Shade Gardening
Neil, the owner of ExperTrees has worked in a nursery garden center business for 15 years. One of the most common questions asked from customers that come into the nursery is "What
can be planted in a shady area?" and "What is full shade vs. part shade?"
- Full Shade:
- permanent year round shade from buildings and large evergreens and shade trees. Usually found only in the older residential areas. Grass will not grow well, but ferns will.
- Part Shade:
- At our latitude in summer, even the north side of the house gets some sun. Rising in the far north-east in the morning, sunlight catches the north side and again from the
north-west as it sets. Generally it is best to consider those areas as shady, as the sun is very weak at those times. Plants on the east or west side get at least 6 hours of sun in
the summer, sufficient for plants except the true sun worshippers, Roses do well.
Deciduous Trees which tolerate Shade
- Katsura Tree
- Redbud
- Pagoda Dogwood
- Flowering Dogwood
- Halesia (Silverbell)
- Laburnum
- Magnolia
- Dawn Redwood
- Amur Cork Tree
- Serviceberry
- Yellowwood
- Black Maple
- Striped Maple
- Red Maple
- Sugar Maple
- Yellow Birch
- Blue Beech
- Fringe Tree
- American Beech
- White Ash
- Ironwood
- Red Oak
- Basswood
Evergreen Trees which tolerate Shade
- Weeping False Cypress
- False Cypress
- Austrian Pine
- Scot's Pine
- White Pine
- Douglas Fir
- Hemlock
- Balsam Fir
- White Spruce
Deciduous Shrubs which tolerate Shade
- Japanese Maple
- Bottlebrush Buckeye
- Carolina Allspice
- Dogwoods
- Corkscrew Hazel
- Cotoneaster
- Flowering Currant
- Elder
- Deutzia
- Burning Bush
- Witch Hazel
- Annabelle Hydrangea
- Hydrangea
- Winterberry
- Kerria
- Honeysuckle
- Bayberry
- Tree Peony
- Mock Orange
- Potentilla
- Flowering Almond
- Manchu Cherry
- Lilac
- Viburnum
- Serviceberry
- Snowberry
- Coralberry
- Fothergilla
- Summersweet
- Sweetspire
- Spicebush
- Flowering Raspberry
- Blueberry
Evergreen Shrubs that tolerate Shade (needled and broadleaf)
- Boxwood
- Dwarf False Cypress
- Daphne
- Euonymus (some var.)
- Holly
- Japanese Garden Juniper
- Savin Juniper and cultivars
- Blue Rug Juniper
- Mountbatten Juniper
- Skyrocket Juniper
- Spartan Juniper
- Mountain Laurel (Kalmia)
- Leucothoe
- Oregon Grape Holly
- Alberta Spruce
- Dwarf Serbian Spruce
- Mugho Pine
- Firethorn
- Rhododendron and Azalea
- Yew
- Dwarf Hemlock
- Cedar
- Pieris
Perennials which tolerate Shade
- Anchusa
- Japanese Anemone
- Astilbe
- Bergenia
- Brunnera
- Marsh Marigold
- Carpathian Harebell
- Napata
- Chives
- Chrysanthemum
- Painted Daisy
- Shasta Daisy
- Feverfew
- Cimicifuga
- Bleeding Heart
- Gas Plant
- Purple Coneflower
- Globe Thistle
- Garlic Chives
- Perennial Geranium
- Christmas Rose
- Daylily
- Coral Bell
- Hostas
- Siberian Iris
- Cardinal Flower
- Lupin
- Creeping Jenny
- Gooseneck Loosestrife
- Yellow Loosestrife
- Purple Loosestrife
- Virginia Bluebell
- Monarda (Bergamot)
- Peony
- Oriental Poppy
- Balloon Flower
- Solomon's Seal
- Primrose
- Gold Moss
- Meadowrue
- Spiderwort
- Trillium
- Trollius
- Viola
- Saxifrage
- Aconitum
- Columbine
- Arabis
- Goatsbeard
- Foxglove
- Leopard's Bane
- Filipendula
- Geum
- Macleaya
- Tall Phlox
- Obedient Plant
- Jacob's Ladder
- Bethlehem Sage
- Veronica
Perennial Groundcovers which tolerate Shade
- Ajuga
- Goutweed
- Crown Vetch
- Cotoneaster
- Epimedium
- English Ivy
- Hall's Honeysuckle
- Virginia Creeper
- Pachysandra
- Creeping Potentilla
- Periwinkle
- Ferns
- Many ornamental grasses
- Lily-of-the-Valley
Annuals which tolerate Shade
- Fibrous and Tuberous Begonia
- Browallia
- Caladium
- Clarkia / Godetia
- Coleus
- Sweet William
- Snow-on-the-Mountain
- Fuschia
- Impatiens
- Iresine
- Mimuls
- Bells-of-Ireland
- Nicotiana
- Martha Washington Geranium
- Schizanthus (Butterfly Flower)
- Black Eyed Susan Vine
- Torenia (Wishbone Flower)
- Pansies
- Forget-me-Not
- Nierembergia
- Salvia
Vines which tolerate Shade
- Bittersweet
- Euonymus
- English Ivy
- Climbing Hydrangea
- Climbing Honeysuckle
- Virginia Creeper
- Biston Ivy
- Clematis (some varieties)
- Dutchman's Pipe
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