15 Shade-Loving Plants and Flowers That Don't Need Tons of Sun

Hosta (Hosta spp.)

Hostas are the most dependable of all shade-loving plants. The Hosta genus includes dozens of different species and cultivars popular for landscaping. Hostas come in an incredible range of foliage colors, ranging from a nearly pure yellow to a deep blue-green. Sizes are equally diverse, from cultivars with tiny dime-sized leaves to foliage almost the size of elephant ears. These perennials are very easy to propagate by splitting the root clumps.

• Common Name: Hosta, Plantain Lily
• Hardiness Zones: 3a to 9b
• Flower/Leaf Color: Yellow to Blue-green leaves, White, lavender flowers (not usually grown for the flowers)
• Light: Deep to partial shade
• Soil Needs: Good drainage
• Water: Moist soil
• Mature Size: Height: 6 in. - 2 ft. 6 in.; Width: 1 ft. - 3 ft.
• Deer Resistant: No

Lady Fern (Athyrium filix-femina)

Ferns are a diverse group of plants and several are good choices for a shady landscape. Lady fern, Athyrium filix-femina, is one of the best selections. Plant ferns in partial to full shade and keep the soil rich and well-drained. Protect them from the afternoon sun or plant them in a very shady area to keep them green and healthy.

• Common Name: Lady fern
• Hardiness Zones: 5a to 9b
• Flower/Leaf Color: Green leaves
• Light: Deep to partial shade
• Soil Needs: Good drainage
• Water: Moist soil
• Mature Size: 2 to 3 ft. tall, 18 to 24 in. wide
• Deer Resistant: Yes

Bleeding Heart (Lamprocapnos spectabilis)

Bleeding heart (Lamprocapnos spectabilis) and its relatives, Dutchman's breeches (Dicentra cucullaria) and fringed bleeding heart (Dicentra eximia) are excellent perennial flowers for shady gardens in cooler climates. They bloom in the spring and early summer with small heart-shaped flowers clustered along arching stems. Cultivars produced by crossing the common bleeding heart with D. eximia may bloom well into mid-summer.

• Common Name: Asian bleeding heart, Bleeding heart
• Hardiness Zones: 3a to 9b
• Flower/Leaf Color: Pink and white flowers
• Light: Deep to partial shade
• Soil Needs: Alkaline to neutral
• Water: Moist soil, good drainage
• Mature Size: Height: 2 ft. - 3 ft.; Width: 1 ft. - 3 ft.
• Deer Resistant: Yes

Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida)

Flowering dogwoods are small understory trees in the wild, and they make excellent choices for large shrubs or small shade trees in a landscape offering white or pink flowers.

'Cherokee Chief' (Cornus florida 'Cherokee Chief') is a popular cultivar of the flowering dogwood tree. Its lower branches have a horizontal branching pattern with pink blooms, lending interest to any landscape design.

• Common Name: Flowering Dogwood
• Hardiness Zones: 5a to 9b
• Flower/Leaf Color: Pink, white, or green flowers
• Light: Partial shade to full sun
• Soil Needs: Acidic to neutral
• Water: Moist soil, good drainage
• Mature Size: Height: 15 ft. - 25 ft. 0 in.; Width: 15 ft. - 30 ft.
• Deer Resistant: Yes

Canadian Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis)

Canadian or Eastern hemlocks (Tsuga canadensis) are large trees that work well in the shade with proper conditions. Hemlocks are best known as forest trees, but if pruned faithfully they can be maintained at the height you desire to form a dense and attractive privacy hedge. Prolonged drought can kill this tree, so make sure to keep it well-watered during dry seasons.

• Common Name: Canada hemlock, Eastern hemlock, Hemlock spruce
• Hardiness Zones: 3a to 7b
• Flower/Leaf Color: Green
• Light: Deep to partial shade
• Soil Needs: Acidic
• Water: Moist soil, good drainage
• Mature Size: Height: 40 ft. - 70 ft.; Width: 25 ft. - 35 ft.
• Deer Resistant: Yes

Red-Twig Dogwood (Cornus sericea)

Dogwood species with red branches add interest to a shady landscape. These multi-stemmed shrubs produce pretty white blooms in spring, attractive green foliage through summer, and brilliant red stems that provide winter interest.

