
Are you looking for a plant that can handle some shade and still look fabulous? Think woodland floor! Use liberal amounts of peat, compost and organic matter when planting these plants. Avoid over-watering and provide good air circulation for healthy plants!
The plants on this list are for full, filtered and partial shade. Full shade means less than 3 hours of direct sunlight a day. Partial shade is about 3-6 hours of direct sun a day. Filtered is dappled sunlight through the trees (this is the easiest shade to grow in). Avoid planting these plants in full sun to prevent sun-scalding damage.
Perennials
- Acanthus
- Ajuga
- Anemones
- Aquilegia (Columbine)
- Asarum (Wild Ginger)
- Astilbe
- Athyrium (Ferns)
- Bergenia
- Blue Oat Grass
- Brunnera
- Campanula
- Carex
- Columbine
- Dicentra (Bleeding Heart)
- Digitalis
- Dryopteris (Ferns)
- Geranium
- Hamelin Ornamental Grass
- Hakone Grass
- Hakonechloa
- Hellebores (Lenten Rose)
- Hepatica
- Hemerocallis (Daylilies)
- Heuchera
- Hostas
- Iris (Siberian)
- Ligularia
- Lobelia
- Lupine
- Lysimachia
- Mertinesia (Bluebells)
- Myosotis (Forget-me-nots)
- Oenothera
- Polemonium (Jacobs Ladder)
- Primula
- Pulmonaria
- Solomon’s Seal
- Tiarella (Foam Flower)
- Tradescantia (Spiderwort)
- Trillium
Annuals
- Begonias
- Browalia
- Caladiums
- Coleus
- Fuchsia
- Hypoestes (Polka Dot plant)
- Impatiens
- Lobelia
- Magilla Perilla
- Mimulus
- Pansies
- Torenia
Ground Covers
- Ajuga
- Anemone Tomentosa
- Bergenia
- Bunchberry
- Euonymus
- Helleborus
- Honeysuckle
- Ivy
- Lamium
- Lily of the Valley
- Liriope (Lily turf)
- Liriope
- Lysimachia
- Moss (Irish)
- Pachysandra
- Sweet Woodruff
- Vinca Minor (Myrtle)
- Violas
Shrubs
- Burning Bush (Euonymus)
- Clethra (Summersweet)
- Fothergilla
- Honeysuckle Vine (Lonicera)
- Hydrangea spp.
- Hypericum
- Itea (Virginia Sweetspire)
- Kerria
- Summersweet (Clethra)
- Viburnum
Trees
- Cercis Canadensis (Redbud)
- Cornus spp. (Dogwood)
- Hammamelis (Witch Hazel)
- Hemlock
- Japanese Maples
- Magnolia
Evergreens & Broadleaf Evergreens
- Azaleas (need winter shade)
- Boxwood (Buxus)
- Daphne
- Holly (Ilex)
- Kalmia (Mountain Laurel)
- Katsura
- Microbiota
- Japanese Pieris (Pieris Japonica)
- Rhododendron (need winter shade)
- Yews (Taxus)