Shady woodland plants
10 of the best for shady areas in a garden |
(Image credit: Joe Wainwright)
Woodland plants are adapted to life in partial or dappled shade. If you’re lucky enough to have a woodland area in your garden, or have shaded spots beneath trees and shrubs, these woodland plants will help you to create a natural display full of color and interest.
Woodland plants are among the shade plants, adapted to life in partial or dappled shade. Some will tolerate more shade than others. The levels of shade can be difficult to gauge, especially in a woodland environment where it is likely always to be changing depending on the leaf canopy through the seasons – so be prepared to move plants if they’re not thriving.
Woodland plants can add color, texture and scent among shrubs for shade and bring darker corners of the garden, or wooded areas to life.
While we suggest that plants can be divided or grown from bulbs, you should never disturb a wild plant. Some plants are protected by law and digging them up is simply not worth it. Instead, enjoy their beauty in their natural setting, and source the plants elsewhere.
Woodland plants
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There are many options when it comes to choosing woodland plants for flower bed ideas. Some are most desired for their foliage, like hostas and ferns; others for their flowers, such as if you choose to grow hellebores or erythronium. Planting in the understorey around a wooded area, or in shady spots as a north facing garden idea, can help to reduce weeds by creating ground cover, and make your woodland area or shady corner easier to care for.
Soil in woodlands is often rich in organic matter, and well-draining. This is owing to the presence of deciduous trees that drop their leaves, building organic matter year on year. Also, the roots of the trees, and their fungal interactions, lead the soil to be well drained and moist. This creates the perfect environment for most woodland plants. However, if your woodland area has been planted with trees recently, or you are planning a woodland style border under trees for shade, the soil will not yet be developed and improved.
You should therefore mulch with a good quality, peat-free compost or manure when planting any woodland plant.
1. Erithronium
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Erithronium also go by the more descriptive names of fawn lilies, dog-tooth violet, and adder’s tongue. These woodland plants have delicate and peculiar flowers with the center of the flower hanging down and the petals upturned.
There are many varieties of erythronium, ranging in color, and flower size. We love ‘Lilac Wonder’ for its beautiful purple flowers and pagoda for its profusion of yellow blooms.
Erythronium are spring bulbs that should be planted in fall into rich, well-draining soil. Provide a compost or manure mulch if the soil is lacking in organic matter.
Zones 3 - 9
2. Hellebore
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Hellebore, or lenten roses, are not an actual rose but instead a perennial winter flower with large decorative flowers. The colors range from white to deep red, with hues of green and pink speckles on some.
‘Hellebores are a reliable, evergreen shade plant,’ says Barb Pierson from White Flower Farm in Connecticut. ‘Hellebore flowers emerge in spring, before their new leaves. In a warm climate you’ll see the flowers in early winter but if you're in an area where the ground freezes solid it'll be late winter or early spring,’ she continues.
As well as being good woodland plants, they are valuable as flowers that attract bees in months where food sources for these crucial pollinators are more scarce.
Growing hellebores from dividing plants bears flowers faster, but they can also be grown from seed planted in spring. Bear in mind seed grown plants – particularly if you collect your own seeds – might not always come out true to form.
Zones 3 – 9
3. Primrose
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Primrose are tiny, clump-forming plants with a burst of flowers in spring. Wild primrose has a gorgeous pale-yellow flower, but there are many modern cultivars with a huge range of bright colors that are among the best plants for pots and borders.
There are also varieties of primroses with bell-like flowers on the end of flower stems, such as cowslips. They are often one of the first spring flowers to appear, so are great for adding year-round interest.
Primroses, unlike a lot of other woodland plants, thrive in damp conditions and are often found naturally by the side of streams, in slightly boggy areas or next to pond plants. If the ground in your wooded area is too dry, they may not thrive, although they are tough little plants.
Primrose is difficult to grow from seed, so either purchase a plant or divide an existing plant. They are easily divided in early spring, when the leaves are visible, but they have not yet started to flower.
Zones 5 – 8
4. Bluebell
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Virginia bluebell, or ladies bonnet, is a beautiful blue flowering perennial that flowers in early spring, bringing a welcome pop of color. Native to the US, these are a lovely addition as woodland plants.
If you are in the UK, you should try English bluebells instead – ensure to stay away from the larger Spanish bluebell, as these are invasive in the UK and can outcompete and cross-pollinate with the native species.
It is easy to learn how to grow bluebells and you can find lots of extra tips and advice on how to plant bulbs.