Shade-tolerant red osier dogwood (Cornus sericea 'Allemans') has white blooms in mid-spring. While it will tolerate shade, you will get more red twig color by giving the plant some full sunlight. Remove about 25% of the stems down to ground level each spring to stimulate new growth.

• Common Name: Redtwig dogwood, American dogwood
• Hardiness Zones: 2a to 7b
• Flower/Leaf Color: White flowers, white/blue fruit, green leaves, red bark
• Light: Partial shade to full sun
• Soil Needs: Alkaline to neutral
• Water: Moist soil, good drainage
• Mature Size: Height: 5 ft. - 9 ft.; Width: 5 ft. - 10 ft.
• Deer Resistant: Yes

Yew (Taxus spp.)

The Taxus genus includes several dozen species of woody coniferous trees and shrubs, ranging from prostrate shrubs to towering trees. Most types used in landscaping are shrubs, all of which do reasonably well in part-shade conditions. The short, flat needles of yews are dark green on top and light green on their undersides, and the new foliage in spring is bright green and soft. Yews are relatively slow-growing and can either be left unpruned or trained into a hedge.

The hybrid cultivars of the Taxus x media group are crosses between Japanese yews and English yews. Taunton yews (Taxus x media 'Tauntonii') are the best yews for regions with severe winters because they are resistant to winter burn. These shrubs grow about 3 to 4 feet tall and have a similar spread. 

• Common Name: Japanese yew, English yew
• Hardiness Zones: 4a to 8b
• Flower/Leaf Color: Green leaves, red berries
• Light: Partial shade to full sun
• Soil Needs: Acidic to neutral
• Water: Moist soil, good drainage
• Mature Size: Height: 4 - 60 ft.; Width: 4 - 20 ft., depending on the variety
• Deer Resistant: Yes

Impatiens (Impatiens walleriana)

Once extremely popular, this flowering mainstay for shady gardens vanished for a time from garden centers due to a widespread fungal problem known as downy mildew. Thanks to the development of varieties that are resistant to this disease, they are back. Almost no other plant blooms as vigorously in shady conditions. If you are planting from seeds, make sure that your varieties are known to be resistant to downy mildew.

• Common Name: Bizzy Lizzy, Common impatiens
• Hardiness Zones: 10a to 11 b, but works as an annual in all zones
• Flower/Leaf Color: Green leaves; Pink, rose, red, lilac, purple, orange, or white flowers
• Light: Deep to partial shade
• Soil Needs: Neutral
• Water: Moist soil, good drainage
• Mature Size: Height: 6 in. - 2 ft.; Width 6 in. - 2 ft.
• Deer Resistant: No

Spotted Dead Nettle (Lamium maculatum)

Spotted dead nettle is a shade-loving perennial groundcover or rock garden plant. Although it blooms in summer, it is typically planted for the medium-green leaves splashed with silvery blotches. Not only does dead nettle love shade but once established, it is also quite drought-tolerant. If bare patches appear in the summer heat, you can crop the plant back to stimulate new growth. This plant does not like wet soil, so don't overwater it.

• Common Name: Dead nettle, Lamium
• Hardiness Zones: 3a to 8b
• Flower/Leaf Color: Green leaves with silver; Purple flowers
• Light: Deep to partial shade
• Soil Needs: Acidic
• Water: Dry to Moist soil, good drainage
• Mature Size: Height: 6 in. - 9 in.; Width: 12 in. - 2 ft.
• Deer Resistant: Yes

Periwinkle or Creeping Myrtle (Vinca minor)

Vinca minor, the perennial plant with the common names of periwinkle or creeping myrtle, is widely used as a ground cover in shady areas where lawn grasses will not work. The vine roots at the nodes as they creep along the ground and spread rapidly to form an attractive mat. Vinca minor puts out bluish-lavender periwinkle flowers in spring and may bloom a bit more here and there during the summer.

