How To Use Flowers To Make The Most Of Your Shady Yard

When you’re shopping for shade plants at Gurney’s Seed & Nursery, do a search for shade plants they have quite a selection. Gurney’s Seed & Nursery gives a lot of information about the plant’s needs, for instance whether the plant needs sun or shade. A lot of shade plants will tolerate some sun. Those plants that are flowering require a certain amount of sun to help them produce a good bloom. Look in your yard and see how the sunlight moves across your yard during the day. That will give you an idea where the full shade is and where filtered sun is during different parts of the day. Partial shade is an area that only receives one or two hours of direct sunlight each day. Most of the time it is mottled shade or could be under a deciduous tree. Full shade is an area where it doesn’t get any direct sunlight. This type of shade is it often found under a covered patio on the north side of a building or under a dense evergreen tree. Soil in shade areas can can be either dry or moist. Make sure you choose your plants that you would use in that area accordingly.

Some choices for a moist shady area could be;

Bleeding heart - Dicentra
Zones 3-9

Bugbane - Cimicifuga
Zones 4-8

Coral bells - Heuchera
Zones 4-9

Corydalis
Zone 5 or 6-8

Foam flower - Tiarella
Zones 5-9

Hydrangea
Zone 5 or 6-9

Anemone
Zone 4 or 5-8

Tuberous Begonia
Zones 4-8

Plants that like moist shady areas but not boggy soil are;

Astilbe
Zones 4-9

Caladium - Angel Wing
Zones 8-10

Coleus - Solenostemon

Goat’s Beard - Aruncus dioicus
Zones 3-8

Monkshood
Zones 5-8

Pieris, Lily-of-the-Valley Shrub - Pieris japonica
Evergreen
Zone 6
Partial to full shade

Rhododendron and Azalea
Evergreen or deciduous
Zones 4-6

Dry shade is an area where the soil dries out between waterings or an area where tree roots will take the moisture away from the plant.

Bellflower - Campanula
Zones 4-8

Bishops Hat - Epimetium
Zones 5-8

Creeping Myrtle - Vinca
Zones 4-9

Deadnettle - Lamium
Zones 4-8

Goutweed - Aegopodium
Zones 4-9

Here are some shrubs that like or tolerate shade.

CAMELLIA
Evergreen
Climate zones 4-9

C. japonica.
C. sasanqua.

HINOKI CYPRESS - Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Gracilis’ and ‘Nana Gracilis’
Evergreen
Climate zones 5-6
Full sun or partial shade

JAPANESE AUCUBA - Aucuba japonica
Evergreen
Zone 7
Partial to full shade

LILAC - Syringa
Deciduous
Climate zones vary
Full sun or partial shade

MOUNTAIN LAUREL - Kalmia latifolia
Evergreen
Climate zones 3-7
Partial shade; some sun where summers are cool
This is an East Coast native.