20 Low-Maintenance Perennials For Shade


If you have a garden but most of it is in shade then it is suggested that you should choose plants that like to grow in shade. In this article, we are going to discuss with you 20 low-maintenance perennials for shade. 

Before giving you a detail about the best shade-loving perennial plants, first, we will tell you what shade really means. 

Categories Of Shade

When you are selecting perennial flowers that like to grow in shade you should note how much shade any specific plant likes. 

If you choose a full shade loving plant but place it in light then the foliage will burn and the leaves will curl. There are two categories of shade: partial shade and full shade. 

PARTIAL SHADE

The perennial plants like shade during the mid-hours of the day. Because at that time, the rays of the sun are strongest. So you should choose a perfect location where sunlight is dappled. it is better to grow your perennial plants under the shade of a small tree.

FULL SHADE

The spot that is not receiving any light is called a full shaded area. Under a large tree, you will find full shade to grow perennials. Heavily filtered lighted areas often receive some sunlight. Your perennial plants can easily thrive in such areas.

Low-Maintenance Perennial Plants For Shade And Partial Shade

If you still like to grow low-maintenance perennial plants then you will save your time and money in addition to these beautiful flowers will add beauty to your garden or yard your growing area will look fantastic all season long. 

Here are 20 low-maintenance plants that you can select for growing. 

1- FERN-LEAF BLEEDING HEART (Dicentra exuma)

FERN-LEAF BLEEDING

This plant likes to grow in full shade. You will not face any trouble if you choose to grow this plant as it needs little care. 

The color of the foliage of this plant is blue-green and flowers are found in white, pink, or red color. This plant blooms from April to the first frost of fall. The height of this plant can reach 18 inches. 

2- HYDRANGEAS

HYDRANGEAS

This is a very beautiful flowering plant and it will add extraordinary beauty to your growing area. The height of a mature plant is about 6 to 8 feet. Football-shaped flowers look fantastic in your garden. 

This plant grows well in partial shade. Hydrangeas will be dormant during the Fall and Winter. You will see the leaves in the spring. 

3- HOSTAS

HOSTAS

The ideal little maintenance perennial plant is hostas. You can easily grow it in the shade. This plant is without flowers but has fantastic foliage from spring to fall. 

This plant can play the role of filler in your garden beds. The shared will not affect the color of the foliage so this is a perfect perennial low maintenance plant. 

4- PURPLE CONEFLOWER

PURPLE CONEFLOWER

This plant is native to North America. This plant spreads very quickly and is perfect for large areas. If you have a big garden, you should select this plant to add fantastic color. 

The best time to plant this beautiful flower is early Spring. The germination process of cornflowers will be complete between 3 to 4 weeks but this plant starts producing flowers after two years. So it is better to buy small plants from any local nursery or gardening store. 

5- HARDY BEGONIA (Begonia  grandis)

HARDY BEGONIA

This is a shade-loving perennial flowering plant. The height of this plant can be about 18 to 24 inches.  You will see red or pink blooms from summer to fall. 

The interesting thing about this plant is that it can thrive well in full shade. It means you can easily grow it under the shade of a tall tree. The thick stem of this plant and heart-shaped leaves in the beauty of your growing area.

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6- BARRENWORT (Epimedium spp)

BARRENWORT

This plant is also included in the list of plants that can thrive well in the shade and dry soil. You can easily grow this plant under the shade of a pine tree. 

This plant has elongated and heart-shaped leaves. The color of the blooms is according to the species. The height of this plant is around 12 inches. 

7- BERRY EXCITING CORYDALIS  (Corydalis anthriscifolia ‘Berry Exciting’)

BERRY EXCITING CORYDALIS

This plant has soft, lovely, and lace-like foliage. The tabular flowers have grape- purple color. This is a shade-loving plant and does not like drought, especially in summer. 

8- MOURNING WIDOW PERENNIAL GERANIUM (Geranium phaeum)

8- MOURNING WIDOW PERENNIAL GERANIUM (Geranium phaeum)

This plant is also part of the list of shade-loving perennial plants. This plant has green leaves with brown markings in the center. The color of the flowers is dark maroon-purple. 

You will see blooms from early spring to late summer. This plant can grow up to 2 feet tall and needs little maintenance and making it perfect for growing in your garden.  

9- TOAD LILY (Tricyrtis spp)

TOAD LILY

If we talk about the appearance of this plant it is just like an orchid. This shade-loving plant has different varieties and most have white blooms with speckles of burgundy, pink, or rose. 

The leaves of this plant are beautifully wrapped around the stem. The height of the Toadlily plant depends upon the variety you choose for your garden.

10- CREEPING VERONICA (Veronica umbrosa ‘Georgia)

CREEPING VERONICA

This perennial plant can be a wonderful groundcover in the shading area of your garden. There are many cultivators of this plant but Georgia blue looks very beautiful. 

This culture has bright blue flowers with a white center. These flowers bloom in the late spring. The height of this plant is only 6 inches. 

11- SIBERIAN BUGLOSS (Brunnera macrophylla)

SIBERIAN BUGLOSS (Brunnera macrophylla)

This perennial plant has heart-shaped leaves and the size of the leaves is about 6 inches. The color of the flowers is blue and Siberian bugloss produce flowers from April to May. 

