A shady corner is often seen as a problem area in a garden, but it needn’t be so. There are masses of gorgeous plants that will thrive in shade. Silver or variegated leaves work really well to brighten a dark spot, as do white or pale flowers, which almost seem to glow in shade. There is a plant for every shady garden and here we share some of our favourites. Included are plants for both dry and moist soils, evergreen perennials to provide interest all year round, as well as deciduous plants that seem to appear from nowhere in spring to brighten the garden with their delicate beauty. Our choices include recommendations from the Gardeners’ World team and familiar faces from across the gardening industry.
Find more ideas for shade planting:
- Plants for spring shade
- Plants for autumn shade
- Five tips for planting in shade
- Planting scheme for a shady border
- More shade-loving plants to try
Stachys officinalis
Chosen by Frances Tophill, Gardeners’ World presenter
Stachys officinalis (wood betony). This is a lovely purple flower that grows in hedgerows or open woodland. Not many shade lovers produce such bright flowers in the summer but this plant will. As well as that it has medicinal properties, for calming and for digestion. It is therefore used a lot in treatment of nervous digestion and anxious tummies. Aside fromt hat it is wonderful for pollinators and beautiful to look at.
Foxgloves
Chosen by Pippa Greenwood, Gardeners’ Question Time presenter and plantswoman
Foxgloves, be they the wild types or any of those with slimmer, strongly downward-facing flowers. I love these because I’ve had them in all my gardens, they add a certain magic, are a serious bee-magnet…and when I was a small child I was often to be found with the individual flowers wedged onto my tiny fingers, making me feel as if I was wearing nail varnish!
Knotted cranesbill
Chosen by Ashley Edwards, Horatio’s Garden head gardener
Knotted cranesbill (Geranium nodosum) is excellent in dry shade, even under mature trees. Pale pink flowers appear throughout summer and will usually give you a second flush if cut back end of July. A plant that needs little, but gives a lot.
Chrysogonum virginianum
Chosen by Chris Beardshaw, garden designer
A curious North American species related to the aster, this chirpy plant is tireless and trouble free in shade. Golden yellow, five petalled composite blooms sparkle over luxuriant, deep green foliage, seemingly relentless in their enthusiasm to last out the summer. Amiable in soil and under larger shrubs, (I have a good colony under potted camellia,) but it blends well with ferns and other shade lovers such as omphalodes, hosta and epimedium.
Persicaria bistorta
Chosen by Kevin Smith, editor
I have lots of the lovely plant in the shady areas of my garden, and its fluffy pink flowers always put on a great show from late spring and on-and-off through the entire summer. Persicaria bistorta is super easy to dig up and divide, and I’ve increased my stock massively over the years having started with just one plant. It enjoys moist soil, so shady damp spots are best.
Thalictrum delavayi
Chosen by Emma Crawforth, horticultural editor
Thalictrum delavayi loves the partial shade at the back of my garden. It produces masses of very pretty mauve flowers on tall stems each summer and tolerates winter cold too, by dying back then sprouting again the following spring.
Geranium phaeum
Chosen by Kay Maguire, reviews editor
One of the first gardens I worked in was a shady plot edged with established trees, and growing in swathes was Geranium phaeum with its moody maroon flowers. It’s prolific with attractive purple flecked leaves and blooms in early summer, but if you cut it back after flowering you’ll get another flush later in the season.
Astrantia
Chosen by Catherine Mansley, digital editor
These starry little flowers suit every planting scheme! I’ve seen them look delightful in cottage-style gardens, prairie plantings and sleek contemporary schemes. Astrantia flowers are loved by bees. They come in a range of shades from deep crimson, through pinks to white. The white varieties grow best in dappled shade, in moist soil. The pink and red types will cope with a little shade but prefer it sunnier.
