Many gardens have shady areas, where sun-loving plants won’t thrive. The good news is that there are plenty of plants that can tolerate or even prefer a shaded position.


The most important thing is to understand the type of shade that you have – there are various kinds. Light shade means slight shade for all or most of the day; partial shade means plants are in sun for some of the day; dappled shade is blotchy shade created when the sun filters through overhead foliage. Plus, the soil in your shady spot could be damp or dry. All of these factors will determine what plants you can grow.

More advice on gardening in shade:

Save £17 on flowering shrubs for shade A specially selected collection of beautiful evergreen, flowering shrubs to bring interest to shady areas of the garden in late-winter and early-spring. Collection consists one each of Camellia sasanqua ‘Winter’s Snowman’, Loropetalum chinense ‘Fire Dance’ and Daphne odora ‘Marianni’. Buy shrubs for shade now

When choosing plants for shade, remember that too many dark greens can make a shady area look gloomy. Instead, use them for background structure and texture, then bring the area alive by making use of pale, pastel colours. White, cream, pale yellow, lilac, light mauve and pale pink show up best. Add variegated plants for splashes of cream, yellow and white.

We recommend 20 of the best plants for shade, below.

1 Stinking iris, Iris foetidissima

Stinking iris thrives in full shade, particularly beneath trees. It has architectural evergreen foliage and dull purple-green flowers, but it comes into its own in autumn when its large seedpods split open to reveal rows of orange-red seeds that remain well into winter. The Royal Horticultural Society has given it the prestigious Award of Garden Merit (AGM).

Height x Spread: 75cm x 45cm

2 Wood spurge, Euphorbia amygdaloides var. robbiae

There are many varieties of spurge, but Euphorbia amygdaloides var. robbiae is one of the lovliest. From late spring it bears lime-green flowers above dark green leaves. Perfect for dry shade, it works well beneath trees and woodland borders. Left unchecked it can become invasive. The Royal Horticultural Society has given it its prestigious Award of Garden Merit (AGM).

H x S: 70cm x 1m

3 Snowdrop, Galanthus nivalis

The snowdrop, Galanthus nivalis, flowers at the end of winter, often pushing up through frozen ground and blooming for weeks until the daffodils appear. It thrives in full shade, particularly in heavy, moist soils. The Royal Horticultural Society has given it its prestigious Award of Garden Merit (AGM).

H x S: 15cm x 8cm

4 Winter aconites, Eranthis hyemalis

Aconites grow into clumps, eventually bearing masses of bright yellow flowers in late January and February. They thrive in damp shade so are perfect for growing in a damp, shay border or woodland garden. The Royal Horticultural Society has given it its prestigious Award of Garden Merit (AGM).

H x S: 10cm x 5cm

5 Bellflower, Campanula

There are many varieties of bellflower, most of which thrive in shade. Campanula lactiflora (pictured) bears pretty clusters of purple-blue bell-shaped flowers, above heart-shaped green leaves, from summer to autumn. It’s perfect for growing toward the back of a border and works well in traditional or cottage garden planting schemes. Like all bellflowers, its blooms are a magnet for bees and other pollinators.

H x S: 80cm x 60cm

6 Foxglove, Digitalis purpurea

Our native foxglove, Digitalis purpurea, is a woodland plant that thrives in dappled or partial shade. There are many cultivars and varieties that flower in different colours and have different shaped blooms. Most thrive in partial shade but some require more sun.

H x S: 1.5m x 45cm

7 Granny’s bonnet, Aquilegia

Aquilegias are a charming, old-fashioned cottage garden plant with bonnet-shaped flowers, perfect for growing in partial shade. Aquilegia flabellata (pictured) is a dwarf columbine, bearing blue nodding flowers over a compact mound of waxy grey-green foliage. The Royal Horticultural Society has given it its prestigious Award of Garden Merit (AGM).

H x S: 30cm x 15cm

8 Bleeding heart, Lamprocapnos spectabilis

Bleeding heart, Lamprocapnos spectabilis, bears pink-red, heart-shaped flowers with white tips, which hang from arching flower stems in late spring to early summer. It grows well in light, damp shade and looks good growing in clumps amongst shrubs. The Royal Horticultural Society has given it its prestigious Award of Garden Merit (AGM).