This is a self-sowing plant so when flowers die they form seeds. When spring arrives then new growth of Siberian bugloss starts to grow. At this time you have to prune away the old and dead foliage. 

This plant is perfect for growing in a shady or semi-shady garden. This plant thrives well in partial shade with rich and moist soil. It is not a fast grower that’s why Siberian bugloss is not a fussy plant. 

If you want to make this plant happy then you should add a lot of compost and apply a 2 to 3 inches layer of mulch. Organic mulch plays an important role in the development of Siberian bugloss. 

It can grow 12 to 18 inches tall and 12 to 24 inches wide. This plant can be used for making a ground cover in your shady garden. 

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12- LEOPARD PLANT (Ligularia spp)

LEOPARD PLANT

The leopard plant has yellow flowers with large leaves. This plant starts producing blooms in early August and adds colors to your shady garden. This plant does not thrive well in full sun and strong winds. 

This plant is native to China and Japan. If you provide medium-rich, moist, and slightly acidic soil with partial shade then your plant will be happy. If you are using rich organic soil then there is no need to apply any type of fertilizers. 

If you want to feed your plant then you can apply a thick layer of organic mulch. This plant can grow 3 to 4 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide. Snails and slugs are attracted to the leaves of the leopard plants. 

If you take action on time then your plant will be safe from these little monsters. The propagation of the leopard plant is very easy and you can divide this plant in early spring. 

13- BEAR BREACHES (Acanthus mollis)

BEAR BREACHES

This is a herbaceous perennial plant with beautiful and attractive leaves and flowers. Bear breaches have large leaves that are deeply lobed with tall spikes of hooded flowers. 

The color of the flowers is purple and white. This plant produces flowers from May to July. It is suggested that you should use well-drained and rich soil. This plant likes to grow in full sun to shady areas. 

If you are living in a hot climate then you should choose a shady spot in your garden for this plant. This plant can grow 4 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide. 

14- GREEN AND GOLD (Chrysogonum virginianum)

GREEN AND GOLD (Chrysogonum virginianum)

This plant has 2 inches (5cm) deep green leaves. You will see the star-shaped bright yellow blooms of this plant from late spring to fall. The flowers are just like a golden star as it has five petals with brown stamens. 

A moist and shady spot is perfect for growing Chrysogonum virginianum. Well-drained, moist, and acidic soil is perfect for growing green and gold. This plant is easy to grow and propagate by division. 

This plant can be used for making a ground cover or you can also grow it along a path edge. This plant can grow 6 to 12 inches tall and 12 to 18 inches wide. 

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15- CELANDINE POPPY (Stylophorum diphyllum)

CELANDINE POPPY (Stylophorum diphyllum)

The other name of celandine poppy is wood poppy and it belongs to the Papaveraceae family. The partially shaded area is perfect for this beautiful perennial flowering plant. 

The interesting leaves and bright yellow flowers make this plant perfect for your garden. This plant produces stunning flowers from March to May. The height of this plant can reach up to 24 inches or 61 cm. 

The best way of growing this plant is from seed. Make sure you are using the fresh seeds as they can terminate quickly under suitable conditions. 

Add rich compost to the soil and scattered seeds over the surface of the soil. Keep the soil moist to fasten the germination process of the seeds. 

16- DWARF CHINESE ASTILBE (Astilbe chinensis var. pumila)

DWARF CHINESE ASTILBE

This is low maintenance and shade-loving variety. The extraordinary pink plum-like flowers will add beauty to your garden. You can use this perennial low foliage plant for making the ground cover in your garden. 

The ornamental features of flowers make them attractive and they bloom from mid to late summer. You can easily grow this plant in pots and containers. 

Make sure you are using rich and acidic soil for the healthy growth of this plant. You can apply a thick layer of mulch around the root zone, this will help to retain the moisture in the soil.

17- YELLOW BLEEDING HEART (Corydalis lutea)

YELLOW BLEEDING HEART (Corydalis lutea)

This plant can grow well even in a deep shade that’s why it is added to our list of those plants that can easily grow in shady areas. The cluster of yellow flowers with lacy emerald color foliage blooms from June to frost. 

The interesting thing about the flowers is that they bloom for months, not weeks. That’s why it is one of the longest blooming shade-loving perennial flowering plants. This plant can be used as a ground cover. 

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18- INDIAN PINK (Spigelia marilandica)

INDIAN PINK

This is a perennial plant with glossy green lance-shaped leaves. When summer starts you will see trumpet-shaped flowers on this plant. Deep red flowers have a yellow center with five-pointed stars. 

This plant easily grows from light shade to full shade if you provide rich, moist, and well-drained soil. This is a great choice for beds and borders in your garden.

19- FERNS

FERNS

Ferns spread very quickly and you can use them for covering your fence lines or the base of the buildings. There are different varieties of ferns available. 

You can use them to add more green color to your growing area. When ferns are established, they live for a long time. 

This is different from other plants as they multiply themselves without using seeds or pollen but from spores. Ferns can easily adjust in any environment and grow vigorously.

20- IMPATIENS

IMPAtiens

For warm climates, this plant is considered perennial and in cold areas, they are treated as annuals. The name of this plant is due to this plant exploding out its pods and expelling its seeds. 

This plant has more than 1000 flowering varieties that are found in different shades such as orange,  and lavender. You can use it for making ground covers in shady gardens. This plant can help you to fill empty spaces between other foliage.

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