design

    • Tatar honeysuckle (Lonicera tatarica) is another hardy, shade-tolerant shrub that has made it an indispensable part of urban landscaping. A delicate aroma will fill the area during its flowering in early summer, and later it will be decorated with bright berries of red and orange.
    • Hawthorn (Crataegus) - its hardiness and prunability make it an indispensable material for hedges that will be decorative both in the sun and in shady places.
    • Early weigela (Weigela praecox) - flowering shrub for partial shade. However, it is not winter hardy enough.
    • Viburnum (Viburnum) - in the variety of its forms, it grows well in the shade and in the sun.
    • Black and golden currants (Ribes) - of course, growing in the shade, they are unlikely to bear fruit abundantly, but these types of currants are suitable for decorating a shady area.

    Jay Sifford Garden Design

    • Elderberry (Sambucus) red, black and Canadian is another unpretentious and highly ornamental shrub. Is that black is not winter-hardy enough. It will decorate the shady corner with beautifully cut foliage and bright berries (they are also edible in black elderberry). True, red elderberry and Canadian elderberry have a peculiar smell during flowering. They have even been used as a natural rodent and insect repellent. However, they are perfect for decorating utility zones and corners far from home.

    Margarita Alekseeva

    • Hydrangea (Hydrangea) - feels comfortable in partial shade, because the plant does not like the bright midday sun. And its luxurious inflorescences are a wonderful decoration both in the garden and in the cut.

    In addition, there are a number of shrubs that, although they will not bloom as abundantly as in a sunny place, will loyally react to a shaded position: these are spirea (Speraea), barberry (Berberis), brilliant cotoneaster (Cotoneaster lucidus), snowberry (Symphoricarpos).

    SEE ALSO…
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    Gelderman Landscape Services

    Conifers
    Shade-tolerant plants include common spruce (Picea abies), fir (Abies), Canadian hemlock (Tsuga canadensis), microbiota (Microbiota). These plants are quite suitable for decorating shady places, especially compact and decorative varieties.

    SEE ALSO
    Coniferous plants in the garden: Selection and application in the shadow. And since the vines growing in our latitudes are mostly inhabitants of the undergrowth, they feel great in shady places. Girlish grapes (Parthenocissus quinquefolia), kirkazon (Aristolochia macrophylla) will develop well here, among the flowering ones - petiolate hydrangea (Hydrangea petiolaris) and prince (Atragene), which, unlike clematis, also blooms in the shade.

    Le jardinet

    Ornamental plants
    Among the shade-tolerant plants there are many species with very expressive leaves, characterized by large size, interesting shape and color. True, decorative coloring, unfortunately, does not always withstand shade conditions. This is especially true of yellow-leaved and yellow-variegated forms. Most of these plants bloom just as beautifully, decorating the shady corner with delicate buds. But it is their leaves that provide a long-lasting decorative effect for a shady flower bed.

    James R. Salomon Photography

    Hosta is by far the best-known shady flower garden dweller. Its plasticity has made it a favorite object of many breeders, thanks to which we now have a really wide range of varieties that differ in size - from 10 to 60 cm, leaf shape and color (green and blue varieties are better for shade). Thanks to this variety, you can create decorative compositions exclusively from the host.

    Spring Lake Garden Design

    Bliss Garden Design, LLC

    Ferns is a large department of plants that are equally great in shape and size. Most of them are shade-loving, which means that these plants are an ideal filling for a shady flower garden, creating a beautiful pattern and a voluminous openwork mass of greenery.

    Landscape workshop of Alena Arsenieva

    Astilboides tabularis impresses with its huge funnel-shaped leaves. And although it also blooms very decoratively, it is often used in flower beds precisely for the sake of leaves. A number of shade-tolerant plants also have large expressive leaves: Rogersia (Rodgersia), podophyllum (Podophyllum), thyroid peltiphyllum (Peltiphyllum peltatum), palmate rhubarb (Rheum palmatum), meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria), thick-leaved badan (Vergenia crassifolia).

    Separately worth mentioning ground cover plants — shade-loving, covering the ground with a continuous mass of leaves and not giving weeds even a chance. They will serve to fill the lower tier in a shady flower garden - as a replacement for a lawn with a lack of sun, for planting under trees. Many of them bloom beautifully. Shade-tolerant groundcovers: small periwinkle (Vinca minor), apical pachysandra (Rachysandra terminalis), creeping tenacious (Ajuga reptans), saxifrage (Saxifraga) round-leaved and shady, lungwort (Pulmonaria), ivy-shaped bud (Pulmonaria).

    Fenton Roberts Garden Design

    Grasses in the shade
    Grasses are mostly sun-loving. However, for partial shade, you can pick up cereal plants. Spreading forest (Milium effusum), team hedgehog (Dacttylis glomerata), soddy pike (Deschampsia caespitosa), meadow foxtail (Alopecurus pratensis) will be able to grow here.

    SEE ALSO…
    Good question: How to choose the best cereals for your garden

    Barbara Pintozzi

    Plants that bloom in the shade - for any season
    Shade-tolerant plants are valuable not only for their expressive leaves. Most of them bloom very beautifully. Shade-tolerant flowers may not be able to compete in brightness with plants that love sunny places, but you will be provided with mass flowering and tenderness of buds. The flowering period for the inhabitants of the shade is also different, which means that it is quite possible to create a composition of continuous flowering here.

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    A garden for the lazy - easy and simple!

    Le jardinet

    • ), May lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis), thyroid peltiphyllum (Peltiphyllumpeltatum), kupena (Polygonatum), forget-me-nots (Myosotis), perennial tiarella (Tiarella) and other garden flowers that love shade.

    SEE ALSO…
    Good question: What poisonous plants (maybe) grow in your garden? The foliage on the trees has not yet gained strength and density, so in the near-trunk circles, spring-flowering bulbs feel at ease - very beautiful shade-loving flowers for the garden.

    Samuel H. Williamson Associates

    • In the summer of dicentra (Dicentra), geraniums (Geranium), meadowsweet (Filipendula), cornflower (Thalictrum), hosts (Hosta), aquilegia (Aquilegia), lily-of-the-valley loosestrife (Lysimachia clethroides), astrantia (Astrantia), loosestrife ( Lythrum) and many other garden flowers that love shade.

    PAN Landscape

    • In autumn the shady garden is adorned with the intense changing color of the leaves of euonymus, white turf, girlish grapes, and many herbaceous plants.

    Along with the limitations, a shady corner also provides a number of advantages - protection from the wind and better moisture, good snow protection in winter.

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