H x S: 60cm x 45cm

9 Lungwort, Pulmonaria

Lungwort, Pulmonaria, is named after its mottled leaves, which are supposed to resemble lungs. Different varieties produce different leaf markings, which look their best in mid spring when putting on fresh growth after flowering. They make excellent groundcover plants, especially for shady borders. Funnel-shaped flowers are borne in shades of blue, violet, pink, purple, red and white.

H x S: 50cm x 50cm

10 Siberian bugloss, Brunnera macrophylla

Brunnera macrophylla is the perfect plant for shady gardens. With mid-green, heart-shaped foliage and forget-me-not like blooms forming on tall stems, it’s great for edging paths and mixing with other shade-tolerant plants, particularly in woodland borders.

H x S: 45cm x 45cm

11 Lords and ladies, Arum maculatum

A native woodland perennial, Lords-and-Ladies, Arum maculatum, is perfect for growing beneath trees and shrubs, which suck moisture from the soil. It bears unusual spring flowers, followed by dense clusters of dark red berries.

H x S: 45cm x 45cm

12 Cranesbill geraniums

There are many types of cranesbill geranium, many of which thrive in shade. Dusky cranesbill, Geranium phaem (pictured) is particularly shade tolerant, and quickly grows to a dense weed-suppressing matt of green, deeply lobed leaves with distinctive purple blotches around the centre, from which small, nodding, purple flowers with yellow centres appear on tall stems, from late spring to early summer.

H x S: 90cm x 50cm

13 Hellebores

A winter-flowering staple in the cottage garden, hellebores thrive in dry shade, bearing large clusters of saucer-shaped flowers with white, pink, green, mauve or smoky purple flowers. Helleborus ‘Garden Red’ (pictured) bears single red flowers.

H x S: 30cm x 30cm

14 Masterwort, Astrantia

Astrantias are superb perennials for growing in shade beneath under trees or in a moist border. They prefer moist soils but will tolerate drier conditions as long as the plants are mulched. Astrantia major ‘Gill Richardson’ (pictured) is a gorgeous variety with large, cherry red flowers.

H x S: 90cm x 25cm

15 Ivy, Hedera helix

English ivy, Hedera helix, is the ultimates shade-loving climber. It can be used to cover shady walls and trained to climb up or spread out along a low wall. Being evergreen, ivy is perfect for covering pergola poles, or creating a leafy backdrop beneath clematis and climbing roses.

H x S: 10m x 10m

16 Sow bread, Cyclamen coum

Hardy cyclamen, Cyclamen coum, is a pretty hardy perennial, bearing delicate silver-lined dark green leaves and dainty blooms in shades of white, pink and red, from late winter to early spring. It’s perfect for growing in partial shade, at the base of small shrubs and trees, and naturalising in grass. The Royal Horticultural Society has given it its prestigious Award of Garden Merit (AGM).

H x S: 8cm x 10cm

17 False goatsbeard, Astilbe

False goatsbeard, Astilbe, bears showy plumes of dramatic flowers, over fern-like foliage. It’s perfect for a shady corner, where its dramatic blooms add height and colour.

H x S: 60cm x 45cm

18 Solomon’s seal, Polygonatum x hybridum

Solomon’s seal, Polygonatum x hybridum, is an old cottage garden plant, bearing graceful, arching stems with paired, oval leaves and dangling, green-tipped, white bell-shaped flowers from late spring to early summer. It’s perfect for growing in a partially shaded border or woodland planting scheme, and looks lovely paired with corydalis and bleeding heart.

H x S: 1.25m x 30cm

19 Himalayan blue poppy, Meconopsis baileyi

Himalayan poppy, Meconopsis baileyi, bears spectacular, bowl-shaped blue flowers with bright yellow centres, in late spring to early summer. It makes a dramatic statement when grown en masse, and does best when grown in moist, neutral to acid soil in a partially shaded spot. The Royal Horticultural Society has given it the prestigious Award of Garden Merit (AGM).

H x S: 1.2m x 45cm

20 Coral bells, Heuchera

Heucheras are attractive, mound-forming plants, perfect for growing in light shade. There are many heuchera cultivars to choose from, coming in a range of unusual colours and forms. Some are tolerant of dry soils while others prefer damper habitats.


H x S: 50cm x 40cm