Hosta
One of the most tried-and-true shade plants, hostas are low-maintenance with hundreds of varieties to choose from. Because the foliage is so diverse in size, shape, and color, mixing and matching hostas is easy to do. Smaller varieties can also form a pretty garden border or fill in space around the base of a tree.
Growing Conditions: Part shade in well-drained soil
Size: Up to 3 feet tall and 8 feet wide
Zones: 3-9
Lungwort
Another shade-loving plant that tolerates dry soil is lungwort (Pulmonaria spp.). These perennials have tough leaves, which can be spotted or solid green. In the spring, lungwort produces bright blue, pink, white, or purple flowers. When used as a groundcover, lungwort helps discourage weeds with its dense growth. Some types deal with dry conditions by going dormant, but they'll be back the following spring.
Growing Conditions: Part to shade in well-drained soil
Size: Up to 12 inches tall
Zones: 2-8 (varies by species)
Bleeding Heart
If you're aiming for a cottage garden quality in the shade, try bleeding heart (Dicentra sp.). Its heart-shaped blooms appear in spring, then the plant will "play dead" once summer comes. No need to worry, it's just resting and will come back next year. Plant bleeding heart with other colorful plants that can take the stage later in the year.
Growing Conditions: Part shade to full shade in well-drained soil
Size: Up to 3 feet tall
Zones: 3-9
Coral Bells
Native to rocky cliff settings where water drains easily, coral bells tolerate dry shade gardens well. Though these perennials do bloom, it's the foliage that really stands out. Varieties like 'Marvelous Marble' grow beautiful, multicolor leaves with a marble-looking surface. Other varieties have leaves that almost look spray-painted while some have deep vein colors.
Growing Conditions: Part shade to full shade in well-drained soil
Size: Up to 3 feet tall
Zones: 3-9
Hardy Ferns
You may think of ferns as plants that you'd find in a rainforest or tropical location. However, plenty of ferns will grow well in dry shade. For example, the Japanese painted fern (Athyrium niponicum, shown here) has beautiful silver and burgundy leaves, while the autumn fern takes on a gorgeous golden red color in fall. Other than the occasional slug, pests tend to leave ferns alone.
Growing Conditions: Part shade to full shade in well-drained soil
Size: Dependent on variety (Japanese painted fern can grow up to 3 feet tall)
Zones: Dependent on variety (Japanese painted fern is hardy in Zones 4-9)
Wild Ginger
IAN ADAMS
Low-growing, heart-shaped foliage makes wild ginger (Asarum spp.) a pretty groundcover for shady gardens. These plants spread slowly to form a dense mat that can keep weeds at bay. Native Western wild ginger (A. caudatum) is one of the most drought-tolerant options, and slugs also tend to leave it alone. Other options such as Canadian wild ginger (A. canadense) and European wild ginger (A. europeaum) may need supplemental watering during hot, dry weather.
Growing Conditions: Part to full shade in well-drained soil
Size: Under 12 inches tall
Zones: 3-9 (varies by species)
Bigroot Geranium
One of the very best perennials for dry shade, bigroot geranium (Geranium macrorrhizum) has deeply lobed leaves that look like snowflakes. The foliage is a bit fuzzy, making it deer and rabbit resistant. In autumn, the leaves turn beautiful shades of reddish-orange. Over time, bigroot geranium will slowly spread to form a dense carpet of foliage over the ground.
Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade in well-drained soil that's rich in organic matter
Size: Up to 18 inches tall
Zones: 3-8
Cushion Spurge
Though cushion spurge (Euphorbia polychroma) is often grown in full sun, it does tolerate shade, especially in hot-summer areas. In spring, cushion spurge produces tiny chartreuse flowers surrounded by showy bracts (much like its relative, the poinsettia, it offers showy pink, red, or white bracts around the little flowers). Once it's finished blooming, count on the mound of gray-green foliage to stay attractive through autumn, when it often turns a reddish color. 'Lacy' (shown here) is a variety with variegated foliage for some added interest.
Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade in dry, well-drained soil
Size: Up to 3 feet tall
Zones: 3-10
Hellebore
Sometimes also called Christmas or Lenten rose because of its early bloom season, hellebore (Helleborus spp.) is one of the toughest shade-loving plants around. With thick, almost leathery leaves, it's easy to see why. Hellebores are evergreen perennials in mild-winter climates; in the coldest places they grow, the foliage usually dies back during the winter. Because all parts of this plant are highly poisonous, it's very resistant to deer and rabbits. Hellebore flowers appear in shades of white, cream, yellow, green, red, and purple, and the blooms can be single or double (such as 'Confetti Cake' shown here).
Growing Conditions: Part shade to full shade in well-drained soil that's rich in organic matter
Size: Up to 3 feet tall
Zones: 4-9
Foamflower
Native to North America, foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia) uses runners to spread quickly to form a dense mat of foliage. In spring, it produces little frothy wands of white or pink flowers. Some varieties also have interesting foliage, such as 'Running Tapestry', which features a purple blotch in the center of the leaves, and 'Susquehanna', which has lobed leaves heavily marked in dark purple.