Virginia bluebell like moist, rich soils with a lot of organic matter. Be sure to give them a heavy mulch if your soil does not quite match this description, for low maintenance garden borders. Plant as a nursery plant or a bare-root rhizome in early spring. The rhizome should sit parallel with the ground, around 1 inch deep.
Zones 3 – 8
5. Foxglove
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Foxgloves, or digitalis, are classic cottage garden plants with large, showy flower spikes covered in bell-shaped flowers in summer, in colors ranging from white to dark purple and coral to bright pink. They are naturally adapted for growing in woodland areas, where they can be found in the wild.
They are easy to grow from seed, or you can source a plant from your local nursery for instant impact.
'They’re dead easy to grow from seed, and really good at growing in odd little corners and spaces,’ says Monty Don of Gardeners’ World . Foxgloves are biannual, so sow the seeds in spring to early summer and they will flower next year.
As they are biennial, many gardeners opt to buy plants instead of growing them from seed to achieve instant results. Growing foxgloves from seed sown in spring is much more cost effective, though, if budgets are tight. Be aware, however, that they are among the poisonous plants, so keep young children and animals away from them.
Zones 4 – 10
6. Ferns
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Ferns are highly prized for their beautiful, and varied foliage. Long leaves curl outward from a central rosette. There are many varieties if you're wondering how to grow ferns; some of them enjoy full shade and damp conditions, while others will prefer partial shade and well-draining soil.
Be sure to check with your supplier to make sure you get the right variety. Many are also deer resistant plants.
Ferns range in appearance from frondy and delicate to bright green shiny leaves. They are great to couple with flowering plants to create a lush look for a tropical garden idea in the woodland understorey.
Plant in spring or early summer when the soil is beginning to warm up. Make sure to mulch and water in well.
Zones 2 – 10 (depending on variety)
7. Solomon's Seal
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Solomon’s seal is a delightfully ornamental and interesting plant. It grows long arching stems of pretty leaves, with small bell-like flowers on the underside. In late summer and early fall the flowers develop into dark blue berries, and the foliage turns golden yellow, adding to the appeal of this plant. Its native habitat is in woodland and there are native species of solomon’s seal in both the US and the UK.
You can buy bare-root rhizomes, which should be planted horizontally, just under the surface of the soil in fall.
Alternatively, you can grow them from nursery plants which should be planted in spring, or by dividing an existing plant. Division can be done in fall or spring, providing the ground isn’t frozen.
Zones 3 - 7
8. Wood Anemone
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As the name suggests, wood anemone are perfectly adapted for life on the forest floor, enjoying rich, moist, well-drained soils and partial shade. They have delicate, white, daisy-like flowers that are sure to brighten up any dull spot.
Wood anemone are easy to grow from bulbs. Plant in fall, before the ground gets frozen. Before planting, soak the bulbs for a few hours to rehydrate them. Give them a mulch of compost or well-rotted horse manure to help improve the soil.
Zones 3 - 8
9. Witch Hazel
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This attractive and unique flowering shrub is native to North America. It bears flowers, ripe fruit, and leaf buds on the stem all at the same time which adds interest and color to your woodland garden.
The flowers look like knots of tiny ribbons and make a lovely addition as a winter garden idea.
Witch hazel is easy to grow and relatively adaptable, so great if you're planning a winter garden. It prefers moist soils rich in organic matter. It is an understorey plant but will grow in full sun if required. Plant in fall or spring before or after the ground gets frozen or waterlogged.
Zones 3 - 9
10. Woodland Phlox
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Woodland phlox (Phlox divaricata), or wild sweet william, is an easy to grow, ground cover plant perfectly suited for the partial shade found in woodlands. It has attractive purple-blue flowers and is a great plant for pollinators. These woodland plants also smell wonderful, adding a whole new layer of interest to your woodland garden as a fragrant garden idea and are among the flowers that attract hummingbirds.
Plant in spring or summer. Woodland phlox is very fast growing so ensure not to plant it next to anything that will be overwhelmed by it.
It works well planted with hellebores, as they will flower in the opposite season. It like moist soils rich in organic matter, so mulch with some compost or horse manure after planting and ensure to water-in well.
What plants live in the woodland?
There are many woodland plants that will grow well in woodlands. All the plants that we have listed above are well suited for life in a woodland. These are usually plants that prefer partial shade and well-drained soils rich in organic matter. We recommend growing plants that are native to your area for the best success.
