Shade Tolerant Plants
Popular Picks For Shade Tolerant Plants
There are shade tolerant plants available to accommodate any landscaping need you may have. Many plants actually prefer a nice cool location in your landscaping, far away from sunlight.
To be successful with shade tolerant plants you will need to have a landscaping plan first and then make your selections of what shade tolerant plants you are going to choose based on the environmental conditions in the desired area.
Your landscaping can often fail because a plant is placed somewhere in your yard where it really does not belong. Many people place a plant where there is space rather than properly shopping for a plant that will thrive in the condition offered. Shade tolerant plants are ideal to fill those spots in the yard where other species simply refuse to grow.
Impatiens Flowers
These are commonly referred to as “Busy Lizzy”. These are a happy looking flower that comes in a variety of colors including pink, white, violet, red, purple, coral and yellow. They do well in flower beds or garden containers including the hanging kind. They are one of the prettiest for shade tolerant plants and their blossoms are very long lasting.
Bleeding Hearts
These shade tolerant plants generally reach about three feet in height and spread to about the same width. In late April or the beginning of May, the pink or white flowers begin to appear. The Dutchman's breeches species produces white flowers that look like a pair of pants on a clothesline and the fringed type of foliage. These are a great plant to fill those spots in your flower bed that other plants cannot. The flowers are charming, in a shape of heart where they look like a little drops of blood are dangling at the bottom.
Hosta Plants
The foliage of these intriguing shade tolerant plants can be green, blue or gold and they come in a variety of shapes and sizes. They must be in the shade or their vibrant colors will fade from the sun. These plants need a lot of water, proper drainage and they love fertilizer. They are a plant that will require a bit of protection from garden pests like slugs.
Spotted Dead Nettles
This plant only grows about one foot tall but will triple that in width. It has almost a haunting silvery foliage that produces white blooms. These shade tolerant plants are slightly invasive but do resist deer. They are popular for ground coverage where deer are an issue. The silver foliage is a perfect back drop against bright colored shade tolerant plants.
Vinca Minor Vines
Commonly called the “periwinkle flower”, it stays short and crawls along the ground. The stems root as they grow, wherever they choose to lay and the plant spreads rapidly. The vines produce a bluish-lavender flower in the spring and continues to bloom through summer. These shade tolerant plants are ideal to grow under large trees where grass would suffer due to the lack of sunlight. These are an invasive plant and also deer resistant.
Climbing Hydrangea Vines
This is a flowering type of deciduous vine. They climb fast and hold their place on a wall, sometimes reaching over 50 feet tall. In early summer they produce white flower heads and in the autumn the vines turn a shade of yellow. These shade tolerant plants love fences, arbors and tree but should never be allowed to climb a home with vinyl siding as they can cause a great deal of damage.
Just because you have an area of your yard that doesn't receive sunlight does not mean it has to be vacant of plant life. There are plenty of shade tolerant plants that would love the opportunity to decorate those areas of your yard.