• Common Name: Periwinkle, Vinca
• Hardiness Zones: 4a to 9b
• Flower/Leaf Color: Green leaves with silver; Lavender-blue, white flowers
• Light: Partial shade to full sun
• Soil Needs: Neutral
• Water: Dry to Moist soil, good drainage
• Mature Size: Height: 3 in. - 6 in.; Width: 6 in. - 1 ft. 6 in.
• Deer Resistant: Yes

Climbing Hydrangea (Hydrangea anomala ssp. petiolaris)

A versatile vine for shade is climbing hydrangea (Hydrangea anomala ssp. petiolaris), a woody vine that is a strong climber. Individual vines can grow as much as 60 feet long. It blooms from May through July. Give it a sturdy structure, as the plant can become quite heavy.

• Common Name: Climbing hydrangea
• Hardiness Zones: 4a to 8a
• Flower/Leaf Color: Green leaves, white blooms
• Light: Partial shade to full sun
• Soil Needs: Acidic
• Water: Dry to Moist soil, good drainage
• Mature Size: Height: 30-50 ft.; Width 5-6 ft.
• Deer Resistant: No

Trout Lily (Erythronium americanum)

Trout lily (Erythronium americanum) is a good pick for a native-plant shade garden. Trout lily is best planted from corms placed in the ground about 4 inches apart in fall. The foliage will disappear as the weather warms, and it is best planted among other plants that can fill in after trout lily fades.

• Common Name: Trout lily, Adder's tongue
• Hardiness Zones: 3a to 8b
• Flower/Leaf Color: Green leaves, yellow or lavender blooms
• Light: Deep to partial shade
• Soil Needs: Acidic
• Water: Dry to Moist soil, good drainage
• Mature Size: Height: 4 in. - 6 in.; Width: 4 in. - 6 in.
• Deer Resistant: No

Northern Sea Oats (Chasmanthium latifolium)

Most ornamental grasses are sun lovers. One notable type suitable for shade is northern sea oats, a perennial ornamental grass that grows in loose clumps of green foliage. Its name comes from its seed pods, which look like oats. The foliage should be left in place to protect the root crowns over winter, then cut back in spring as new growth begins.

• Common Name: Northern sea oats, Inland sea oats
• Hardiness Zones: 5a to 9b
• Flower/Leaf Color: Green leaves; Green, lavender, or copper oats
• Light: Partial shade
• Soil Needs: Neutral
• Water: Moist to wet soil
• Mature Size: Height: 2 ft. - 5 ft.; Width: 1 ft. - 2 ft. 6 in.
• Deer Resistant: No

Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea)

Foxglove creates color and drama with its upright, architectural manner. This plant is short-lived and biennial in some locations, but foxglove will self-seed so readily that it never needs to be replanted once a patch is established. It has bell-shaped flowers with pink, white, and purple speckles hanging from tall stalks from May through June; it sometimes reblooms later in the season.

• Common Name: Common Foxglove
• Hardiness Zones: 3a to 8b
• Flower/Leaf Color: Green; Strawberry pink, white, or purple flowers
• Light: Partial shade
• Soil Needs: Acidic
• Water: Moist soil, good drainage
• Mature Size: Height: 2 ft. - 5 ft.; Width: 1 ft. - 2 ft. 6 in.
• Deer Resistant: Yes

Fine Fescue Lawn Grasses (Festuca spp.)

Turf lawns typically thrive in full sun, but shady landscapes can still grow fine fescue lawn grass. Any lawn-seed mixture labeled "for shade" should include 80 percent fine fescue, such as hard, chewing, or creeping red fescue seed. An alternative is "turf-type" tall fescue grass. When planting fine fescue seed in a shady area with trees, use soil amendments, such as compost and peat moss, to improve the body of the soil so that it does not dry out quickly.

• Common Name: Fescue grass
• Hardiness Zones: 4a-9b
• Flower/Leaf Color: Green
• Light: Partial shade
• Soil Needs: Acidic to neutral
• Water: Dry to Moist soil, good drainage
• Mature Size: Height: 6 in. - 1 ft.; Width: 6 in. - 1 ft.
• Deer Resistant: Yes