Not all shade plants will thrive in woodland areas. It’s a good idea to do your research first. Get to know the kind of shade that you have in your woodland, or shaded area of your garden, and the type of soil. If you’re unsure, ask a local plant supplier who may be able to advise you. Alternatively, if you want to create a more natural effect, visit a local woodland and take note of the plants you see – these are the ones that will likely do well in your garden, too.
Evergreen or pine forests are often very densely planted and not a lot of light will get through the understorey. They also drop wood pine needles that can acidify the soil. Most woodland plants will not do well in this environment, so use areas that are on the edge, or in a clearing if you want to grow some understory plants.
How do I make a small woodland garden?
How to make a small woodland garden will very much depend on where you live, the hardiness zone and climate, and what the conditions are like in your woodland area.
If the woodland garden area has a particularly dense canopy, you will need to select plants that are more adapted to full shade rather than partial shade. If the soil in your woodland is particularly damp, you will need to select plants that are adapted for moist soils that are not free draining.
It's always worth visiting a local woodland and finding out what grows naturally in your area. Alternatively, you can speak with a local nursery or woodland plant specialist and find out what would be the best woodland plants to grow in your garden.
Plant a mix of foliage plants, evergreen plants and flowers to add interest and create a natural look.
What can I plant in cleared woodland?
Cleared woodland tends to have good quality soil that is fast-draining and rich in organic matter. If this is the case with your cleared area, then you can plant anything from vegetables to flower beds – the choice is yours.
Always choose plants that are suitable for your local climate and for the soil and light conditions that you have to offer. Be careful not to grow anything that could be invasive.
If you are planting into a small woodland clearing, that is surrounded by trees, it’s a good idea to stick to woodland plants in areas that benefit from partial shade.
Becky is a freelance writer, blogger, and podcaster. Her blog, Sow Much More and her podcast The Seed Pod are aimed at making organic gardening more accessible and encourage others to grow their own food.
Best woodland plants for gardens: 12 types for shady spots
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The best woodland plants often come into their own in spring.
Light falls through branches that haven’t yet come into leaf, bathing the plants below in a golden glow. The show begins with snowdrops and aconites and transforms week by week, with primroses, forget-me-nots and wood anemones blooming in a non-stop carpet of colour.
A woodland-style border is simply a flowerbed beneath deciduous trees or shrubs. Spring is the highlight, but you can plant a range of bulbs and perennials to give a show throughout the year. Choose white, yellow and pale-blue flowers that will light up the gloom once leaves are on the trees.
If you have an area under and around deciduous shrubs and trees, this is the place to plant your woodland shade loving plants. Most appreciate humus-rich soil, so digging in leaf mould or compost before planting them and topping up annually is well worth the effort too.
Add color and interest to a shady spot with woodland plants
If you're looking for inspiration for a mini-woodland garden in your own plot, you'll find plenty to choose from in our edit of the best woodland plants.
1. Hellebore 'Walberton’s Rosemary'
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It's worth learning how to grow hellebores if you want to add interest to your plot in the winter months.
This lovely hellebore produces masses of stunning dusky pink outward facing flowers from January right through until spring. It prefers a sheltered spot in partial shade with rich soil. A good choice for woodland gardens, under-planting of trees and shrubs, and for flowerbeds and borders. Height 14in/35cm.
2. Erythronium ‘Pagoda’
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In bloom from March to April, this dog’s tooth violet, as it's also known, isn't purple as you might expect from the name but instead produces elegant lily-shaped yellow flowers. It likes to be planted in soil enriched with leaf mould and its preferred position is under deciduous trees. Height 12in/30cm.
3. Bowles' Golden Grass
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Bowles’ golden grass (Milium effusum ‘Aureum’ ) is a delightful semi-evergreen grass that has golden-yellow leaves in early spring, which mature to lime green.
This lovely grass is one of the best woodland plants for gardens when it comes to filling out gaps in garden borders. It likes moist, well-drained, humus-rich soil in a semi-shaded spot. Height 15in/40cm.
4. Pulmonaria Opal 'Ocupol'
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A wonderful, low-growing plant that can be used to add color to a shady border. The long-lasting opalescent flowers open from pink buds in March and April, and are shown off beautifully against silver-spotted foliage. Plant with spring flowering bulbs, and shade-loving ferns and hostas, in rich well-drained soil. Height 12in/30cm.
