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Embrace the Shade: A Guide to Shade-Loving Plants

Many gardeners believe that shady spots limit their plant choices, but the truth is, mature trees and shady areas offer a canvas for vibrant and diverse plant life. With the right selections, you can transform a dim corner into a lush and inviting garden. Here’s a guide to help you make the most of your shaded spaces, whether they receive full shade, filtered shade, or afternoon shade.

Creating a Stunning Shade Garden

Tip: When designing a shade bed, incorporate evergreen plants to provide a framework or anchor that remains attractive year-round. Combine these with a variety of leaf textures, colors, and heights. Adding annuals and perennials will ensure your shade garden is both beautiful and interesting throughout the seasons.

Shade-Loving Plants to Consider

For Full Shade or Filtered Shade:

• Agapanthus (Afternoon Shade)
• Ajuga
• Aralia
• Ardesia
• Asparagus Fern
• Aspidistra (Cast Iron Plant)
• Astilbe
• Aucuba
• Azalea (Morning Sun)
• Barberry - Golden
• Begonia (Green & Bronze Leaf, Dragon Wing, Baby Dragon Wing, Big)
• Bell Flower (Campanula)
• Bee Balm / Monarda
• Bleeding Heart
• Boxwood
• Camellia
• Caladium
• Cardinal Flower
• Chinese Fringe Flower (Morning Sun)
• Coleus
• Columbine
• Coral Bells (Heuchera)
• Elephant Ears
• Euphorbia, Little Jo / Bonfire
• Euonymus Coloratus (Purple Winter Creeper)
• Fallopia
• Ferns
• Flax Lilly (Dianella)
• Fothergilla “Mount Airy”
• Gardenias
• Grasses / Ornamental

Tip: Adding garden structures like benches, arbors, obelisks, beautiful containers, or statuary can add another layer of visual interest to any garden or bed.

For Partial Shade or Afternoon Shade:

• Hollies (Dwarf Burford, Carissa, Chinese, Dwarf Yaupon, Nelly R. Stevens, Weeping Yaupon)
• Honeysuckle (Lemon Beauty)
• Hosta
• Houttuynia
• Heuchera (Beautiful with Hostas)
• Hydrangea (Morning Sun)
• Hypericum (St. John’s Wort) (Afternoon Shade)
• Impatiens
• Itea
• Ivy (English, Variegated)
• Lamium (White Nancy, Red Nancy, Anne Greenway)
• Lenten Rose / Hellebores
• Liriope (Green, Variegated)
• Lobelia
• Lorapetulum
• Lungwort (Pulmonaria)
• Lysmachia
• Mahonia
• Mazus
• Mondo Grass
• Nandinas
• Oxalis
• Pachysandra
• Penstemon
• Pink Splash
• Pittosporum (Variegated, Wheelers Dwarf)
• Podocarpus
• Potentilla
• Privet (Green Variegated)
• Ruellia (Blue, Pink, White)
• Sweet Spire, Henry’s Garnet
• Spirea
• Torenia
• Turk’s Cap
• Turtle Head
• Veronica (Waterperry Blue)
• Verbascum
• Viburnum
• Vinca (Ground Cover)
• Violets
• Weigela (Afternoon Shade)
• Yews (Densiformus)

Tip: Add Height: Create layers in your garden to keep it interesting. Use tall planters, pillars, or grow understory shade-tolerant trees and shrubs of varying heights.

Shade-Loving Perennials

Spring Bloomers:

• Columbine (Tx. Gold)
• Candytuft
• Coral Bells
• Flax
• Lamium
• Lenten Rose (Hellebores)
• Nana Coreopsis
• Oxalis
• Spiderwort (Late Spring)
• Violets

Summer Bloomers:

• Cardinal Flower
• Erysimum, Wallflower (Bowles Mauve)
• Lungwort (Pulmonaria)
• Bee Balm (Monarda)
• Lysmachia
• Lythrum
• Ruellia (Blue, Pink, White)
• Turk’s Cap
• Penstemon
• Physostegia (Miss Manner)
• Potentilla (Miss Wilmott)
• Heuchera
• Verbascum
• Veronica

Foliage for Shade:

• Elephant Ears (Annual)
• Liriope (Variegated or Green)
• Caladiums (Annual)
• Ivy
• Ajuga
• Aspidistra / Cast Iron Plant
• Ferns
• Sedges
• Ardisia
• Heuchera
• Euphorbia (Little Jo or Bonfire)
• Hosta

Tip: Disease and pests can be a concern in shady gardens. Avoid overwatering, as excess moisture can lead to fungal diseases. Slugs and snails may also be problematic; consider using slug and snail baits or pecan shell mulch to deter them.

With the right plant choices and a bit of creativity, your shaded garden can become a stunning and serene oasis. Happy gardening!