Growing Conditions: Part shade to full shade in well-drained soil rich in organic matter.
Size: Up to 12 inches tall
Zones: 3-9
Barrenwort
MARTY BALDWIN
Barrenwort (Epimedium spp.) is a low-growing perennial with heart-shaped foliage that can have reddish and/or golden overtones especially when the leaves emerge in spring. In late spring, the plants produce clusters of tiny blooms in shades of yellow, orange, red, pink, purple, and white. Barrenworts are very drought-tolerant, deer- and rabbit-resistant, and look good through spring, summer, and fall. A few types are even evergreen so also add some winter interest.
Growing Conditions: Part shade in well-drained soil
Size: Up to 12 inches tall
Zones: 5-10
Golden Hakone Grass
The graceful, bamboo-like stems of Hakone grass aka Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra) will add a touch of elegance to any shady location. Try planting it along a wall or raised bed where the plant's slender foliage can cascade over the edge. A few varieties offer yellow variegation on the leaves. This slow-growing perennial tolerates dry conditions well, though it prefers consistent moisture.
Growing Conditions: Part to full shade in well-drained soil
Size: Up to 18 inches tall
Zones: 4-9
Lilyturf
When you’re looking to plant a border garden, try growing lilyturf (Liriope spp.) in your landscape. Its clumps of strap-like, dark green leaves will stay true to its color in the summer and winter. Purple flower spikes rise above its leaves in late summer. This grassy ground cover makes an excellent edging for paths or walkways since its tolerant of heat, humidity, and drought.
Growing Conditions: Part shade in well-drained soil
Size: Up to 24 inches tall
Zones: 5-11
Koreanspice Viburnum
When you want a fragrant shrub that doesn’t require a lot of watering (once it's established), count on Koreanspice viburnum (Viburnum carlesii) to beautify your yard as a flowering hedge, border, or foundation plant. The flowers can be pale pink or white, and berries come in shades of blue, red, and even black. Its berries will attract birds to your garden.
Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade in well-drained soil
Size: Up to 6 feet tall and 7 feet wide
Zones: 4-7
Oregon Grape
Known for its colorful flowers and foliage, Oregon grape (Berberis aquifolium) is a blooming evergreen shrub that grows great as a ground cover in rocky woods and coniferous forests. Its bright yellow flowers bloom in the spring and ripen into edible blue-black berries by early fall. You'll marvel at how the hollylike leaves are red-tinted in the spring, mature to dark green by summer, turn to purplish hues in the fall, and develop burgundy-bronze tones by winter.
Growing Conditions: Part shade to full shade in well-drained soil
Size: Up to 6 feet tall and 5 feet wide
Zones: 5-8
Sweet Box
ASHRAFUG JAMAN / GETTY IMAGES
Very fragrant winter flowers make a sweet box (Sarcococca hookeriana) a natural pick for a shady spot in your yard. Whether you want an evergreen hedge or groundcover, sweet box’s resilient evergreen foliage won’t disappoint with its glossy leaves. Make a stunning bouquet at home with its wonderfully fragrant stems.
Growing Conditions: Full shade in well-drained soil
Size: Up to 5 feet tall and 5 feet wide
Zones: 6-8
Japanese Aralia
LAURIE BLACK
A showy evergreen shrub that’s known for its lobed glossy dark green leaves is Japanese aralia (Fatsia japonica). Whether you grow it as a container plant on a shady patio or plant it as a hedge you’ll be drawn to its highly textured foliage. Its small creamy flowers bloom in the fall and are followed by black berries.
Growing Conditions: Part shade to full shade in well-drained soil
Size: Up to 16 feet tall and 16 feet wide
Zones: 8-10
Bottlebrush Buckeye
If you love pretty flowering shrubs, you’re going to love bottlebrush buckeye (Aesculus parviflora). Its mid-summer bloom of white flowers with red anthers is spectacular. Easy to grow as a mass planting in shrub borders or woodland areas, this mounded shrub attracts butterflies. Its impressive show continues in autumn when its foliage turns yellow.
Growing Conditions: Part shade to full shade in well-drained soil
Size: Up to 12 feet tall and 15 feet wide
Zones: 4-8
Japanese Kerria
DENNY SCHROCK
It’s easy to add a shrub border to your yard’s shady area with Japanese kerria (Kerria japonica). Also known as Japanese rose, this old-fashioned shrub is beloved for its arching, bright green stems and petite yellow flowers in early spring. It blooms on previous year’s wood so be sure to prune it in the spring after it flowers.
Growing Conditions: Part shade in well-drained soil
Size: Up to 8 feet tall and 10 feet wide
Zones: 4-9
Hop Tree
DENNY SCHROCK
When you want to plant a large shrub or small tree for a large, informal privacy screen, consider planting a hop tree (Ptelea trifoliata). Also called wafer ash or water ash, the hop tree was named for its seeds which used to be used as a substitute for hops in the making of beer. Its shiny dark green leaves turn greenish yellow in autumn.
Growing Conditions: Part shade to full shade in well-drained soil
Size: Up to 20 feet tall and 20 feet wide
Zones: 4-9