Cardamine douglassii 'Southern Lady'
Item #: 8601
Zones: 6a to 8b, at least
Dormancy: Summer, Fall
Height: 12" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 2.5" pot (7.9 fl. oz/233 ml) ?
Cardamine quinquefolia
Item #: 10148
Zones: 6a to 8b, guessing
Dormancy: Summer, Fall
Height: 6" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Asia Minor, Bulgaria, Caucasus Mountains, Iran, Southern Europe, Turkey
Pot Size: 2.5" pot (7.9 fl. oz/233 ml) ?
Carex appalachica
Item #: 5793
Zones: 4a to 7b, at least
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 6" tall
Culture: Light Shade to Shade
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L) ?
Carex bromoides
Item #: 12439
Zones: 4a to 8b, at least
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 6" tall
Culture: Sun to Shade
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L) ?
Carex divulsa
Item #: 8932
Zones: 4a to 10b
Dormancy:
Height: 15" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Europe
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L) ?
Carex eburnea
Item #: 1602
Zones: 2a to 8b, possibly warmer
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 6" tall
Culture: Sun to Shade
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L) ?
Carex laxiculmis 'Hobb'
Item #: 8383
Zones: 4b to 8b, at least
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 12" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L) ?
Carex morrowii 'Silk Tassel'
Item #: 1197
Zones: 5a to 9b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 12" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Shade
Origin: Japan
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L) ?
Carex oshimensis 'Evercream' PPAF
Item #: 14282
Zones: 5a to 9b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 10" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Japan
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L) ?
Carex oshimensis 'Everest' PP 20,955
Item #: 9271
Zones: 5a to 9b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 10" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Japan
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L) ?
Carex oshimensis 'Evergold'
Item #: 1199
Zones: 5a to 9b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 10" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Japan
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L) ?
Carex oshimensis 'Everillo' PP 21,002
Item #: 9802
Zones: 5a to 9b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 12" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Japan
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L) ?
Carex oshimensis 'Eversheen' PP 25,938
Item #: 10749
Zones: 5a to 9b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 6" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Japan
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L) ?
Carex radiata 'Halifax'
Item #: 10007
Zones: 5a to 8b, at least
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 8" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L) ?
Carex scaposa
Item #: 12591
Zones: 6b to 9b, at least
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 12" tall
Culture: Light Shade
Origin: China, Vietnam
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L) ?
Carex siderosticta 'Banana Boat'
Item #: 6175
Zones: 4a to 8b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 6" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Japan
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L) ?
Carex siderosticta 'Snow Cap'
Item #: 3835
Zones: 4a to 8b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 6" tall
Culture: Light Shade
Origin: China, Japan, Russia
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L) ?
Carex texensis
Item #: 8896
Zones: 5a to 9b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 5" tall
Culture: Sun to Light Shade
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L) ?
Chrysogonum virginianum 'Eco Lacquered Spider'
Item #: 1579
Zones: 5a to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 4" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Shade
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L) ?
Chrysogonum virginianum 'Pierre'
Item #: 5269
Zones: 5a to 8b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 6" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L) ?
Cimicifuga japonica 'Silver Blush'
Item #: 3826
Zones: 5a to 8a, at least
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 30" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: China, Japan, Korea
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L) ?
Cimicifuga racemosa
Item #: 8147
Zones: 3a to 8b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 60" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L) ?
Collinsonia canadensis 'Cumberland'
Item #: 13291
Zones: 5a to 8b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 48" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L) ?
Colocasia fallax
Item #: 2600
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 18" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Shade
Origin: China, Thailand, Vietnam
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L) ?
Colocasia heterochroma 'Dark Shadows'
Item #: 6124
Zones: 8a to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 8" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: China
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L) ?
Colocasia 'Smiley Face'
Item #: 13510
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 36" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: China, Vietnam
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L) ?
Coniogramme emeiensis 'Golden Zebra'
Item #: 6949
Zones: 7b to 9b, at least
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 24" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: China
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L) ?
