Shade Flowers

Selecting flowers that are not only tolerate, but actually prefer shade will provide season-long color in an easy-to-care-for garden.

There are a number of perennial and annual shade flowers to choose from, giving a pop of color to shady corners, beds or containers.

Perennials

Most of the perennials that prefer shade also prefer rich, moist, well-drained soil, and cool temperatures. Many grow best in partial shade, while some will tolerate deep shade.

Check varieties for intensity of shade preferred to make the best selections for your site.

Among the most popular and colorful shade flowers for the spring to early summer garden are columbines, astilbe, bergenia, bleeding heart, hellebores , Solomon's Seal, Jacob's ladder, and lungworts.

For summer into fall color, choose bugbane, hosta, bellflowers, spotted deadnettle, foxglove and phlox.

Annuals

Many annuals prefer partial shade and moist soil. Wildflowers such as garden phlox, bee balm and purple coneflower are the most popular for spring gardens.

Add an assortment of multicolored impatiens for summer color. Wax begonias, Periwinkle, browalia, lobelia, forget-me-nots, flowering tobacco, fuchsia, pansy, snapdragon, sapphire flowers and black-eyed Susan vine add color to a shady area spring through summer. Wishbone flower and impatiens will tolerate full shade.

White Shade Flowers

Nothing adds more sparkle to a shade bed than white flowers, bringing brightness to the dark. Lily-of-the-valley, coral bells, astilbe, bellflower, dianthus, Shasta daisy and alyssum offer various sizes, shades and textures of greenery as striking backdrops to their white flowers.

Container Flowers

Just as we find shady areas in our landscapes, decorating decks and patios near the house often requires planting shade-tolerant flowers. Overhangs from structures or trees may block sun completely in an area used for entertaining.

Areas outside the front door or along the sides of the house often receive little or no direct sunlight.

Nevertheless, we can make these areas welcoming and inviting by placing shade flowers in beds and containers.

To add color to these locations, containers filled with colorful flowers are easy to create. Fuchsia, begonias, impatiens, bleeding-heart and geraniums are popular container plants that thrive in containers in the shade.

Whatever is providing shade may also limit the amount of rainfall the containers receive. Provide adequate water and drainage, but avoid over-watering, as water will not evaporate as quickly in a shade container as it would in one in full sun.

Providing colorful flowers in a shady area need not be a challenge. There are numerous shade flowers available, blooming at various times and providing numerous colors and textures.

Finding the right combination for specific sites in your landscape requires only a little planning.

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