30 Low-Maintenance Shrubs for Shade

Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia)

Mountain laurel 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.

Where soil is not sufficiently acidic, fertilizing with an acid-enhanced fertilizer, like that used for azaleas and rhododendrons, will help mountain laurel thrive.

• USDA Growing Zones: 4 to 9
• Color Varieties: Rose, pink, white; blooms may have purple markings
• Sun Exposure: Prefers part shade, but can tolerate full sun
• Soil Needs: Thrives in cool, rich, acidic soil that is moist but well-drained; does not do well in clay

Japanese Rose (Kerria japonica)

Among deciduous shrubs, Japanese rose is one of the most shade-tolerant shrubs available and will do better than survive in shade. This bush flowers in spring and may bloom multiple times in partial shade. The bark is kelly green to greenish-yellow throughout the winter. 

Seriously overgrown shrubs can be revived by cutting them all the way back to the ground in the fall.

• USDA Growing Zones: 4 to 9
• Color Varieties: Yellow
• Sun Exposure: Partial shade
• Soil Needs: Loamy soil

Climbing Hydrangea (Hydrangea anomala subsp. petiolaris)

As their name suggests, climbing hydrangeas are vines, but they can be trimmed and maintained as if they were shrubs. They tolerate shaded areas, but they tend to yield better flowering displays when exposed to a reasonable amount of sunlight.

Naturally peeling bark on their stems provides winter interest.

• USDA Growing Zones: 4 to 8
• Color Varieties: White, blue, pink, purple
• Sun Exposure: Partial shade
• Soil Needs: Acidic, well-draining

Carol Mackie Daphne (Daphne x Burkwoodii)

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.

Daphnes do not like acidic soil; adding lime can help neutralize soil that is too acidic.

• USDA Growing Zones: 4 to 8
• Color Varieties: White to light pink
• Sun Exposure: Partial sun to partial shade
• Soil Needs: Well-draining and moist soil

Emerald n Gold Euonymus (Euonymus fortunei)

Emerald and Gold euonymus is a 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, the winged spindle tree.

While this is a shrub that grows in shade, lack of sufficient sunlight may rob it of its primary selling point: its fall color.

Euonymus can be a very fast-growing plant; you can control it with hard pruning in the spring.

• USDA Growing Zones: 5 to 8
• Sun Exposure: Partial sun to full sun
• Soil Needs: Moist and well-drained

Hetz Japanese Holly (Ilex crenata)

One of two popular shade-tolerant Japanese hollies, the Hetz holly has smaller leaves than the American and English hollies, giving it the nickname "box-leaved." The berries of this plant are black, unlike the familiar red berries on other hollies.

Like boxwood shrubs Hetz's Japanese holly can be closely sheared to form shaped hedges.

• USDA Growing Zones: 5 to 8
• Color Varieties: White insignificant flowers
• Sun Exposure: Prefers full sun but tolerates shade
• Soil Needs: Well-draining soil; will tolerate clay

Sky Pencil Holly (Ilex crenata)

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. Sky pencil, with its smooth-edged leaves, works well in corners and tight spaces. Its black berries attract a wide range of birds.

Unlike some hollies, this one does not require much pruning, but if you do choose to trim it, do so in winter, when the shrub is dormant.

• USDA Growing Zones: 5 to 8
• Color Varieties: Greenish white and small
• Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
• Soil Needs: Well-drained acidic soil

Canadian Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis)

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 of this plant make terrific hedges.

In the northern end of the hardiness range, hemlocks appreciate a thick layer of much over their roots in winter.

• USDA Growing Zones: 3 to 7
• Color Varieties: Small, non-ornamental, yellow to light green
• Sun Exposure: Partial sun to partial shade
• Soil Needs: Rich, acidic, and moist

Yews (Taxus genus)

Yews are one of the plants used in Christmas traditions. These needled evergreen bushes are valued for their showy, red, berry-like cones and as shrubs that grow in shade. Some people find them boring or overused, but the versatility of these tough plants makes their case for them.

