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20 Best Flowers That Are Made for the Shade
Add a pop of color to even the shadiest garden!
Is your garden mostly shady? Fear not! Even areas that don't get full sunlight can be just as beautiful and colorful as any bright, sunny yard. Many flowers actually love the shade! And when you plant both annuals flowers, which provide color all season long, and perennials plants, which return for many years, you’ll have a garden that’s full of blooms from spring to fall.
Before shopping for shade flowers, watch your garden at various times of day. Full shade is considered 3 or fewer hours of direct sunlight per day. Part shade is about 3 to 6 hours of shade. Then read the plant tags or descriptions so you choose the right flowers for your garden's conditions. And when planting perennials, make sure to choose those that can survive winters in your USDA Hardiness Zone (find yours here).
Don’t forget that even shade plants need to be watered when first planted and during any hot, dry spells. Check pots, window boxes, and hanging baskets daily during hot weather because they tend to dry out more quickly than beds. Also, make sure to fertilize regularly (with any general purpose fertilizer) to prevent nutrients from leaching out and to keep flowers blooming all season. Thanks to these shade flowers, and a few helpful tips, even dark spots in your garden will be blooming with beauty!
Torenia
Hummingbirds can’t resist the purple, white or pink blooms of this trailing annual. Torenia looks amazing draping out of window boxes and hanging baskets, and you won't have to deadhead, or remove faded flowers, to keep it blooming.
Fuchsia
These exotic-looking annuals come in shades of white, hot pink, pale pink and deep purple. Fuchsia is another plant hummingbirds can’t resist, so plant it in a hanging basket and wait for the show as hummers whiz and buzz by you on the way to sip the nectar.
Caladium
Large heart-shaped pink, red, white and green leaves make caladium a real show-stopper in the shade. They grow from tubers, which you can leave in the ground in zones 8 and warmer, and they’ll return next year. But in cool climates, dig up the bulbs after the first frost and save to replant next spring.
Lobelia
Lobelia is an annual with tiny, delicate flowers of pink, purple or white. It looks smashing in mixed containers, draping over the edges. However, it doesn’t like heat, so when nighttime temperatures stay in the 70s, it stops blooming well. Shear it back, and it should rebound when it cools down again in the fall.
Heuchera
Heuchera is another plant grown for its colorful foliage. This perennial grows well in ground or in pots, and it comes in every color from lime green to dark burgundy. Bunnies and deer tend to leave it alone, too.
Nemesia
Nemesia resembles tiny snapdragons and comes in cheery colors including pink, purple, white, orange and sunny yellow. These annuals also prefer cooler temperatures, so give them a light haircut if they’re looking scraggly, and they should perk up for fall. Bonus: The flowers are beautifully fragrant!
Browallia
This heat tolerant annual has pretty star-shaped purple or white flowers. Browallia will bloom all season long, and it’s often used as an alternative to impatiens.
Rex Begonia
This gorgeous begonia with striking leaf shapes and stunning patterns is grown for its foliage, rather than its flowers. The Jurassic series is especially beautiful. Bonus: In fall, you can bring it indoors as a houseplant.
Pulmonaria
The pretty speckled leaves and pink and purple flowers of this perennial shine in late spring. Pulmonaria is super cold-hardy, too, and you’ll enjoy the pretty foliage all season long after the flowers fade.
Brunnera
Heart-shaped leaves dusted with white are topped by delicate bright blue flowers in spring. Brunnera is a must-have perennial for any shade garden with its good looks and cold-hardiness. It’s also deer resistant.
Bleeding Heart
The colorful name of this perennial reflects its pretty heart-shaped white, pink or red flowers. Bleeding heart is deer resistant and does well in most soils, except it doesn’t like heavy clay.
Sweet Alyssum
This low-growing annual has teeny white, pink or purple flowers with a honey scent. Pollinators love it! Sweet alyssum are perfect for baskets, window boxes, or spilling over the edges of containers. It tolerates light frosts, too, so you’ll have blooms well into fall. White Knight is a particularly sturdy variety.
Impatiens
Impatiens are an old favorite for shade because of their long-lived color and fuss-free care. New types such as Beacon are more disease resistant and still come in the saturated colors you love, from pure white to coral and hot pink.
Coleus
Coleus adapts well to sun or shade, where its colorful foliage brightens up dark corners of the garden. This annual is available in colors ranging from chartreuse to dark burgundy.
Foamflower
Fine green leaves and clumps of brushy, foamy-looking flowers appear in spring on this attractive perennial. Bees love it! Plus, it’s evergreen in warmer regions.
Hellebore
These exquisite flowers, also known as Lenten rose, bloom during late winter to early spring, from the time of Lent onwards. These perennials look fragile but are incredibly cold-hardy and deer and rabbit resistant.
Polka Dot Plant
What could be more cheerful than polka dots lighting up the shady corners of your garden? Polka dot plants have green leaves speckled with white, pink or red dots. This annual is not fussy at all and can be brought indoors as a houseplant, too.
Bacopa
Abundant flowers grace the trailing stems of this pretty annual, which comes in bright white, pink, and shades of blue. Bacopa looks great in window boxes, baskets, and mixed containers, and does best in part sun.
Bolivian Begonia
You’re probably familiar with good, old-fashioned wax begonias, which bloom all summer long. But if you’re looking for an eye-catching type, Bolivian Begonia, also known as Begonia boliviensis, has trailing blooms with bright red, creamy white, or orange-red flowers. This annual is stunning in baskets!
Astilbe
Astilbe are hardy perennials with the most beautiful, feathery flowers in spring. Butterflies loves these flowers, but deer and rodents don’t!
Arricca Elin SanSone has written about health and lifestyle topics for Prevention, Country Living, Woman's Day, and more. She’s passionate about gardening, baking, reading, and spending time with the people and dogs she loves.
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