Coniogramme gracilis
Item #: 4488
Zones: 7b to 9b, at least
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 18" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Shade
Origin: China, Japan, Korea
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L) ?
Coniogramme intermedia 'Shishi'
Item #: 9304
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 24" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: China, Japan
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L) ?
Coniogramme intermedia 'Yoroi Musha'
Item #: 9022
Zones: 7b to 10b, possibly colder
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 36" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Shade
Origin: China, Japan, Korea
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L) ?
Coniogramme japonica
Item #: 4877
Zones: 7b to 9b, at least
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 24" tall
Culture: Light Shade to Shade
Origin: China, Japan, Korea
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L) ?
Convallaria keiskei 'Soft Stripes'
Item #: 14254
Zones: 4a to 7b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 10" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Japan, Mongolia
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L) ?
Coreopsis palustris 'Summer Sunshine'
Item #: 3802
Zones: 6a to 9b, at least
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 30" tall
Culture: Sun to Light Shade
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L) ?
Ctenitis subglandulosa
Item #: 10362
Zones: 7a to 8b, at least
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 12" tall
Culture: Light Shade
Origin: Bhutan, China, India, Malaysia, Philippines
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L) ?
Curcuma longa 'Snowdrift'
Item #: 2296
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter, Spring
Height: 24" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Tropical Asia
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L) ?
Curcuma zedoaria 'Pink Wonder'
Item #: 5679
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter, Spring
Height: 84" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: India
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L) ?
Cyclamen coum 'Maurice Dryden'
Item #: 3319
Zones: 4a to 8b
Dormancy: Summer, Fall
Height: 2" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Europe
Pot Size: 2.5" pot (7.9 fl. oz/233 ml) ?
Cyclamen coum 'Red Robin'
Item #: 14972
Zones: 4a to 8b
Dormancy: Summer, Fall
Height: 2" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Europe
Pot Size: 2.5" pot (7.9 fl. oz/233 ml) ?
Cyclamen hederifolium
Item #: 1281
Zones: 4a to 8b
Dormancy: Spring
Height: 3" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Southern Europe
Pot Size: 2.5" pot (7.9 fl. oz/233 ml) ?
Cyclamen hederifolium Long Leaf Form
Item #: 8161
Zones: 4a to 8b
Dormancy: Spring, Summer
Height: 6" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Southeast Europe
Pot Size: 2.5" pot (7.9 fl. oz/233 ml) ?
Cyclamen hederifolium 'Mini Me'
Item #: 14971
Zones: 4a to 8b
Dormancy: Spring
Height: 1" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Southern Europe
Pot Size: 2.5" pot (7.9 fl. oz/233 ml) ?
Cyclamen hederifolium 'Silver Anniversary'
Item #: 14990
Zones: 4a to 8b
Dormancy: Spring
Height: 3" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Southern Europe
Pot Size: 2.5" pot (7.9 fl. oz/233 ml) ?
Cyclamen hederifolium Silver Leaf Forms
Item #: 6335
Zones: 4a to 8b
Dormancy: Spring, Summer
Height: 3" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Southeast Europe
Pot Size: 2.5" pot (7.9 fl. oz/233 ml) ?
Cyclamen hederifolium 'Silver Tongued Devil'
Item #: 9011
Zones: 4a to 8b
Dormancy: Spring, Summer
Height: 3" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Europe
Pot Size: 2.5" pot (7.9 fl. oz/233 ml) ?
Cypripedium 'Aki'
Item #: 7476
Zones: 4a to 7b, probably colder
Dormancy: Winter, Fall
Height: 18" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L) ?
Cypripedium 'Anna' (Frosch®)
Item #: 619
Zones: 5a to 7b
Dormancy: Winter, Fall
Height: 12" tall
Culture: Light Shade
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L) ?
Cypripedium 'Barry Phillips'
Item #: 12041
Zones: 5a to 7b
Dormancy: Winter, Fall
Height: 18" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L) ?
