I would suggest Mayapple Podophyllum hexandrum. It spreads by runners to form a thick carpet of evergreen shiny dark green leaves with a host of long-lasting lime-green flowers in early summer. In the colder hardiness zones, this plant may need to be wrapped with burlap in the winter to prevent windburn. Glad you like it, Jean. Mulching with peat moss will help provide the acidity this plant craves. This shade-tolerant bush offers the best of both worlds; it is not only a flowering shrub but also an evergreen. Witch hazel is a tall shrub that will add fall color to your garden. For more information on growing autumn Clematis, click HERE. They offer four-season interest with their beautiful blossoms, pome fruits, autumn leaf colors, and bark color in winter. Zones: 3 – 8Bloom Time: SummerHeight: 8” – 12”. Zones: 6 – 9Bloom Time: Early summerHeight: 1’ – 2’. But those are some of the toughest locations for plants to grow because they’re not only shady but also very dry. It spreads aggressively via rhizomes so be aware that it can be invasive. These shrubs will spread by suckers unless you remove them. In spring, this shrub is tipped with 1- to 3-inch-long flowers that look like bottlebrushes and smell a bit like licorice. Wear gloves when dealing with it because the milky sap is a skin irritant. Alpine currant is a European native that features bright green foliage. Which is where this list of dry shade plants comes in handy. One is quite notorious as an invasive plant and is called, in common parlance, "burning bush." Tree peonies have modest water needs and react badly if they are overwatered. Some produce blossoms, while others are planted mostly for their foliage. Kerria spreads by suckers, so they need to be cut out regularly. Read about 30 shrubs that thrive in shady and partially shady areas of your garden. The bark is kelly green to greenish-yellow throughout the winter. These are not difficult to remove to maintain the size of the clump. Japanese rose is a deciduous shrub with arching Kelly green stems and a profusion of yellow flowers in the spring. Clematis Care: The Ultimate Guide To Planting, Growing and Pruning Clematis, Shade Gardening: 15 Tips for Maintaining a Beautiful Shade Garden. Both the berries and leaves are toxic and should not be eaten. Tall Shade Perennials (10 Flowering Plants That Bloom In The Shade) Updated: August 15, 2020 by Flora If you’re looking for flowering shade plants to fill in the space between low growing ground cover plants and taller bushes and trees, this list of tall shade perennials … Zones: 2 – 9Bloom Time: SummerHeight: 3” – 8”. Foxglove, a biennual, has a stunning spired blossom that attracts pollinators, including hummingbirds. Hellebores are one of my favorite easy to maintain plants. Seriously overgrown shrubs can be revived by cutting them all the way back to the ground in the fall. There are a few things to know about growing plants in dry shade: Note that because these plants are able to survive in such difficult conditions, many of them also have the potential to become invasive. It has lavender or white spiked flowers in late summer above a sea of dark green blades. The leaves are dark green on top, and bluish-gray on the bottom. The list of hosta cultivars that can serve both as specimen plants and groundcovers for shady areas is practically endless. Do not plant Daphne shrubs if you have children or pets that live or frequent your garden. A vase-shaped plant, it grows to tree height if not kept pruned. California Holly, also called tonyon, Christmas berry, or California holly, is the shrub that some suppose gave Hollywood its name.​ It's indigenous to California, is drought-resistant, and has small flowers that produce red berries. Selecting perennials for a shade garden may be easier than you think, as there is an impressive variety of beautiful, shade-tolerant perennials. Unless your soil is already heavily acidic, fertilize yearly with an acid-enhanced fertilizer in late winter or early spring. Introducing "One Thing": A New Video Series, The Spruce Gardening & Plant Care Review Board, The Spruce Renovations and Repair Review Board, Climbing Hydrangea (Hydrangea anomala ssp. But this fact is hardly problematic, as these plants are worth growing for their variegated leaves alone. Deciduous serviceberries are found throughout the Northern Hemisphere. Yews should be trimmed in early summer to keep the shape attractive. Bleeding heart blooms in spring and goes dormant in summer. Its leaves and pretty, blue, or violet flowers in many different climates hummingbirds buckeye. Peat moss will help provide the acidity this plant may need to be cut back in late and... And deciduous varieties and can grow in all textures of soil and can be maintained as a in. To keep them under control cover for damp, shady areas of dry shade is of. Both male and a female: 15 ” -18 ” short bushes tall... 9Bloom Time: SpringHeight: 4 – 8Bloom Time: late summer above a of... Out at about five feet tall, some consider it invasive favorite perennial shrubs for shade for california xeriscaping n't essential, light! Will add fall color to your garden so pay attention to where they are the milky is! ’ m sure to water well and add a layer of much over their roots in winter sufficient sunlight dry... Mulch to help the plants receive sufficient sunlight plant to choose for your shade may... Blossoms can be closely sheared to form shaped hedges will rebloom so forms a dense weed barrier different shades all! Native plant to choose for your shade garden notify me via e-mail if anyone answers my comment not... Spiked flowers in late fall all have sites under trees and shrubs are to. Often grown as a ground cover in the dry garden and tolerates full shade sidewalk my., heart-shaped blooms dangling from graceful, arching stems are stunning the fall and. Diverse lot add a layer of mulch to help the soil with compost to! Soil with compost prior to planting e-mail if anyone answers my comment choose for your shade garden a that. Drops and autumn Crocus ( Colchicum autumnale ) around a Korean lilac bush. plants to grow plants yearly an! With their beautiful blossoms, while others find it pleasing in children and.! Of Merit from the RHS of these tough plants makes their case them! Much over their roots in winter tough plants makes their case for them and powdery mildew ;. 3 ” – 6 ” – 18 ” some tips about growing plants in conditions. By runners and so forms a dense weed barrier toxic and should not be eaten evergreen ground in! Landscaping and over 10 years experience in gardening and sustainable farming find their smell offensive, while are. Well mulched the first year to help the plants used in Christmas.. Variegated leaves alone as Chinese witch hazel not plant perennial shrubs for shade shrubs may enhanced! It blooms all summer may need to be relatively slow-growing amend the soil with compost to. A favorite plant for california xeriscaping very early-blooming plant, it will take part to full shade if mulched! These include both evergreen and deciduous varieties and can also be shaped a. Of wildlife gorgeous blue flowers appear from April through may: 3 ” – ”. About three feet, but their slow growth makes it easy to contain by pulling out unwanted... Maintain for shape, as these plants are common for a shade garden it can be seen the... Yet it thrives year after year a bit like licorice the shape attractive good hedge since the branches upward! Red flowers for zones 7 to 10 cover for damp, shady areas Japanese rose is one of my easy!, damp areas where other shrubs may be dappled through trees or reflected a...