If your garden has dim areas that are completely on the shade, plant some flowering shade loving perennials and turn those areas into a beautiful flower garden. Shade perennials will brighten a dark shaded corner of your garden and you can even add life and color to the trunk of a tree that looks dull in your yard.

There are many varieties of shade loving perennials and these can be just simple green leave plants or those that flower as well. Some shade perennials tend to bloom early so for most of the summer, foliage will be the garden mainstay through the season. There are however, some that will bloom until the fall season.

While I am not familiar with all the shade perennials available in the market today, here is a small list of those that I know about. I do have some of these in my garden, not all of them but I have seen all of these at neighbors and friends homes. So, if you have an area in your flower garden that is in full shade, do plant some of these perennials.

Aconitum ‘Cloudy’- Botanical name is Aconitum Cloudy. This shade loving perennial is very pretty and the flowers begin in late summer which is great because it is at that time that most flower gardens need some color. Cloudy has hooded like bi-color blooms in white with strong brushstrokes of blue at the base and the tips of each petal. Why is this perennial named cloudy? Because the blooms do resemble clouds scudding across the sky. The blooms crowd along slender but sturdy stems that point straight up like crowning the dark green foliage.

Cloudy grows up to 24 inches high when in full bloom and up to 18 inches wide. Grows well in zones 5-8 and if you need a deterrent for animals who like to nibble on your plants, then do plant cloudy. It is untouched by deer, rabbits and other pests.

Astilbe ‘Heart and Soul’- Botanical name is Astilbe Heart and Soul. This lovely Heart and Soul Astilbe was developed by Dutch gardener Harrie Verduin. From what I understand, there has never been a lavender-pink Astilbe before that almost looks blue until this one was developed. The lavender and pink blooms are overlaid with a powder blue sheen to make this Astilbe very different than other varieties. Truly beautiful.

Heart and Soul plumes come out all summer long reaching 10 inches long and 5 inches wide. The plant itself reaches 32 inches high and 30 inches wide which is great to cover all those dim dark areas in your flower garden. It grows well in zones 3-8 and tolerates heat and humidity.

Athyrium ‘Ursula’s Red’- Botanical name is Athyrium Nipponicum Ursula’s Red. This perennial is a Japanese Painted Fern and the colors are silver-white and rich wine-red and it has an iridescent look with these magnificent colors. You can plant Ursula’s Red in a container to place in the patio, or better yet, mix it in with other green leave plants for a spectacular look.

Long elegant fronds of gleaming white on top and rich wine-red underneath start to come up in the spring. Somehow, as the season progresses, those red tones begin to populate to the top and the white changes into silver to give you a gorgeous two-toned effect. This Japanese Fern was developed by Ursula Herz of South Carolina. In a mass planting, the texture and color of this hardy fern are spectacular. It grows up to 20 inches tall and up to 2 feet wide and it thrives in zones 4-9.

Bergenia ‘Eden’s Dark Margin’ – Botanical name is Bergenia Eden’s Dark Margin. Bergenia’s common name is ‘Pigsqueak’ because if you hold a leaf just right between your thumb and fingers and rub it hard, it will squeal. I haven’t tried this yet so I don’t know if this is true. Eden’s Dark Margin is ideal as a ground-cover with its year-round maroon foliage. As I understand it, Bergenia’s were usually planted in certain climates like the Pacific Northwest but now you can plant them anywhere.

The foliage is the real thing for this ground-cover as the leaves are big and winter tough. Some other varieties look pretty bad after a cold long winter but Eden’s Dark Margin performs well in rough climates. The blooms come out in 6-8 inch spikes in early spring and are a rich purple-reddish color. The buds can be frost tender but once opened, the flowers are very tough. Eden’s Dark Margin grows to 12 inches high and 12 inches wide. It is recommended that the soil be moist but not wet and it should not be planted in heavy clay or very wet areas. Grows well in zones 3-8.

Brunnera ‘Mr. Morse’- Botanical name is Brunnera Macrophylia Mr. Morse. This Brunnera is beautiful with large heart shaped leaves and many sprays of tiny blooms of white flowers. You can use Mr. Morse as a ground-cover, a border or just to fill bare spots in your flower garden. Mr. Morse was introduced by Chris Ghyselen of Belgium.

The leaves of this Brunnera reach up to 6 inches long and each leaf is patterned in a marbled swirl of green and white for a dramatic look. It blooms in late spring and summer. The blooms are clusters an inch or two across of tiny white flowers and the plant reaches up to 15 inches high and wide. Grows well in zones 3-8 but it is recommended that you give it a heavy mulch during the winter months.

Convallaria ‘Rosea’- Botanical name is Convallaria Majalis Rosea. Soft pink and fragrant bell shaped flowers are the main attraction of this beautiful perennial. The plant itself has broad green foliage and thin flower stalks that bear over a dozen soft pink bells that dangle from its curved stems. It is an early spring bloomer that you can plant on those shady areas such as under a leafless winter shrub, under tall trees, or on bare spots where your ground-cover is not visible yet from its winter rest.

Rosea is just 7 inches tall which makes it a good choice for borders, containers or beds. It grows well in zones 3-7 in just about any type of soil.

Epimedium Pubigerum- Botanical name is Epimedum Pubigerum. This Epimedium is rare and from what I understand, it is an Eastern European and Western Asia species and it is now available here in the states. It has orchid like tri-color blooms that arise along wiry stems that are almost 2 feet long. In the spring, Epimedium starts with heart shaped leaves that are green tinted in purple. When the cooler temperatures arrive in the fall, the leaves turn into a bronze color and remains that way through the winter.

The leaves of this exotic plant are attractive but the flowers are by far more beautiful. The flowers appear in clusters of up to 50 on each stem and are white and rosy pink with a middle layer of solid yellow. Epimedium blooms from mid spring until early summer and when not in bloom, the plant is just about 10 inches high. When in bloom. Epimedium can grow to 2 feet tall. It grows well in zones 5-9 and likes rich, moist acidic soil.

As I mentioned before, I don’t have all the shade loving perennials listed here but have seen them all and these are beautiful. So if you have a shaded area in your garden, go ahead and get some shade loving perennials.

Here are some other flower gardening sites that I found for you to browse. Thanks for visiting Best Flower Gardening!

BBC - Gardening - Gardening Guides - Techniques - Pruning ...
Twitter / @edsalvato/Flower-gardening
Complete flower encyclopedia topics | Reference.com
Garden Plots
Horticulture for the Home: Flower Gardening — NDSU
Page 2: Great Potted Flower Arrangements - ABC News

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