Colorful Plant Combos for Shade Gardens
Bring interest and color to beds ranging from full shade to dappled light with these stunning compositions
Shaded areas of the garden under tree canopies, in side yards and dark corners can be just as colorful and dynamic as full-sun garden beds. If you’re looking for plants to fill a dark spot, take a look at these seven combinations of interesting foliage and vibrant flowers to brighten a border in shade or dappled light.
2. Accent container. Quickly add color to a shaded area by setting a bright container into an all-green planting bed. For this container garden in Chicago, the designer used white-flowering peace lily, pink impatiens and begonias and feathery Sprenger’s asparagus fern to form a shimmering display.
Plant combination:
Light requirement: Partial shade to full shade
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Plant combination:
- Peace lily (Spathiphyllum sp.)
- Impatiens (Impatiens sp.)
- Begonia (Begonia sp.)
- Sprenger’s asparagus fern (Asparagus densiflorus ‘Sprengeri’, zones 9 to 11)
Light requirement: Partial shade to full shade
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3. River of forget-me-nots. Turn a partially shaded side yard into a spring fairyland with drifts of sky-blue woodland forget-me-nots and floaty white blossoms of dwarf fothergilla. Forget-me-nots naturalize freely by self-seeding and will quickly fill areas with part shade to full sun where soil is rich and moist. In more formal gardens where self-seeding is not desired, treat forget-me-nots as annuals — pull them after the spring bloom, before seed heads form.
Plant combination:
Light requirement: Full sun to partial shade
Caution: Woodland forget-me-not is considered invasive in some regions; please check where you live before planting.
Plant combination:
- Woodland forget-me-not (Myosotis sylvatica, zones 3 to 8)
- Dwarf fothergilla (Fothergilla gardenii, zones 5 to 8)
Light requirement: Full sun to partial shade
Caution: Woodland forget-me-not is considered invasive in some regions; please check where you live before planting.
4. Ruby reds. Studding the planting bed like jewels in a sea of green, ruby-colored flowering maple blossoms and wine-red Herbst’s bloodleaf add rich color to this shady border. The flowering maple blooms year-round, attracting hummingbirds with its hanging bell-shaped blooms. Native to Brazil, Herbst’s bloodleaf thrives in warm climates, planted in moist, well-drained soil. In colder regions, grow as an annual or as a houseplant.
Plant combination:
Light requirement: Partial sun to shade
Plant combination:
- Red flowering maple (Abutilon x hybridum ‘Nabob’, zones 9 to 11)
- Herbst’s bloodleaf (Iresine herbstii, zones 10 to 12)
- Coral bells (Heuchera sp., zones 4 to 8)
Light requirement: Partial sun to shade
5. Classic duo. Bordered by a neat boxwood hedge, luxurious pink Endless Summer bigleaf hydrangea and amethyst ‘Visions’ astilbe form a stunning vignette. As bigleaf hydrangeas go, the Endless Summer varieties stand out for their ability to flower on both new and old growth stems, resulting in flowers from spring until fall, and good winter hardiness. Astilbe bloom reliably throughout spring and summer.
Plant combination:
Light requirement: Partial shade
Plant combination:
- Endless Summer bigleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Bailmer’, zones 5 to 9)
- ‘Visions’ astilbe (Astilbe chinensis ‘Visions’, zones 4 to 9)
- ‘Glencoe’ boxwood (Buxus ‘Glencoe’, zones 4 to 9)
Light requirement: Partial shade
6. Purple, silver and lime. This partial shade bed in a Bainbridge Island, Washington, garden relies on foliage first, then blooms to provide color and interest. In the foreground, a silver mound of ‘Jack Frost’ large-leaf brunnera and gold-leafed bleeding heart, right, add brightness and create contrast with the deep burgundy masterwort flower. Budding astilbe and hydrangea will fill in the back layers with pale white, pink and lavender blooms.
Plant combination:
Light requirement: Partial shade
Plant combination:
- Great masterwort (Astrantia major, zones 4 to 7)
- ‘Jack Frost’ large-leaf brunnera (Brunnera macrophylla ‘Jack Frost’, zones 3 to 8)
- Bleeding heart (Lamprocapnos spectabilis ‘Gold Heart’, syn. Dicentra spectabilis ‘Gold Heart’, zones 3 to 9)
- Hydrangea (Hydrangea sp.)
- Astilbe (Astilbe sp.)
Light requirement: Partial shade
7. Bronze and cream. For a more understated planting color palette, take a look at this partially shaded entry near Boston. Pale Bridal Veil astilbe flowers nearly float above a mixed planting of cranesbill geraniums, ‘Caramel’ coral bells, ornamental grasses and others. The rich variety of textures — broad leaves, feathery grasses and sprays of flowers — make this bed particularly dynamic.
Plant combination:
Light requirement: Partial sun to partial shade
- Bridal Veil astilbe (Astilbe x arendsii ‘Bridal Veil’, zones 4 to 9)
- ‘Caramel’ coral bells (Heuchera ‘Caramel’, zones 4 to 8)
- ‘Rozanne’ cranesbill (Geranium ‘Rozanne’, zones 4 to 9)
Light requirement: Partial sun to partial shade
Flowering maple (Abutilon x hybridum (zones 9 to 11)
Other colorful shade-loving plants to consider:
How to Design a Beautiful Shade Garden
Ferns: A Shade Gardener’s Best Friend
Read more garden guides on Houzz
Other colorful shade-loving plants to consider:
- Bergenia (Bergenia spp.)
- Camelia (Camellia japonica, zones 7 to 9)
- Cyclamen (Cyclamen spp.)
- Winter daphne (Daphne odora, zones 7 to 9)
- Lady’s mantle (Alchemilla mollis, zones 3 to 8)
- Spotted henbit (Lamium maculatum, zones 3 to 10)
- Columbine meadow-rue (Thalictrum aquilegifolium, zones 5 to 8)
- Mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia, zones 4 to 9)
- Natal lily (Clivia spp.)
- Pansy (Viola spp., often grown as an annual)
How to Design a Beautiful Shade Garden
Ferns: A Shade Gardener’s Best Friend
Read more garden guides on Houzz
Plant combination:
- ‘Aphrodite’ azalea (Rhododendron ‘Aphrodite’, USDA zones 6 to 10; find your zone)
- Hellebore (Hellebore sp., zones 4 to 9)
- Hosta (Hosta sp., zones 3 to 9)
Water requirement: Regular; keep soil moist for hostas and azaleas.Light requirement: Partial shade; dappled light is optimal.