Cypripedium 'Bernd'
Item #: 4906
Zones: 5b to 7b, guessing
Dormancy: Winter, Fall
Height: 12" tall
Culture: Light Shade
Origin: Asia
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L) ?
Cypripedium 'Bernd Pastel'
Item #: 14969
Zones: 5b to 7b, guessing
Dormancy: Winter, Fall
Height: 12" tall
Culture: Light Shade
Origin: Asia
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L) ?
Cypripedium 'Chauncey' (Frosch®)
Item #: 10040
Zones: 4a to 7b, at least
Dormancy: Winter, Fall
Height: 15" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L) ?
Cypripedium 'Cleo Pinkepank'
Item #: 9787
Zones: 5a to 7b
Dormancy: Winter, Fall
Height: 12" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L) ?
Cypripedium 'Emil' (Frosch®)
Item #: 7477
Zones: 4a to 7b, at least
Dormancy: Winter, Fall
Height: 18" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L) ?
Cypripedium formosanum
Item #: 4923
Zones: 6b to 9b
Dormancy: Winter, Fall
Height: 10" tall
Culture: Light Shade to Shade
Origin: Taiwan
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L) ?
Cypripedium 'Gabriela'
Item #: 4615
Zones: 5a to 7b
Dormancy: Winter, Fall
Height: 18" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L) ?
Cypripedium 'Gisela' (Frosch®)
Item #: 7515
Zones: 4a to 7b, probably colder
Dormancy: Winter, Fall
Height: 15" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L) ?
Cypripedium henryi
Item #: 12669
Zones: 6a to 7b, guessing
Dormancy: Winter, Fall
Height: 18" tall
Culture: Light Shade
Origin: China
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L) ?
Cypripedium 'Inge'
Item #: 8529
Zones: 4a to 7b
Dormancy: Winter, Fall
Height: 16" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L) ?
Cypripedium japonicum
Item #: 2666
Zones: 4a to 7a, at least
Dormancy: Winter, Fall
Height: 10" tall
Culture: Light Shade to Shade
Origin: China, Japan
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L) ?
Cypripedium 'John Haggar'
Item #: 14885
Zones: 5a to 7a
Dormancy: Winter, Fall
Height: 12" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L) ?
Cypripedium kentuckiense
Item #: 8931
Zones: 3a to 8b
Dormancy: Winter, Fall
Height: 18" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L) ?
More Information About Shade Perennials
We have hundreds of the best flowering perennials for shade! If you garden in the partial sun of a dappled woodland garden, or on the north or east side of a building then you need shade loving perennials for your garden. We have a huge selection of shade tolerant flowers and we have sifted through our massive catalog of plants to create this mini-catalog of the best shade loving flowers for your garden.
Below are several top-10 lists of the best perennials for shade to help you find exactly what you need.
Top 10 perennial flowers that grow in shade
In shade gardens, light colored flowers stand out really well. We recommend white perennial flowers for shade, or pale yellow or pink.
- Calanthe - small orchid flowers that like shade
- Cypripedium - ladyslipper orchids are highly sought after partial shade flowers
- Dicentra - bleeding hearts are quintessential shade loving plants
- Edgeworthia - fragrant winter flowering plants for shade
- Epimedium - Fairy wings are colorful shade plants for early spring...both in leaf and flower
- Gloxinia - intensely red summer flowers are some of the best flowers for shade
- Helleborus - long bloom period in winter makes lenten rose one of the best best shade perennials
- Iris - shade iris have smaller blooms than their sun counterparts, but are more intricate in design
- Lycoris - partial shade perennials for a late summer flower show
- Paeonia - woodland peonies produce very large flowers for shaded areas
Top 10 foliage plants that grow in shade
Light colored leaves also work well as shade garden plants, especially when they can stand out against surrounding dark green foliage. We recommend for the woodland garden, shade perennials with colorful silver foliage or shade tolerant plants with yellow foliage
- Acorus - fragrant chartreuse leaves for shade. A medicinal herb too.
