Perennials Forum FAQ
Which perennials do well in shade?
- Jo - I am re-working my landscaping. I am looking for perennials that will do well in shade. Any recommendations?
Kirk - Ferns and foliage plants would make it seem cool and peaceful.
Lisa - Be prepared for very little in the way of blooming things. Astilbe, great lobelia, variegated hostas for part shade. In the deeper shade, bleeding heart, golden wood poppy, green hostas, sweet woodruff, sweet violets, English ivy, ferns (cinnamon, shaggy shield, Christmas, leatherwood).
Robin - Vinca major works wonderfully. I like this much better than the flimsier Vinca minor. They will bloom in either sun or shade but seem to do best in mostly shade. They are also drought-tolerant but do fine when watered also.
Ann - The following list of herbs that can grow in partial shade: angelica, balms, most mints, parsley, sweet cicely, sweet woodruff, Lady's Mantle, and lanium.
Sally - Wild violets do well in partial shade. These flowers are edible.
Ruth Anne - I’m going to suggest Japanese anemones. They'll take shade, are quite hardy, and you can get varieties that bloom spring through fall almost! They have pretty, colombine type leaves, and blooms in shades of whites and pinks! There's also colombine, dicentra, heuchera and more!
Vonda - One of my favorite plants for the shade is hydrangea--if the shade isn't too dark. It blooms all summer in my garden here in the upper South (zone 6). As for annuals for the shade, I love impatients. Native woodland wildflowers are also wonderful. If you love hostas as much as I do, you won't let the snails stop you. There are several methods to get rid of them--crushed eggshells or shredded paper sprinkled around the plant. The variegated hostas are great because they provide interest even when not in bloom, spring to frost, and the white or cream edgings shimmer in the shade like white flowers.
Paula - Only plant the forget-me-not if you are willing to see it come up in a lot of other places as well as your bank. A great low grower is Sweet Violet. It loves shade. Thalictrums are tall, but have lovely columbine-like leaves even after the blooms are finished in June. Of course, I would want some evergreen "bones" on that bank as well, so it will have something going on in winter--rhodies, azaleas, hellebores (which bloom in winter but look great most of the summer, too).
A. Tussing - Ajuga reptans (Bugleweed) blooms for quite a long time here in Ohio... Zone 5. It begins blooming in early May, and doesn't stop until early summer... that's about 5-7 weeks of bloom. This particular groundcover is fabulous for sun or shade.... even in deep shade. The more moisture the plants have, the more aggressive and assertive they will be.
For other long-blooming groundcovers in shade: try Chrysogonum virginianum... Green-Gold. It blooms heavily from April till late June, and sporadically until frost. Bright yellow (even brassy) blooms. A great woodland plant. A few other groundcovers for shade....Galax aphylla, 2' spires of small white flowers in summer... glossy green foliage spring till frost. Then there's Oconee Bells, they like a little bit of sun even though they're considered a woodland plant. 1" white to pink fringed cups in June-July... the foliage will turn red in the fall if planted where they receive a little bit of sun. Phlox divaricata (woodland phlox) and subulata (creeping phlox) will also do quite well in shade. There's always Hedera helix (English ivy) if you're looking for a more formal appearance without much color... also Boston Ivy. Violas (cornuta, odorata) also make a spectacular groundcover for shade.... most are reliably perennial and self sow (not to point of weediness). They bloom for me in an array of gorgeous colors (even black) from mid-spring till late summer, then sometimes in fall. But, give them some shade, or they will stop blooming earlier. Some others to try would be Hepatica sp.... lovely pastels colors with the MOST unique foliage I have ever seen... stays evergreen till fall and through winter. There is also Galium odoratum, Sweet Woodruff, and Tiarella sp.... they both remain evergreen throughout the growing season till fall.
Jeremy/MAzone5 - Lamiums can take a good deal of shade, and the variegated leaves brighten up dark areas. They bloom a ridiculously long time (about 4 months for me) in white, shell pink and dark pink, depending on variety. Vigorous.
Carole OR/z5 - Cymbalaria aequitriloba is a tiny groundcover with purple flowers all summer; it does very well for me in the shade. I also enjoy a small, spreading fern, Blechnum penna-marina.
Brian zn2 - Definitely try the Ligularia's especially The Rocket and Orthello. Do not forget Siberian Iris's. All of the above like it moist. Hosta's have worked well for me but still trying varieties. If you want a treat try some Martagon Lillies. They love shade. Be prepared to let them sulk for a year or even two. Asiatic lilies will be hardy for you and lots will take shade. But again soil must have drainage.
Shadraq - 5 - The ornamental grasses, Calamagrostis 'Karl Foerster' and Miccanthus 'Variegatus' both seem to do fine in partial shade. At work we planted both of these varieties in the woods, and showed no worse for wear. Full shade for ornamental grasses is a problem, I have found no ornamental grasses that will grow in this situation.
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