Last updated on March 4th, 2022
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If you have an area in your garden that is prone to shade, you may feel somewhat limited in terms of what you can grow. As you walk through your local nursery or garden centre you might see tags indicative of flowers perfect for sunlight and yet if you have a garden with a roof over the porch and you still want something stunning in pots around your outdoor seating area, or you simply have an area in your garden that is shaded most of the day because of the position of large trees, nearby sheds, or anything else, rest assured there are options.
Finding plants for shade is not nearly as hard as you would think, as long as you know where to look. Below are 10 inspiring perennials for shaded gardens that will add pizzazz and colour.
10 of our favourite plants for shade
1. Heuchera – Coral bells
Coral Bells provide traditional foliage with smaller, bell-shaped flowers. This evergreen perennial will reach a full size of 30cm once fully established and it does well in partial shade. During the spring and summer, you can stand back and admire the varieties of pink, coral, red and white flowers that grow out from the clump the green leaves, some of which get tinged with different shades of lime green, gold and red.
2. Alchemilla – Lady’s Mantle
For a bit of whimsical cottage charm, the Lady’s Mantle is a beautiful perennial that is very low maintenance and blends in effectively with other plants that also love the shade. It is best to combine this plant with something else that flowers around the same time so that you can enjoy the contrast provided by different shades of flowers once the Lady’s Mantle has finished blooming.
Once it reaches maturity it will reach approximately 1/2 metre in spread and height. It produces yellow flowers between June and September and will naturally produce clumps that can spread or be divided and used to multiply the number of plants you have around your garden.
3. Euphorbia amygdaloides
This particular plant will fare just fine in shaded areas, however, it appreciates a bit of afternoon sun if possible. It is tolerant of most soils, including rocky or sandy soils. A very low-maintenance plant that, at full maturity, will reach a height of 1/2 metre and a spread of 1 metre.
Between April and June, you can enjoy beautiful yellow flowers that cover the matted green leaves, each of which is tinged with purple underneath. The leaves maintain their green shades throughout summer and take on more purple and burgundy tones in the autumn, bringing to your garden a plethora of excitement all year round.
4. Astilbe – False Goat’s Beard
This flower will thrive well in shaded areas and can tolerate slightly acidic to neutral soil. In spring and summer, you can sit back and enjoy not only the butterflies that are attracted to the flowers but the beautiful clusters of vibrant pink, red, or white flowers atop the fern-like foliage. The clusters of flowers can span between 30cm and 75cm in size with the height reaching between 30cm and 1 metre, depending on the variety. Similarly to other plants on this list, this one will spread very quickly and will form natural clumps that you can split apart if you want to enjoy multiple plants.
5. Cyclamen
Small but strong, these plants have a sweet scent and produce adorable white flowers on long stems that are held upright. A tuberous perennial, the leaves take on a heart shape with a smattering of lime green decorations inside the hunter green coloured leaves. The flowers come in shades of white, red or pink. These are incredibly popular houseplants to have during the winter holidays and you can grow them outside in the partial shade, they will produce their flowers between autumn and winter, offsetting other plants that may have reached their flowering peak at the end of summer.
6. Campanula persicifolia – Bellflowers
Colloquially called the Bellflowers, this perennial reaches heights of approximately 100cm and a spread of up to 50cm. Partial to shade, this low-maintenance plant will give you whimsical blooms between June and July, in shades of white to blue. They prefer cooler summer climates and appreciate afternoon shade. You can deadhead the flowers to encourage a second round of blooms throughout the flowering season. The bell-shaped flowers can span up to 10cm and open outwards adding a delightful splash of invitation to your garden.
7. Ophiopogon planiscapus ‘Nigrescens’ – Mondo Grass
Many people know this plant as Mondo Grass and it is a perennial that does very well in partial shade. It grows in rich, fertile soil that is well-draining and it prefers moist soil but not overly watered. The foliage on this plant is evergreen and between July and August, the dark evergreen foliage is complimented by light pink flowers. It is great when used as a groundcover because of the grass-like design the perennial assumes. It will grow slowly in clumps and spread outwards if left to its own devices. The flowers take on a light shade and are bell-shaped, growing in racemes on top of the stems that rise from the foliage clumps.
8. Onoclea sensibilis – Sensitive Fern
Commonly referred to as the Sensitive Fern, this is a non-flowering fern that thrives in shaded, wet areas. It is very tolerant of clay soil, wet soil and heavy shade. Some of the other inspiring plants on this list might survive perfectly fine in shade but the floriferous qualities are reduced because they are contingent on sun exposure. With this particular fern that is not the case. While it doesn’t have flowers it can still reach a spread and height up to 50-100cm and has bright green fronds. Easy to maintain, it is not prone to disease or pests.
9. Athyrium niponicum var. Pictum – Japanese Painted Fern
The Japanese painted fern is a non-flowering fern that will thrive in partial sunlight and shade. If you have rabbits in your garden this particular fern is very tolerant. Moreover, it is low maintenance and as long as you grow it in organically rich well-drained soil it will thrive. This deciduous fern will grow triangular, variegated fronds that span up to 50cm and once fully established it will spread up to 75cm and approximately 50cm tall.
10. Bergenia ‘Overture’ – Elephant Ears
Known as the Elephant Ears plant, this evergreen perennial produces round green leaves that have a leathery texture to them that is complemented by clusters of bell-shaped flowers available in white or pink. They will reach their ultimate size in approximately three years at which point they will span up 2.5 metres in height with a 5 metre spread. During the spring, summer, autumn and winter you can enjoy green foliage and during the spring you can enjoy red stems with white or pink flowers. In winter you can still enjoy red foliage as the leaves start to change colour.
