Shade Plants

Shade Plants

* TOLERATES DRY SHADE

+ TOLERATES ONLY DAPPLED SHADE.  Will not thrive or bloom in medium to heavy shade.

PERENNIALS

+Acanthus

Aconitum – Monkshood

+Alchemilla sp.  – Lady’s Mantle

+Amsonia

+Anemone sp. – fall and spring 

*Aquilegia – Columbine

Aruncus – Goatsbeard 

Asarum – Wild Ginger

Asters, woodland types

+ Astilbe (must have moisture)

+Astrantia

*Begonia grandis (zone 6) 

Bergenia

Brunnera macrophylla – Heartleaf perennial forget-me-not

Caltha palustris – Marsh Marigold (must have moisture)

+Campanula species – Bellflowers

+ Cerastostigma plumbaginoides – Plumbago

Chelone – Turtlehead

Chrysogonum

Cimicifuga – Snakeroot

*Convallaria majalis – Lily of the Valley

*Corydalis lutea – Yellow bleeding heart 

 Cyclamen – hardy varieties (zone 6)

*Cypripedium – Lady’s Slipper

*Dicentra species – Bleeding heart, Dwarf bleeding heart, Dutchman’s Britches

*Digitalis sp. – Foxgloves

*Dodecathon meadia – Shooting Star

*Doronicum pardalianches- Greater Leopardsbane Daisy 

+Echinacea purpurea – Coneflower 

*Epimedium sp.

*+FERNS (many- amount of shade and drought tolerance depends on species)

+Filipendula sp. 

*Galax

 Gentiana

 Geranium sp. – Cranesbill     *G. macrorrhizum takes deepest shade and root competition

*Helleborus sp. – Christmas, Lenten Rose

+Hemerocallis sp. – Daylilies

*Hepatica

*Heuchera – Coral Bells (decorative leaf types such as H. villosa)

*Hostas

+Hypericum sp. – St. Johnswort

+Iris ensata- Japanese iris (must have moisture)

*I. cristata

*Kirengoshoma

*Lamiastrum

*Lamium

Ligularia sp. (must have moisture)

*Liriope muscari – Lilyturf

 Lobelia cardinalis, siphilitica – Cardinal Flower (must have moisture)

*Lunaria annua- Money plant (biennial)

*Mertensia – Virginia Bluebells

+Monarda – Bee Balm (must have moisture)

+Myosotis – Forget Me Nots (biennial)

 Omphalodes verna

*Phlox stolonifera, divaricata

+Physostegia – Obedient Plant

*Podophyllum – Mayapple

 Polemonium sp – Jacob’s Ladder

*Polygonatum– Solomon’s Seal

Primula sp. – Primroses (must have moisture)

*Pulmonaria – Lungwort (must have moisture)

Rodgersia (must have moisture)

*Sanguinaria – Bloodroot

*Smilacina racemosa

*Stylophorum – Celandine Poppy

+Thalictrum sp. – Meadow Rue (must have moisture)

Tiarella – Foamflower (not drought tolerant)

Tradescantia – Spiderwort

*Tricyrtis – Toadlily

*Trillium

 +Trollius – Globeflower (must have moisture)

 Viola – Violets

  

HARDY BULBS

Camassia (tolerates wet feet)

Colchicum – Autumn Crocus

*Eranthus – Winter Aconite

*Erythronium – Trout Lily

+Fritillaria sp.

*Galanthus – Snowdrops

Leucojum – Summer Snowflake

+Muscari – Grape Hyacinths

*Narcissus – Daffodils

Scilla sp. – Squill

  

GROUND COVERS

Ajuga reptans

Asarum – Wild Ginger

*Convallaria – Lily of the Valley

*Epimedium

*Galium odoratum – Sweet Woodruff

*Gaultheria procumbens – Wintergreen

*Geranium macrorrhizum

+Hypericum calycinum – Creeping St. Johnswort

*Lamium  

*Michella repens – Partridge Berry

Mosses

*Pachysandra procumbens (native)

*Phlox stolonifera

  

GRASSES

 Carex (degree of shade tolerance and need for moisture varies by species)

+ Deschampsia cespitosa – Tufted Hair

+ Imperata cylindrica – Japanese Blood Grass

*Liriope

Luzula nivea

  

VINES

+Clematis paniculata – Sweet Autumn Clematis

 Hydrangea petiolaris – Climbing Hydrangea

Parthenocissus quinquefolia – Boston Ivy

SHRUBS

+Abelia

Aucuba japonica (zone 6)

Amelanchier – Shadbush

Azalea sp.

*Buxus – Boxwood

Calycanthus floridus – Carolina Allspice

+Chamaecyparis obtusa – Hinoki Cypress

Cornus sp.

Corylopsis – Winter Hazel

Corylus sp. - Hazels

+ Cotoneaster salicifolia

+ Daphne

Enkianthus

Euonymus sp.

Fothergilla sp.

+Hamamelis – Witch Hazel

Hydrangea sp.

    *(H. arborescens, H. quercifolia)

+Hypericum – St. Johnswort

Ilex sp. – Hollies

Kalmia – Mt. Laurel

+Kerria japonica

Leucothoe sp. (must have moisture)

Mahonia (Zone 6)

+Myrica pennsylvanica – Bayberry

 Pieris – Andromeda

 Rhododendron

 Skimmia japonica (Zone 7)

*Taxus – Yew

Tsuga canadensis – Hemlocks

+Vaccinium – Blueberries (if growing for fruit, must be in full sun)

ANNUALS

+Bacopa

Balsam

Begonias

Browalia americana

Caladium

+Coleus

+Fuchsia (must have moisture)

Impatiens

+Nicotiana

+Torenia

 Violas & Pansies

HERBS

Angelica

Chervil

*Comfrey

 Lemon balm

 Mints

+ Rue

+Salad Burnet

Sweet Cicily

*Wild Ginger

*Wintergreen

In an effort to provide horticultural information, these educational documents are written by Nancy DuBrule-Clemente and are the property of Natureworks Horticultural Services, LLC.  You are granted permission to print/photocopy this educational information free of charge as long as you clearly show that these are Natureworks documents.