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Not every part of the garden can be your favourite sunny spot. Whether you have a dwarf tree or another structure casting shade or just some tall plants you would like to fill in around, it is a sure thing there will be spots that are not great for your sun-loving annuals or perennials.
But they do not need to be bare, you can fill in spots with a few shade-loving perennials as well as these annuals. Annuals live for only one season, but they allow you to shake things up and change your planting plan every year so it never gets boring.
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Before choosing your plants, observe your garden at different times of day. How many hours of direct sunlight does it get? Does it only receive shade in the morning and then blazing hot afternoon sun? This is an important thing to assess so you do not put a shade lover in a spot that is really not for them.
Plants That Can Grow In Less Sunlight
Fuchsia
Fuchsias love cool, shady spots so are not great for hot climates. In mild areas, some grow into small shrubs and can survive winter. Others are treated as annuals and are displayed in hanging baskets with their drooping flowers. These long-lasting flowers come in red, pink, white, violet and purple and attract hummingbirds and butterflies.
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Astilbe
No shade garden is complete without astilbe. These tough, long-blooming perennials love moist shade and give you feathery flower heads all summer. Even when not blooming their fern like leaves are pretty. Astilbe flowers come in white, red, pink, orange and violet and bloom late spring to early summer.
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New Guinea Impatiens
These are a must-have for your shade garden with their big beautiful flowers. They do better in containers than in the ground but either way, they add great color to shady spots. You can find them in pink, red, white, orange, lavender and bicolour. Leaves are dark green, green with red veins or cream and green. Easier to buy young plants in spring than to grow from seed.
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Impatiens Walleriana
If you need to brighten up a shady corner impatiens are a good choice. They grow fast so are great for ground cover in hard-to-plant areas under trees. They come in single and double-flowering varieties in white, pink, peach, yellow, orange, lavender and bicolour. They also do well in containers. If downy mildew has been a problem in your garden consider switching to New Guinea impatiens or wax begonias which are resistant to this disease.
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Viola
A border of violas is always a happy sight in a shady garden. These spring bloomers related to pansies seem to smile back at you. They produce a lot of flowers in cool seasons but slow down in summer heat. Violas come in many colors often with bicolor blooms in white, blue, purple, yellow, orange, red or lilac.
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Heartleaf Brunnera
You can not go wrong with heartleaf brunnera for flowers and foliage. Also known as Siberian bugloss this plant has small blue flowers in spring sitting above heart-shaped leaves. It pairs well with spring bulbs like daffodils and tulips. Even after the flowers fade the foliage—sometimes silvery or variegated—keeps brightening up your shady garden.
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Hosta
Hostas are a top choice for shade gardens. Leaves come in many shapes, sizes and colors so you can mix with other shade plants for a great display. Many hostas also produce white or lavender flowers from mid-summer to fall.
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Leopard’s Bane
Leopard’s bane is one of the first perennials to bloom in spring with bright yellow daisy-like flowers. It is a great companion for spring bulbs like scilla, daffodils and tulips. To get a second round of blooms in fall make sure to deadhead.
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Primrose
Primrose is a great way to add whimsy to your shady spots. Some can even handle full sun if you water them well. But most prefer partial shade, they do best with gentle morning light.
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When buying primroses buy them while they are blooming so you know what you are getting. Plant them in a spot with soft morning light and watch your shady garden come alive.