5. Narcissus ‘Jenny’
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This lovely elegant daffodil has dainty flowers with lemon-coloured trumpets that fade to ivory during March and April. It's small but sturdy and will stand up well to wind and rain. It's an excellent all rounder for borders in sun or shade, containers or to create spectacular drifts in grassy areas. Height 12in/30cm.
Theres plenty of useful tips on how to plant daffodils in our guide.
6. Anemone x lipsiensis
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Soft creamy-yellow single flowers adorn this beautiful wood anemone from April to May, above attractive divided leaves. Plant a few of these in your garden in the semi-shade under deciduous trees and shrubs, or at the front of the border in full sun. They'll grow happily anywhere, increasing gradually from year to year, and like humus-rich well-drained soil types. Height 6in/15cm.
7. Bleeding heart 'Alba'
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This white bleeding heart (Lamprocapnos spectabilis ‘Alba’ syn. Dicentra spectabilis Alba) is found in moist soils in the cool margins of woodlands. It is one of the earliest perennials to flower, lighting up shady corners in April and May, when it produces arching sprays of pure white heart-shaped flowers and fern-like leaves.
Easy to grow, this is one of the most elegant woodland plants for gardens around and is ideal for adding a luminous touch to a woodland-style plot.
Height 23in/60cm.
8. Brunnera macrophylla ‘Hadspen Cream’
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Also known as Siberian bugloss, the combination of sky-blue flowers in April and May and heart-shaped, variegated foliage make this a great choice for partially shaded borders. Use it for underplanting deciduous trees and shrubs, where it will like moist, well-drained soil in semi-shade or shade. Height 18in/45cm.
9. Corydalis flexuosa ‘China Blue’
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The tubular blue flowers on maroon stems bloom from April to July, above bronze, grey and green fern-like foliage. The intense blue of the flowers will light up a gloomy garden like no other, which means it's good for filling gaps in a partially shaded border or for landscaping around trees and shrubs. Height 23in/30cm.
10. Martagon lily Turk’s Cap
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One of the best woodland plants for gardens, this early summer perennial lily forms tall slender stems carrying several pink-purple, yellow, light orange, dark red or white flowers.
It's a great border plant and does best in light soil with added compost in partial shade or sun. It's quick to get established and will come back year after year, and it's also a good choice for container garden ideas. Height 59in/150cm.
11. Primroses
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Creamy yellow primroses are a familiar sight in woodlands in early spring and they're good for brightening shady gardens as well as being ideal container plants. They bloom for weeks and if you plant a clump in your garden they will soon spread to give you a carpet of creamy yellow flowers that comes back every year. Height 4in/10cm.
12. Winter aconites
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The buttery yellow flowers of winter aconites (Eranthis hyemalis) are one of the first woodland plants to bloom at the beginning of the year.
A woodland native, it hangs around for a couple of months and likes to be planted in moisture retentive soil in a shady spot.
It will do well planted under shrubs or around the base of deciduous trees and requires very little attention to thrive, making it a great low maintenance plant option. Height 6in/15cm.
What are the best woodland plants?
Wood anemones and primroses are the stars of the show but there are so many other woodland plants to choose from.
In March, blue lungworts mingle with yellow flashes of early daffodils beneath the leafless trees. The pale-lemon flowers of Corylopsis shrubs bloom on bare stems, allowing light to fall onto hellebores below.
During April, brunnera and ajuga form blue pools, ferns unfurl like yo-yos and lime wood spurge, white epimediums and ivory Narcissus ‘Thalia’ catch the light.
Then later, in May, the canopy closes in, containing the scent of lily of the valley, while bellwort, honesty and perfoliate alexanders create a tapestry of pink and gold.
A woodland-style border doesn’t have to dwindle at the end of spring either. There are lots of plants that flower in dappled shade, including aquilegia, foxglove, cranesbill, hosta and honeysuckle to mix in with ferns and shade-loving grasses.
Cranesbill is a perennial woodland plant that belongs to the Geranium family
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What plants live in the woodland?
Woodland encompasses a whole range of plant types including trees and shrubs, climbing plants, perennial herbs, bulbs, grasses, sedges, mosses and lichens.
In its natural state woodland is very varied. Trees are the most important plants as they support a wealth of wildlife and improve air quality. But woodland plants growing under the tree canopy are key to biodiversity too.
You can recreate your own mini-woodland garden at home with the right mix of the best woodland plants for gardens.
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What flowers grow in the woods?