Yews should be trimmed in early summer to keep the shape attractive.

• USDA Growing Zones: 4 to 8
• Sun Exposure: Sun, partial shade, or full shade
• Soil Needs: Well-draining soil

Andromeda (Pieris japonica)

This shade-tolerant bush offers the best of both worlds; it is not only a flowering shrub but also an evergreen. Andromeda shrubs may offer something else, too: fragrant flowers. Some people find their smell offensive, while others find it pleasing.

Feeding is best done with an acid fertilizer, such as that used for azaleas.

• USDA Growing Zones: 5 to 8
• Color Varieties: White
• Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade; flowering is reduced in shady conditions
• Soil Needs: Moist, well-drained soil; prefers slightly acidic soil

African Scurf Pea (Psoralea pinnata)

African scurf pea is a medium-size shrub (you can also train it into a small tree) 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 foliage, which looks something like rosemary, has a fine texture.

The plant can become straggly unless pruned to maintain an attractive shape.

• USDA Growing Zones: 9 to 11
• Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
• Soil Needs: Moist, well-drained

Alder-Leaved Serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia)

Serviceberry trees and shrubs are members of the Rosaceae family, which includes roses and many flowering, fruiting trees and shrubs. Deciduous serviceberries are found throughout the Northern Hemisphere.

Alder-leaved serviceberry has clusters of flowers in spring and produces edible purple-blue fruit. They offer four-season interest with their beautiful blossoms, pome fruits, autumn leaf colors, and bark color in winter.

Alder-leaved serviceberry can be prone to rust and powdery mildew fungus; maintain good air circulation to minimize these problems.

• USDA Growing Zones: 4 to 9
• Color Varieties: White
• Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
• Soil Needs: Moist, but well-drained, soil

Alpine Currant (Ribes alpinum)

Alpine currant is a European native that features bright green foliage. It is often used to create a border or hedge. You will need both male and female plants for this small, dioecious shrub to produce its berries, which are ornamental rather than edible.

These shrubs are easy to maintain for shape, as they can be pruned at any time.

• USDA Growing Zones: 2 to 7
• Color Varieties: Greenish yellow flowers and red berries
• Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
• Soil Needs: Prefers moist well-draining soil but is tolerant of drier conditions

Spotted Laurel (Aucuba japonica)

Aucuba also called spotted laurel, is a rounded evergreen shrub with colorful leaves. If you have both male and female plants it will produce red berries in the fall. Aucuba can grow up to 15 feet tall with glossy elliptical leaves. Tiny spring flowers usually bloom in early spring.

These shrubs should be fertilized once a year as new growth appears, using an acid-based fertilizer.

• USDA Growing Zones: 7 to 9
• Color Varieties: Reddish-purple
• Sun Exposure: Part shade to full shade
• Soil Needs: Moist, organically rich, well-drained soil

Azalea and Rhododendron (Rhododendron)

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. Rhododendrons are often used as foundation plantings but can grow quite large unless regularly pruned.

Unless your soil is already heavily acidic, fertilize yearly with an acid-enhanced fertilizer in late winter or early spring.

• USDA Growing Zones: 4 to 9 depending on the variety
• Color Varieties: White, pink, yellow, purple, red
• Sun Exposure: Partial shade
• Soil Needs: Acidic soil

California Sweetshrub (Calycanthus occidentalis)

California Sweetshrub is a low maintenance shrub that produces a pleasant fragrance that some say resembles that of red wine. This plant is often used to control erosion along creeks and riverbanks. It's also a good choice for areas frequented by deer, as they avoid it.

Pruning is best done by removing old, overgrown stems all the way to ground level, rather than by pruning the tips of branches.

