20 Shade-Loving Flowering Plants


If you have a shady garden then you have to choose a shade-loving flowering plant for your garden. The shady space of your garden can be decorated with beautiful flowering plants. 

The dark corners of your garden can become bright and colorful with the addition of flowers. Some plants can adjust to the tricky planting situation of a shaded garden. 

Here we are going to discuss with you 20 shade-loving flowering plants. Hope this article helps you a lot in selecting flowering plants for your shaded garden.

1- DEADNETTLE

This is a low-maintenance plant and has a large variety of flowers. This plant produces white, pink, or lavender flowers. The color of the foliage is blue-green, grey-silver and gold. 

If you want to add colors to your garden then you must choose this plant with long-blooming flowers and colorful foliage. This flower can be used for creating a stunning mat in a shady garden. 

Deadnettle can be used in bright shaded areas of your garden. This semi-green perennial can survive easily. You can propagate this plant with stem cuttings easily. 

You can also use the seeds and division methods for the growth of the plants. Too much moisture is not good for this plant so you should avoid overwatering. Well-drained soil is perfect for the healthy hair growth of deadnettle. 

2- FOAMFLOWER

The specialty of this flower is that it can grow in deep shade. That’s why we added this stunning flowering plant to the list of shade-loving plants. This plant has white to pinkish flowers with a dense mound of foliage. 

You can use foam flowers for making the ground cover in your shady garden. Foam flowers spread very quickly and can be grown with ferns, hostas, Solomon seals, and coral bells. 

This plant is perfect for growing from partial shade to full shade. The soil you use for growing foam flowers should be rich in humus and organic material. 

Well-drained and moist soil is perfect to decorate your garden with this extraordinary flower. If you are using rich soil then there is no need for adding fertilizers. This plant likes to grow in cold climates and is not suitable for hot areas.

3- LUNGWORT

For the health and survival of the lungwort plant, you should choose a shady place for it. Direct sunlight is not suitable for this plant.  It means it is perfect for growing in your shady garden without any hesitation. 

Sometimes it happens that you have tall and shady trees so you can also grow such plants under the shade of search trees. You can also grow lungwort along a fence or garden wall. 

You should maintain the frequency of water for growing lungwort. This does not compromise soil moisture. Make sure you are using organically rich, well-drained, and slightly acidic soil for growing lungwort. The best way of propagating lungwort from division.

4- ASTILBE

This is a low-maintenance plant that produces plume-like flowers.  Astilbe is a slow grower but produces bloom for a long time. The best time to plant astilbe is spring or fall. 

The height of this plant can be reached up to 6 inches to 2 feet. A partial shade is perfect for this plant. Make sure you are using loamy and slightly acidic soil. 

The seeds of astilbe plants cannot germinate easily. It is better to use a division method to start this plant. Phosphorus is needed for producing blooms. You can use 5-10-5 or 10-10-10 fertilizer. It is a tough plant and can easily survive in harsh weather.

5- HYDRANGEA

The addition of this flower will enhance the beauty of your garden. This plant has attractive large globes of flowers. This plant grows very quickly and reaches up to 15 feet. 

You can use hydrangeas flowers as a foundation plant in your shady growing area. A sheltered location is perfect for growing hydrangea plants. The flowers look very delicate but in actual hydrangea flowers don’t need much care. 

You should set a frequency for watering these plants. Water hydrangea flowers 3 times a week as this will help in the development of root growth. 

6- FOXGLOVE

This plant is fast-growing but produces flowers in the second season. In the second year, you will see funnel-shaped flowers on the plant. The colors of the flowers can be purple, white, or pink. 

Make sure you are using rich and moist soil for growing foxgloves. The pH of the soil must be 5.5 to 6.5. If you want to prevent your plant from the fungal disease then you should avoid overwatering. The suitable temperature for growing foxglove is between 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. 

7- PRIMROSE

In spring you can make your shady garden colorful with the addition of primrose. Make sure you are using well-drained and rich soil for growing primrose. 

You should maintain the frequency of the water for the development of your plant. The height of this plant can be 3 inches to 4 feet. 

8- IMPATIENS

This plant can produce non-stop flowers from late spring to frost.  Well-drained and rich soil is perfect for impatiens plants. Make sure your plant is receiving regular water.  

You can plant impatiens at the front of the border of your shady garden or yard. You can also grow this plant in containers if you don’t have any growing places. 

The garden beds will become colorful after the addition of these attractive flowers. This is an annual plant and comes in different varieties of colors. The height of this plant can reach 1 to 3 feet.

9- BLEEDING HEART

 Due to the heart-shaped flowers, this plant gets the name bleeding heart. Flowers are found in pink, red, or white colors with fern-like leaves. You are using well-drained and rich soil for growing bleeding hearts. 