In spring you will find anemones, hellebores, primroses and daffodils. If you're lucky you may see patches of deep purple-blue wild violets too.
Later in April and May you will find heavenly-scented lily of the valley, bellwort and carpets of bluebells, while in summer foxgloves, red campion and wild honeysuckle are added to the mix.
All these woodland plants will thrive in a shady spot of the garden too, so it's worth including them in your flowerbed ideas if you want to recreate the look.
In late spring the woods are carpeted with bluebells
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Lifestyle journalist Sarah Wilson has been writing about gardens since 2015. She's written for Gardeningetc.com, Livingetc, Homes & Gardens, Easy Gardens and Modern Gardens magazines. Having studied introductory garden and landscape design, she is currently putting the skills learned to good use in her own space where the dream is establishing a cutting garden.
Shade-tolerant plants for the garden: unpretentious shade-loving flowers, shrubs and herbs
Shady corners in the garden are sure to 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's 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.
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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.
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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.
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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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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.
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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 Beautiful Flowering Plants for Damp and Damp Spots in Your Garden 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 (Cornus 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.
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- Warty euonymus (Euonymus verrucosa) and winged (Euonymus alata) .
- Califolia (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.
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- 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) is a 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.
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- Red, Black and Canadian Elder (Sambucus) is another hardy 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.
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- 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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Conifers
Contrary to popular belief, many conifers are quite light-loving. 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.
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Ornamental plants
Among the shade-tolerant plants, there are many species with very expressive leaves, distinguished by their 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.
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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.
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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.
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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
Most grasses are 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.
SEE ALSO…
A lazy garden is 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 the autumn of , the shady garden is adorned with the intense changing color of the leaves of the 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.
The natural inhabitants of the shadow, for the most part, will not require much trouble from you. And the number and variety of their species will allow you to create a beautiful plant composition even in heavily shaded places.
TALK IN THE COMMENTS…
How do you decorate the shady corners of the garden? Do you have any favorite shade tolerant or shade loving plants/flowers?
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Undergrowth cereals and herbs
Forest grass-ants... So you imagine a rare rug made of blades of grass that pierced last year's old foliage. But the modern collection of cereals and cereal-like herbs intrigues and surprises. But not everyone will take root under the canopy of the forest, because these are mainly plants of fields and meadows, which means they are photophilous. Fortunately for all owners of forest plots and lovers of natural style - and both are now very fashionable - quite a lot of varieties of shade-tolerant grasses, and even shade-loving ones, have been bred.
In shady areas, cereals with their inflorescences create a feeling of airiness and give dynamism to the grass cover. The foliage of cereals brings the necessary element of linearity to the landscape of the garden.
- Kuril Bamboo (Sasa kurilensis) is an excellent plant for moist shady places. The disadvantage is that over time it becomes an aggressor and does not tolerate pruning.
- Spreading pine forest (Milium effusum "Aureum") prefers partial shade, fertile soil and a cool place. Under such conditions, it retains its decorative effect even in the summer heat.
- Soft buffalo (Holcus mollis "Variegatus") - partial shade, soil fertility and humidity are not important.
- Reed grass (Calamagrostis acutiflora "Karel Foerster") - green-leaved varieties behave well in partial shade on dry soil, variegated varieties lose their varietal characteristics.
- Hedgehog team (Dacttylis glomerata "Variegata") loves rich soils, medium moisture, in the middle of summer there can be full shade, in spring and autumn the sun, only in such conditions is excellent decorative effect, otherwise in the heat it can completely lose foliage.
- Reed canary grass (Phalalaris arundinacea) - white-variegated varieties ("Feesey", "Picta") with good moisture and fertile soil do not lose their decorative effect in partial shade, but varieties with yellow stripes ("Luteopicta") lose their variability in the shade.
- Meadow foxtail (Alopecurus pratensis”Aureovariegatus”) requires rich, moist soil, sun in spring and autumn, and shade and coolness in mid-summer for a stable decorative effect.
- Molinia blue reed (Molinia caerlea subsp. arundinacea) - a wonderful autumn accent for shady flower beds, with sufficient moisture to the soil is unassuming.
- Bulbous variegated ryegrass (Arrhenatherum elatius subsp. bulbosum "Variegatum") in a sliding summer shade gives a compact white spot, does not wither in the middle of the season, tolerates a shaping haircut, is not picky about the ground. Prefers a dry place.
- Sesleria blue (Sesleria caerulea) Unpretentious plant for carpet planting in the shade of crowns.