• USDA Growing Zones: 6 to 9
• Color Varieties: Deep red
• Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
• Soil Needs: Moist soil; won't tolerate drought

Camellia (Camellia sinensis)

Camellia is also known as tea plant because its leaves and twigs can be used to make a fragrant tea. But if you are growing it for ornamental purposes, you will be more interested in its glossy foliage, fragrant fall flowers, easy maintenance, and long life.

A slow-growing plant, it needs little if any pruning and only light fertilizing.

• USDA Growing Zones: 7 to 9
• Color Varieties: White or pink
• Sun Exposure: Partial shade
• Soil Needs: Rich, acidic, well drained loam

Canadian Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis)

Canadian Bunchberry is a subshrub that you can use as a ground cover for damp, shady areas. Bunchberry is a relative of the dogwood, and produces blossoms that give it nicknames such as "creeping dogwood" and "bunchberry dogwood."

Bunchberry is an ideal choice for cold, damp areas where other shrubs may struggle to survive. Mulching with peat moss will help provide the acidity this plant craves.

• USDA Growing Zones: 2 to 6
• Color Varieties: White with red berries
• Sun Exposure: Shade
• Soil Needs: Moist, acidic soil

Checkerberry (Gaultheria procumbens)

Checkerberry is also known as American wintergreen. Its leaves can produce a minty scent, and its edible, red berries taste like wintergreen gum. A tiny shrub (often just three inches tall), it can be used as a ground cover in acidic soil.

Prune in winter or early spring, before new growth begins.

• USDA Growing Zones: 3 to 8
• Color Varieties: White or pale pink
• Sun Exposure: Partial shade
• Soil Needs: Low nutrient and good drainage

Chinese Fringe-Flower (Loropetalum)

Chinese fringe-flower is an evergreen shrub also known as Chinese witch hazel. Like witch hazel, it has fringe-like flowers that bloom very early in the spring. Chinese fringe-flower has a spreading form and can grow up to 12 feet in height. Its foliage is usually green, though some varieties feature purple leaves.

Mulch the soil heavily to keep it moist.

• USDA Growing Zones: 7 to 9
• Color Varieties: White, yellow, or red flowers
• Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
• Soil Needs: Rich, acidic, well-drained loam

Coast Leucothoe (Leucothoe axillaris)

Coast Leucothoe produces urn-shaped bunches of small flowers that are similar to those on Pieris japonica; in fact, the two bushes belong to the same family (Ericaceae). This weeping evergreen shrub is native to the U.S. and is often used in place of boxwood for hedges and boundaries.

Before planting, dig in a good amount of peat moss to a depth of 18 inches, which will provide acidity and improve moisture retention.

• USDA Growing Zones: 5 to 9
• Color Varieties: White flowers
• Sun Exposure: Partial to full shade
• Soil Needs: Acidic soil

Common Boxwood (Buxus sempervirens)

You'll recognize Common Boxwood as the evergreen shrub often used for hedges and topiaries.​ A classic plant for formal landscape design, it boasts dense light-green leaves and a compact shape. English boxwood shrubs grow to about three feet, but their slow growth makes it easy to keep them pruned and looking pristine.

• USDA Growing Zones: 5 to 8
• Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
• Soil Needs: Well-drained soil

Common Witch Hazel ( Hamamelis virginiana)

Witch hazel is a tall shrub that will add fall color to your garden. It's a very early-blooming plant, with fragrant flowers appearing as early as mid-March in most locations. A vase-shaped plant, it grows to tree height if not kept pruned.

You can make extracts from the witch hazel shrub to harness the plant's astringent properties.

• USDA Growing Zones: 3 to 8
• Color Varieties: Yellow
• Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade 
• Soil Needs: Well-drained, acidic soil amended with compost

Dwarf Fothergilla (Fothergilla gardenii)

Dwarf fothergilla is a deciduous flowering shrub known for its fluffy flowers in spring and its fall leaf colors. In spring, this shrub is tipped with 1- to 3-inch-long flowers that look like bottlebrushes and smell a bit like licorice. The leaves are dark green on top, and bluish-gray on the bottom.

