Shade Tolerant Plants

When it comes to picking plants for your garden, one of the most important factors is how much light the area you want to plant receives. The three categories of light are:

Full Sun (At least 6 hours of direct sun per day)

Part Sun or Part Shade (4-6 hours of direct sun per day)

Full Shade (4 hours or less of direct sun per day)

It’s important to note that sunlight has different levels of intensity, morning sun is generally considered weaker than afternoon sun. An area that receives only morning sun and afternoon shade is considered part sun/shade.

Plants that need full sun will struggle to grow in full shade and a plant that requires full shade will burn in full sun, so it’s important to choose plants that will thrive in the light you receive.

The list below is the more popular shade loving plants we carry; however, the plants listed may not be available at all times.

Annuals

  • Alyssum
  • Begonia (Green Leaf Varieties)
  • Caladium
  • Coleus
  • Fuchsia
  • Impatiens
  • Lobelia
  • Torenia

Perennials and Grasses

  • Acanthus
  • Acorus Grass
  • Ajugas
  • Anenome
  • Artemisia
  • Astilbe
  • Bleeding Hearts
  • Brunnera
  • Carex Grass
  • Columbine
  • Corydalis
  • Dead Nettle
  • Ferns
  • Foxglove
  • Geranium (Perennial Varieties)
  • Hellebore (Lenten Rose)
  • Heuchera (Coral Bells)
  • Heucherella
  • Hosta
  • Larkspur
  • Lily of the Valley
  • Liriope
  • Nepeta
  • Ornamental Fescues (Festuca)
  • Spiderwort
  • St Johns Wort
  • Veronica
  • Vinca

Shrubs

  • Anise
  • Aucuba
  • Azalea
  • Camellia
  • Cast Iron Plant
  • Fatsia
  • Gardenia
  • Hydrangea
  • Leucothoe
  • Podocarpus
  • Rhododendron
  • Summersweet
  • Sweetshrub
  • Yew

Trees

  • Dogwood
  • Japanese Maple
  • Eastern Redbud
  • Japanese Snowbell
  • Magnolia
  • Serviceberry