- Brunnera - very drought tolerant plants that like shade
- Carex - grass-like plants for shade garden
- Cyclamen - a dwarf shade plant with variegated, heart-shaped leaves
- Farfugium - similar in form to a hosta but with glossier leaves and a fall bloom in the woodland garden
- Ferns - must have perennial plants for shade for texture, form, and color
- Hosta - hand down, the best shade plants
- Polygonatum - these tall shade perennials have an upright habit to balance out clumping plants
- Pulmonaria - silver foliage topped with blue or pink flowers make lungwort one of the best shade plants
- Zingiber - tall shade plants with large tropical leaves with a mild ginger scent
Top 10 shade tolerant plants for texture
When gardening with plants for shade, don't forget about texture either. Shade tolerant ferns offer a very fine texture to balance with the coarse texture of other shade tolerant perennials
- Adiantum - very tough and adaptable ferns for shade with a unique frond shape
- Alocasia - tall shade perennials with large shiny leaves
- Amorphophallus - bizarre tall shade plants with incredible leaf forms and flowers in the woodland garden
- Arisaema - jack-in-the-pulpit produces candy-striped, tall, purple and white flowers for shade
- Athyrium - lady fern features a feather-plume-like textured leaf
- Helleborus - leathery, hand-shaped, leaves on this shade plant
- Hosta - shade perennials that form elegant mounds in the woodland garden
- Onychium - very fine textured fronds on this shade fern
- Polygonatum - tall shade perennials whose leaves look like a staircase
- Zingiber - large, tropical leaves with a mild ginger scent
Top 10 native full shade perennials
When gardening with plants for shade, don't forget about texture either. Shade tolerant ferns offer a very fine texture to balance with the coarse texture of shade tolerant perennials
- Anemonella thalictroides - charming little button-like flowers on these flowering shade perennials
- Chrysogonum - yellow flowers and a groundcover habit for the shade flower garden
- Cimicifuga - tall spiky white flowers for shade garden
- Heuchera - a wide variety of foliage colors, and a mounding habit on these perennial shade plants
- Illicium parviflorum - the chartreuse-leaved forms make very colorful shade plants
- Sanguinaria - lovely white flowers and a long history of medicinal use make bloodroot popular flowering shade plants
- Iris cristata - Intricate and beautiful flowers for the woodland garden
- Onoclea sensibilis - moisture loving ferns for shade
- Cardamine - a spring ephemeral with powder blue perennial shade flowers
- Phlox divaricata - shade loving perennial flowers with light blue blooms in early spring
Top 10 evergreen shade perennials
- Acorus - chartreuse leaves with a pleasant herbal scent make Acorus a great plant for the perennial garden
- Asarum - leathery, heart-shaped leaves that are frequently variegated with silver veins are great woodland garden plants
- Carex - grassy mounds with variegated leaves...better than liriope for the woodland garden
- Danae - a dwarf shrub with orange berries that tolerates dry shade
- Fatsia - large, hand-shaped leaves and cool, white, alien flowers
- Helleborus - leathery, hand-shaped, leaves on this shade plant
- Ophiopogon - black mondo grass looks great growing next to silvery shade plants
- Pulmonaria - fuzzy leaves with wonderful silver variegation
- Ruscus - dwarf shrubs with small pointed leaves and red berries...these are excellent drought tolerant plants for shady areas
- Sarcococca - glossy green leaves with fragrant white flowers for shady areas
You can also narrow down your list of shade tolerant plants by special water needs: Shop for Dry Shade, or Wet Shade flowering plants here. Or you can narrow down your shopping list by plant type: Ferns for Shade, Grasses for Shade
To learn more about the best plants for shade check out our article entitled 'Gardening in the Shade' that describes many cool shade plants and perennial flowers and also take a peek at our short articles: Create a Woodland Garden with Flowers for Shade, and Full shade flowers.
Also, check out our many shady blog posts about shade plants and flowers and woodland gardens.