In the colder hardiness zones, this plant may need to be wrapped with burlap in the winter to prevent windburn.

• USDA Growing Zones: 5 to 8
• Color Varieties: White
• Sun Exposure: Full sun to full shade
• Soil Needs: Moderately moist, well-drained, slightly acidic soil

Red Buckeye (Aesculus pavia)

You can attract hummingbirds with buckeye, also known as the firecracker plant. It will grow in all textures of soil and can be maintained as a shrub or a tree. Red buckeye is especially desirable because of its bright flowers, textured bark, open structure, and appeal to all kinds of wildlife.

Red buckeye can be grown with multiple or single trunks.

• USDA Growing Zones: 4 to 8
• Color Varieties: Orange, Red/Burgundy
• Sun Exposure: Full sun or partial shade (stays more shrub-like in shade)
• Soil Needs: moist, well-drained, rich soil that is slightly alkaline

Red Tip Photinia (Photinia x fraseri)

The red tip photinia is an evergreen shrub that produces young red leaves, while its older leaves are green. If you prefer red leaves, you can simply trim new growth on a regular basis, and the plant will continue to produce new leaves all year long. While red tip photinia typically grows to about 10 feet tall, some cultivars can grow to 20 feet.

It is an excellent low-maintenance shrub for hedges and privacy screens, and can also be shaped as a small specimen tree.

• USDA Growing Zones: 7 to 11
• Color Varieties: White (grown for foliage)
• Sun Exposure: Full sun to partial shade
• Soil Needs: Well-drained, sandy, or loamy

Japanese Skimmia (Skimmia japonica)

Japanese skimmia will produce white flowers and red fruit if you have both a male and a female. It is a broadleaf evergreen with greenish bark, leathery green leaves, bright flowers and berries, and a pleasant fragrance. It grows slowly, topping out at about four feet tall and expanding to about five feet wide.

While pruning isn't essential, a light pruning during the dormant season can keep the plant neat.

• USDA Growing Zones: 6 to 8
• Color Varieties: White flowers, red fruits
• Sun Exposure: Partial shade
• Soil Needs: Moist and rich with a slightly acidic pH

California Holly (Heteromeles arbutifolia)

California holly, also called toyon or Christmas berry, is the shrub that some suppose gave Hollywood its name.​ It's indigenous to California, is drought-resistant, and has small flowers that produce red berries. All these qualities make it a favorite plant for California xeriscaping.

• USDA Growing Zones: 9 to 11
• Color Varieties: White
• Sun Exposure: Full sun to light shade
• Soil Needs: Well-draining soil

Tree Peony (Paeonia suffruticosa)

The tree peony is a deciduous sub-shrub that blooms in mid to late spring. It produces big, beautiful peony flowers in many different shades. Tree peonies are good borders or hedge plants, particularly because their foliage is nearly as attractive as their blooms. This is a different plant from Chinese peony (Paeonia lactiflora), a perennial, although the two share certain traits.

Tree peonies have modest water needs and react badly if they are overwatered.

• USDA Growing Zones: 4 to 8
• Color Varieties: White to pink, red, or purple
• Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
• Soil Needs: Fertile, well draining loam

Arrowwood Viburnum (Viburnum dentatum)

Different species of viburnum can give your garden color in multiple seasons, not only because of their multi-colored flowers but also with their leaves and fruit. The arrowwood type is an excellent choice for shade.

These flowering shrubs bloom with clusters of flowers in spring, and they produce both red fall foliage and blue berries in fall. They can grow up to 10 feet and are equally as wide.

Viburnum shrubs will spread by suckers unless you remove them.

• USDA Growing Zones: 2 to 8
• Color Varieties: White
• Sun Exposure: Full to partial sun
• Soil Needs: Tolerant of many soil types including wet soil