Best Perennial Plants For Shade

by Paul Ciocoiu · August 3, 2015

A garden which stays in the shade for most of the day doesn’t necessarily mean it has to become a source of frustration for an amateur gardener. The shade is also a proper environment to grow beautiful flowers that can shed light on your garden with distinct shapes, colors and scents. All you need to do is identify those plants that do well in the shade. Below are some of the best perennial plants for shade for a garden full of life and flavor.

We showed in a different article that columbine flowers or aquilegia are often seen in Christian symbolism. A motif of three columbine flowers, which is often found, symbolizes the three Christian virtues: fides, spes, and caritas (faith, hope, and love or charity). It also grows well in the shade and probably hence its symbol of resistant plant, inspiring positive feelings.

Best perennial plants for shade in the garden

Best perennial plants for shade – aquilegia or columbine flowers

Lilyturf is a low-growing evergreen with grass-like, purple-black leaves. Lilac flowers appear in summer, in stark contrast with the overall sober appearance of the plant, and blue-black berries in fall.

Best perennial plants for shade – lilyturf

Hosta is a decorative plant and the long, tapered, glossy leaves are so showy on this shade-lover. A great choice for ground coverage as well as mass planting, it also sports uniquely interesting flower scapes. The blooms themselves aren’t so remarkable — the usual small, airy, pale lavender flowers — but the stems are a pure, ghostly white that stands out nicely in the shade.

Best perennial plants for shade – hosta

They call it the bishop’s miter and is a ground cover plant for a shady border which can cover big portions in a garden. It produces copper-tinted green leaves and crimson flowers.

Best perennial plants for shade – bishop’s miter

It goes by the name of toad lily. This easy-to-grow perennial offers unique flowers that are often compared to orchids. Many are spotted with shades of purple or blue.

Best perennial plants for shade – toad lily

Ajuga is another perennial shade loving plant. It is also an excellent ground cover which is grown mainly for its foliage, but also has pretty flowers. Ajuga produces glossy, dark green leaves and springtime spikes of blue flowers. Select varieties of this shade plant offer dark purple or variegated foliage, or pink or white flowers.

Best perennial plants for shade – ajuga

Bleeding hearts closes this brief list of best perennial plants for shade. In late spring and early summer, it produces pink or white heart-shaped flowers that hang from elegant, arching stems.