Shade Loving Perennials

I love shade gardens. Love them! I lived in the Seattle areas for many years and the climate there is very friendly to shade gardens because of the dense trees and greenery around. There is shade everywhere! I came to really appreciate shade loving perennials when I lived there and definitely miss having a large area for them now that I live in a drier, less tree filled climate. Here are a few of my favorite…

Shade Loving Perennials

• Hosta
• Bleeding Hearts
• Hydrangeas (the big leaf variety especially)
• Astilbe
• Columbine
• Coral Bells
• Lily of the Valley
• Lungwort
• Hellebore

Hosta or Plantain Lily

• Zones 3-9
• Loamy, well drained, slightly acidic soil,
• Do well with morning sun if possible
• 6-48″tall – 10-60″ wide
• Have tall white, purple or pink blossoms in summertime but are known for their thick green leaves
• Colors range from pale yellow to deep blue green
• Over 3000 varieties

Bleeding Hearts or Dicentra

• Zones 3-9
• Moist, well drained, slightly acidic or neutral soil
• 1-3′ tall – 2-3′ wide
• Pink, white, or red blossoms that resemble a heart shape
• Foliage and flowers die off in the heat but the roots will remain alive and come back the next season
• 20 different species

Hydrangeas – Macrophylla

• Zones 6-9 (They don’t bloom as well if they are exposed to harsh winter cold. Some people cover them in the winter to protect them and help them have bigger and better blooms in the spring).
• Well drained soil. Blue booms come from acidic soil and pink from alkaline.
• Do well with some morning sun for better blooms.
• 1-10′ tall by 2’10’ wide depending on the variety
• Pink/Blue blooms. Also some varieties with white, purple and red flowers.
• Lightly prune after blooms are spent but never prune after that.
• Look beautiful in a pot by your front door or planted in a landscape.

Astilbe – False Spirea

• Zones 3-8
• Loamy well drained soil
• Do well in partial sun but can have full shade
• 6-24″ tall by 6-60″ wide
• White, pink, red or purple blooms

Columbine

• Zones 3-8
• Well drained soil
• Shade, partial sun
• 1-3′ tall and wide
• Several different colors
• Do well grown from seed

Coral Bells – Heuchera

• Zones 4-9
• Rich well drained soil
• Do well in sun and shade
• 6-16″ tall by 12-36″ wide
• Coral, red, white or pink flowers
• Known more for their different colors of foliage ranging from blacks and purples to reds to greens

Lily of the Valley

• In depth post HERE
• Zones 3-8
• Loose, fertile, well drained soil
• Partial shade
• 10″ tall by 1-2″ wide. Can be invasive and spread out
• White bell shaped flowers
• Excellent in pots or as ground cover and as bouquets

Lungwort

• Zones 2-8
• Well drained soil but drought resistant once established
• Partial to full shade
• 6-12″ tall by 1-2′ wide
• Blue, pink, purple, red or white flowers

Hellebore

I love hellebore! They are such a beautiful and hardy flower. They grow from January to May and are a great winter and early spring perennial. Hellebores also are loved by bees and pollinators which is great for any garden.

• Zones 3-9
• Moist but well drained soil. They don’t like being soggy but need moisture
• Can do some sun but do best with some shade
• 12-24″ tall and wide
• Pink, white, purple and yellow flowers
• Some varieties have different foliage patterns
• Can be divided or grown from seed

These shade loving perennials should give you a great head start on your shade garden this year. I love perennials so much because they provide years and years of beauty. Now is the perfect time to plant them too!