Shade-Loving Perennials for Your Garden

What I love about shade perennials: Their ability to provide long-term beauty and aesthetic value to darker garden spaces.  Shade perennials are also contributing to a more sustainable, low-maintenance, and worry-free garden. Here are my suggestions for tried plants that are thriving in my shaded part of the garden. 

Ligularia

This attractive perennial thrives in wet and shady environments, so it’s perfect for dark and medium to moist areas (or where you water regularly).  The underside of the leaves is magenta and the blooms are either yellow spikes or sunflower-like. 

Hostas

They tolerate heavy shade, especially the blue-green variety, but grow best in partial shade with some morning sun. The trick to keeping this leafy plant healthy is to keep the soil consistently moist.  Mix different colors and types for the best impressions.

Bleeding Heart

No matter if you choose the pink or white variety, Bleeding Hearts always lightens up shade spots in your garden and butterflies love these perennials. They grow well in half or full shade and well-drained moist soil.

Columbine

This flower performs best in half-shade and brings color to your yard. Hummingbirds are attracted to them too. Columbines don’t need especially moist soil and self-seed. 

Japanese Painted Fern
Attractive with their grey-green, maroon hue leaves 

Contrary to ordinary ferns this plant is not invasive, and it grows in full and partial shade. They love well-drained soil and don’t plant it directly under trees for the plant to flourish.

Heuchera / Coral Bells

Yellow, orange, copper, green, magenta… They like partial shade and medium watering. Remove faded pedals to help new flowers bloom - as you should do it with every blooming flower in your garden.

These are just a few suggestions, but many more plants that don’t mind - and even thrive - in shade areas, such as Salomon´s Seal, Daffodils, Jack Frost Siberian Bugloss, Hydrangeas, Lungwort, Pachysandra, Brunnera, Hellebores, and many more.

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Ligularias - My new Favorite

Ligularias are perennial flowers that blossom in yellow and light orange in summer on bold stems. Its name comes from the Latin word ligula, which means little tongue, referring to the tonguelike shape of the large petal on each of the ray flowers. The plump, large leaves in rosettes are either round or kidney-shaped and are sometimes toothed.

Ligularias do best in partial shade and good, humus-rich garden soil that is kept evenly moist. Since the roots form large clumps, plenty of space should be allowed between plants.
Propagation: By division in spring or from seed.
Uses: Ligularias are great in the back of shady beds, along borders, in bogs, or planted at the edge of water gardens. The plants prefer afternoon shade.


I fell in love with this variety (top photo):

Ligularia dentata Desdemona

It has green leaves up to a foot wide and yellow flowers.

Good to know:
Hardiness: USDA zone 4-8.
Mature size: Height: 3 feet (1 m), Width: 3 feet (1 m).
Flowering period: July and August.
Flowering: Bright yellow-orange flowers on long maroon-purple stems.
Leaf: Large, deep green, kidney shaped leaves with purple undersides.
Growth habit: Clump-forming.
Light: Morning sun and afternoon shade.
Soil: Humus rich, very moist soil.
Feeding: Side dress with compost or manure. Fertilize in spring and again in early summer with a complete organic fertilizer.
Propagation Methods: Sow seed in autumn and place in a cold frame. Seed usually produces same as parent. Divide in spring or after it is done flowering.
Pests and Diseases: Slugs are a nuisance by making holes in the leaves, but with lots of mulch around it and maybe a ring of crushed egg shells you can keep these pest away.

Ligularia 'Dark Beauty' is remarkable with its large, dark foliage, adding a tropical look to shady areas. The clear yellow-orange flowers bring color to the dark side of the garden.