If you live in an area where the sunshine is short, then this is the right solution for you. Today we will show you a list of a few plants that need shade to bloom and grow.
In this selection of plants in need of shade we will briefly explain everything you need to know about their growth.
Astilbe
Astilbe is a perennial with beautiful, showy flowers atop glossy, fern-like foliage.
Astilbes’ flower clusters vary in size from 6 inches to 2 feet and their height ranges from 6 inches to 5 feet, depending on the variety.
If you have a shady area, try astilbes. They are a great way to add color and texture to a place where other flowers won’t thrive.
They grow best in zones 3 – 8.
Bluebells
Bluebells are unmistakable bell-shaped perennial herbs. They actually spend the majority of their time underground as bulbs, emerging, often in droves, to flower from April onwards.
Bluebells bloom from bulbs in the spring months, and they resemble hyacinths. They have loose flower clusters and narrow leaves on slender green stems. Their bell-shaped blossoms come in shades of beautiful blue, with many appearing more lilac or lavender in hue.
Best grown in zones 3 – 8.
Pulmonaria
Pulmonaria is a very early spring blooming plant with the unfortunate common name of lungwort. While it used to be used medicinally for lung ailments, today it’s known mostly as a perennial flower that will bloom in the early spring before most other flowers. It’s a woodland plant and prefers either a shady location or at least a moist one.
This plant can grow up to 14 inches tall and two feet wide.
Viola
Most of the violas cultivated in gardens are grown as annuals or short-lived perennials. Many will self-seed and give you years of delight. Violas are primarily cool-season bloomers; they are perfect for starting and ending the season in colder climates and for bridging the seasons in warmer zones, where they can remain in bloom throughout the winter.
It can grow in both full sun or a shady location, and it prefers to grow in well-draining soil.
This plant can grow up 6 to 10 inches, with 2 to 3-inch wide flowers.
Best grown in zones 3 through 8.
Aconitum
This herbaceous perennial flower fills a number of garden needs, and it’s one of the few almost true blue flowers. Although it is native to mountainous areas, it is quite heat-tolerant. Aconitum is a tall plant that blooms late in the summer and handles partial shade very well. It gets its common name of monkshood from its resemblance to the cowl on monk’s habits.
Aconitum grow up to a nice size plant, reaching a height of 3 to 5 ft. and spreading to 1 1/2 ft. However, it does take several years to become established. Once established, the plants are very long-lived.
Best grown in Hardiness Zones 4 through 8. In ideal conditions, it has been known to survive down to Zone 2.
Hellebore
Lenten rose (Helleborus x hybridus), a perennial belonging to the buttercup family, is not actually a rose. Its two-part common name refers to the plant’s bloom season (around Lent) and the rose-like shape of its flower buds. Valued for its early blooms of purple, red, yellow, green, blue, lavender, and pink, and its leathery evergreen foliage, Lenten roses contribute good color throughout the growing season.
The flowers—actually sepals, which are similar to petals but longer-lasting—are large (three to four inches in diameter) and hang downward in clusters from thick stems that rise above the foliage. In addition to the color variations, there may be variations in markings, such as margins of a different color, showy freckling, or cool veining. Flowering initially occurs near ground level, below last year’s leaves.
Lamium
Spotted dead nettles are valued as perennial ground covers for the shade that will spread and fill in a patch of ground that might otherwise remain bare. In warm regions and/or in sheltered areas of your yard, they may be evergreen. Elsewhere (and depending on growing conditions), they are more likely to be semi-evergreen, herbaceous plants. Both their flowers and their foliage make an impact in the landscape. Lamium is in the mint family (Lamiaceae), which provides a hint as to its toughness.
Depending on the cultivar, usually 3 to 12 inches tall, with a width two or three times that.
Best grown in zones 4 to 8.
Tiarella
is a wild plant that you can find if you hike the woods of eastern North America. It is not an especially showy specimen, but showier cultivars and other species do exist. Plant developers have paired it with coral bells (Heuchera) to produce foamy bells (Heucherella). Grow this small perennial (about 1 foot x 2 feet) in zones 4 to 9.