Flowering Perennials That Can Grow in full Shade
Below you will find a list of flowering perennials from our plant database that can grow in full shade. If you click on any of the photos, you will see a Virtual Plant Tag that may contain plant descriptions, usage suggestions and a link to where you can buy that plant.
Blooming perennial plants that flourish in shady areas may do equally well in wet soil, average moisture or dry conditions and can be grown in the grown or in decorative containers, window boxes or hanging baskets. Container gardening, with a mix of annuals, perennials, ornamental grasses and tropicals are very popular because they are quick and easy to grow and look lovely all season.
Many plants with variegated leaves lose the richness of the variegation in the shade. A great example of popular perennials that maintain the bright contrast of greens, blue-greens, whites, yellows, golds and chartreuse on their foliage are the Hostas, also known by the common names of Funkia or Plantain Lily. Hostas have received alot of attention recently and many wonderful Cultivars have been selected; some with ruffled or crested leaves; greater striking color contrasts; wider range of foliage color; narrow, fine-textured leaf shape and increased sun tolerance.
With increased awareness of the value that native perennials add to the natural landscape, this information will help the American gardeners know which plants will flourish best in their landscaping. Lovely native plants with variegated leaves are the Arrow-leaf Ginger (Asarum arifolium), Wild Ginger (A. heterophyllum) and Canadian Ginger, Black Snakeroot or Partridge Berry (Asarum canadense) that form lush colonies in moist settings; Dutchman's Breeches (Dicentra cucullaria) and Bleeding Hearts (Dicentra eximia and hybrids) are great for the natural, woodland garden; White Wood Aster (A. divaricatus) is one of the few asters that will tolerate shade, but flowers lavishly in late summer and Autumn if given morning sun.
As long as they aren't invasive, introduced or non-native perennials add so much to the landscape and would be missed if they weren't included. Garden favorites include: European Wild Ginger, also known as Haselwort, Spikenard and Asarum europaeum; Italian Arums (Arum italicum) have delightful bright colored flowers and abundant stalks of berries in the fall; Japanese Holly Fern (Cyrotomium falcatum) has very glossy holly-like leaves; Japanese Painted Fern (Athyrium nipponicum var. pictum) brighten the shady garden best if they can get some morning sun and several kinds of Lady's Mantle (Alchemilla) will form a thick ground cover in moist areas.