This plant needs regular moisture so you should keep a check on the soil. Whenever you see the soil is dry then water your plant. 

An easy way of checking the dryness of the soil with the help of your finger.  This is a shade-loving plant and can grow easily in containers. The height of this plant can reach 6 inches 

10- HELLEBORE

The stunning cup-shaped flowers and evergreen foliage makes perfect for a shady garden. You can see the flowers of this plant from the beginning of December. 

You can decorate the border of your garden with the addition of hellebore. Hellebore can also be grown in containers with a combination of daffodils, trillium, and hosta. The height of this plant can reach 1 to 4 feet.

 11- YELLOW CORYDALIS

If you are looking for a shade-loving perennial then you should select yellow corydalis. This plant prefers locations that receive partial shade. If you plant in full sun then the leaves of yellow corydalis will burn. 

The size of a mature plant is 15 inches. Moist and well-drained soil is perfect for the development of the plant.  The pH of the soil should be 6.5  to 8 inches. You can see the blooms of the plant in spring, summer, and fall. 

You can start this plant from seeds very easily so the seeds are in a moist potting mix and keep the potted seeds at room temperature for 5 to 6 weeks. 

50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit is the perfect temperature for the germination of the seeds. You can transplant young seedlings in the garden. 

12- LAMIUM

You can use Lamium plants for making ground covers in a shady garden. This plant easily adjusts in clay and alkaline soil. This is a cold-resistant plant and its flowers bloom in the summer on the top of the stem. 

With help of this flower, you can easily create a beautiful ground cover for delightful appeal in your garden.

13- BEGONIA

You can use this popular flowering plant to decorate your garden. This flower is perfect for growing in any shady spot but remember begonia plants need regular watering to survive. 

Begonia is a perennial flowering plant that has more than 2000 species. You can grow it as an ornamental plant. 

14-  CALADIUM BICOLOR

This plant produces fancy decorative flowers in shady areas. The flowers and leaves of this plant are ornamentally insignificant and propagated by tubers. Caladium bicolor has arrow-shaped leaves. 

This plant prefers rich and well-drained soil. If you are using fertile acidic soil with the high organic matter then your plant will grow well. Make sure you keep the soil moist, especially on hot days. 

Apply fertilizer regularly throughout the growing season. You can easily grow this plant in a container, raised bed, or garden bed. Caladium bicolor can be damaged by slugs and snails. protect your plant from wind or hail otherwise, it can damage the leaves. 


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15- ABUTILON HYBRIDS

The other name of this plant is flowering maple because of its green maple-like leaves and colorful flowers. The flowers are found in pink, white, yellow, orange, and red colors. 

You can choose a regular variety of this plant for growing in your garden. For indoor gardening, you should choose dwarf varieties. This plant likes to grow in a cold environment. 

16-  HEUCHERA

This plant can easily grow in full sun to shade. It means this plant is also included in our list of shade-loving flowering plants.  Keep the soil moist so that it is for the development of strong roots. 

On hot days, you should provide extra water to your plants. When spring comes, you should apply a thin layer of compost or balanced slow-release granules fertilizer. 

You can easily grow this plant in pots or containers. But when you grow your plants in a container or pot then make sure there are drainage holes at the bottom. Drainage holes are essential as they will not allow water to stand in the soil. The best time for pruning is in spring.

17- BALSAM

This is a low-maintenance ornamental flowering plant that can be used to decorate your garden. The blooms are found in a large variety of colors such as white, red, pink, and purple. 

It prefers to grow in full shade or partial shade. Cup-shaped flowers bloom in the late spring to fall. This plant is a fast grower and you can plant it in spring after the frost. 

For growing balsam plants you should use moist, loamy, and well-drained soil. You can use slow-release flower fertilizer throughout the growing season and you will get all the instructions on the label.

18- TORENIA

Torina is a charming shade-loving flower that has trumpet-shaped blooms. The flowers are found in purple, blue, pink, and yellow. These are very flexible flowers that can easily be planted in gardens or containers; you can also use them for indoor decoration. 

19- MEADOW RUE

The other name of this plant is lavender mist. The adorable meadow rue is a beautiful and low-maintenance plant. You can easily grow it in the shady corners of your garden. 

You will see how the charm and beauty of your garden will enhance after the addition of these delicate flowers.

20- AMETHYST FLOWER

These attractive tropical flowers are one of the shade-loving plants. The color of the flowers is blue. The flowers are found in blue, sky blue, violet, and white. 

You can easily grow it in your containers, garden beds, and hanging baskets. You can also create beautiful flowering borders with these attractive flowers. 

Make dark corners of your garden bright with these attractive flowers. Warm weather is perfect for growing this plant. 

You should avoid overwatering and over-fertilizing as it will result in the low production of flowers. The size of the leaves is about 2 to 4 inches long. Remember flowers are toxic for kids and pets.

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