30 Shrubs That Grow in Shade

Mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia) 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.

Among deciduous shrubs, Japanese rose (Kerria japonica) is one of the most shade-tolerant and will do better than survive in shade; it will thrive. Japanese rose furnishes a good display of flowers in partial shade.

As their name suggests, climbing hydrangeas (Hydrangea anomala ssp. petiolaris) are vines, but they can be trimmed and maintained as if they were shrubs. While they tolerate shaded areas, they tend to yield better flowering displays when exposed to a reasonable amount of sunlight. Peeling bark on their stems provides winter interest.

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.

Emerald and Gold euonymus is another 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 and is called, in common parlance, "burning bush." While this is a shrub that grows in shade, lack of sufficient sunlight may rob it of its primary selling point: its fall color.

One of two popular shade-tolerant Japanese hollies (Ilex crenata), the hetz holly has smaller leaves than the American and English hollies, giving it the nickname "box-leaved." Its berries are black, unlike the familiar red berries on other hollies.

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.

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 make terrific hedges.

Yews are somewhat notorious for being poisonous plants, but unless you have children or pets that will be grazing outside, this shouldn't be a major drawback. On a lighter note, yews are one of the plants used in Christmas traditions.

These needled evergreens are valued for their showy red berries and as shrubs that grow in shade. Some people find them boring or overused, but the versatility of these tough bushes makes their case for them. Common plants are common for a reason; do not hold...MORE their popularity against them.

This shade-tolerant bush offers the best of both worlds, in terms of being not only a flowering shrub but also an evergreen. Andromeda shrubs (Pieris japonica) may offer something else, too: fragrant flowers. Some people find their smell offensive, while others find it pleasing. If you dislike strong flower aromas, you may land in the former group.

African scurf pea (Psoralea pinnata) is a medium-size shrub 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 leaves look something like rosemary, and you can train it into a small tree.

Alder-leaved serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia) has clusters of white flowers in spring. It grows in full sun to part shade and produces edible purple-blue fruit.

Alpine currant (Ribes alpinum) will grow in full sun to full shade (in USDA zones 2–7). You will need both male and female plants for it to produce fruit.

Aucuba japonica is also called spotted laurel and is valued for its colorful leaves. If you have both male and female plants it will produce red berries in the fall. However, it is poisonous, so it's not the best choice for everyone.

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. They like acidic soil and do best in partial shade, although some varieties can handle full shade.

Calycanthus occidentalis has a deep red flower, and you may find it produces the fragrance of red wine. It will grow in full sun to full shade but needs moist soil and won't tolerate drought.

Camellia sinensis is also known as tea plant. It can grow in full sun to partial shade. Its leaves and twigs can be used for tea.

Cornus canadensis is a subshrub that you can use as a groundcover. It produces blossoms that give it nicknames such as "creeping dogwood" and "bunchberry dogwood."

Gaultheria procumbens is also known as American wintergreen, as its leaves can produce a minty scent. It can be used as a groundcover in acidic soil.

Loropetalum chinense is an evergreen shrub also known as Chinese witch hazel. It will grow in partial shade. Different varieties produce white, yellow, or red flowers.

Leucothoe axillaris needs acidic soil to thrive and will grow in partial to full shade. It produces urn-shaped bunches of small white flowers.

You'll recognize Buxus sempervirens as the evergreen shrub often used for hedges and topiaries.​ It does well in full sun to partial shade.

Witch hazel, Hamamelis virginiana, is a tall shrub that will add fall color to your garden. You can make extracts from the witch hazel shrub to harness the plant's astringent properties.

Dwarf fothergilla, Fothergilla gardenia, grows happily in full sun to full shade. It's known for its fluffy white flowers in spring and its fall leaf colors.

You can attract hummingbirds with buckeye, Aesculus pavia, also known as the firecracker plant. It will grow in full sun or partial shade and can be maintained as a shrub or a tree.

The red tip photinia (Photinia x fraseri) is an evergreen shrub that produces young red leaves, while its older leaves are green. It also produces white flowers in spring and can grow into a tall hedge.

Japanese skimmia, or Skimmia japonica, will produce red or white fruit if you have both a male and a female.

This is the shrub that gave Hollywood its name.​ Heteromeles arbutifolia is native to California and has small white flowers that produce red berries.

The Paeonia suffruticosa shrub can produce very large flowers in different shades from white to pink, red, or purple. It needs regular watering.

Different species of viburnum can give your garden color in multiple seasons, not only with flowers but also with their leaves and fruit.