A deeply shaded garden is not a new problem as many older properties have established conifers or trees that inhibit natural sunlight from penetrating below. A more modern context would be dense redevelopment, where larger buildings are being erected on smaller lots, often with three storeys that limits light to the often diminutive gardens that surround them. While your choice of plant material may not be as diverse as those with part to full sun exposures, you can still plant perennials that will thrive in the shade and provide foliage or flower colour. Here are a few of my favourites.
(Japanese Painted Fern | 📸 MK Lascelle)
Red Bishop’s Hat (Epimedium x rubrum)
I would have this semi-evergreen perennial in my garden for the beautiful foliage alone, as it bears brassy red highlights on the new emerging leaves. The rose-red flowers are held on wiry stems just above the foliage, usually in late March. Grows 12-15” tall. Hardy to USDA zone 4.
(Epimedium x rubrum | 📸 MK Lascelle)
Japanese Painted Fern (Athyrium niponicum var. pictum)
While this is not an evergreen species, few plants bring such attention to their foliage as the silvery-purple fronds of a Japanese Painted fern nestled in a green shaded garden. The variety pictum is the standard, although ‘Crested Surf’, ‘Godzilla’, ‘Regal Red’, ‘Silver Falls’, ‘Burgundy Lace’ and var. metallicum are no less spectacular. Grows 18” tall. Hardy to USDA zone 4.
(Athyrium niponicum var. pictum | 📸 MK Lascelle)
Persian Violet (Cyclamen coum)
This hardy cyclamen has rounded foliage with varying degrees of silvery to white variegation, including some that much resemble a silhouette of an inset Christmas tree. It is winter flowering, usually starting in February and lasting into March with variable white, pink and rose flowers. It also goes summer dormant and tolerates planting below cedars. Grows 6” tall. Hardy to USDA zone 5.
(Cyclamen coum | 📸 MK Lascelle)
Bigroot Geranium (Geranium macrorrhizum)
Here’s a beautiful flowering perennial that thrives in shade and comes with an important bonus feature…it is also quite deer resistant. This is much in part to the pungent ‘Old Spice’ foliage fragrance (which reminds me of my grandfather), while the white to deep magenta blooms are freely borne from late spring into early summer. Grows 12” tall. Hardy to USDA zone 4.
(Geranium macrorrhizum 'Bevan's Variety' | 📸 MK Lascelle)
Foamflower (Tiarella spp.)
This much underutilized herbaceous perennial is generally found as two species, T. cordifolia and T. trifoliata, as well as numerous hybrids. Of the latter, ‘Angel Wings’ (prominent pink-white flowers), ‘Sugar and Spice’ (fragrant pale pink blooms) and ‘Pink Skyrocket’ (deeply lobed variegated foliage) are all worthy cultivars. Grows 10-12” tall. Hardy to USDA zone 4.
(Tiarella 'Angel Wings' | 📸 MK Lascelle)
Solomon’s Seal (Polygonatum spp.)
A specimen perennial with arching green or variegated foliage and pendulous clusters of spring-borne whitish-green flowers often held in pairs just below. This is a great genus to establish at the base of trees in order to soften their appearance. Grows from 1-6’ tall, depending on species. Hardy to USDA zones 3-7.
(Polygonatum odoratum 'Variegatum' | 📸 MK Lascelle)
Japanese Forest Grass (Hakonechloa macra)
An elegant herbaceous grass that works well as a container feature or in-ground, it eventually forms a cascading mound in a variety of foliar colours. The most common varieties include ‘All Gold’ (which literally glows in the shade), ‘Aureola’ (gold with thin green stripes) and ‘Albo-striata’ (variable white striation). Depending upon exposure, you can also expect gold to red-tinted autumn tones. Grows 18” tall. Hardy to USDA zone 5.
(Hakonechloa macra 'All Gold' | 📸 MK Lascelle)
Old-Fashioned Bleeding Heart (Lamprocapnos spectabilis formerly Dicentra)
Here’s a good example of a name change that doesn’t take, as Dicentra spectabilis was reclassified as Lamprocapnos back in 2006 and I have yet to see one plant tag bearing that name. Still, this old-fashioned perennial should have a place in every shade garden with its spectacular display of heart-shaped flower spikes in spring. The better varieties include ‘Valentine’ (red and white), ‘Gold Heart’ (golden foliage), ‘Alba’ (pure white) and the slightly hard to find ‘White Gold’ (white flowers with golden foliage). Expect these to go summer dormant. Grows 30-36” tall. Hardy to USDA zone 3.
(Dicentra spectabilis 'Valentine' | 📸 MK Lascelle)
Lily-of-the Valley (Convallaria majalis)
An old-fashioned favourite that still holds its appeal, much in part to the delicate sweetly scented bell-shaped blooms that also make a great cut flower. It takes awhile to get established but once it has, you’ll have a durable herbaceous groundcover for years to come. Grows 8-12” tall. Hardy to USDA zone 3.
(Convallaria majalis | 📸 MK Lascelle)
Toad Lily (Tricyrtis spp.)
The shade garden tends to be awash in colour in early spring with little to carry us through into late summer, but Toad Lily is a notable exception. The delicate orchid-like blooms are best appreciated at close range when they open from July into August, and these are often white heavily spotted in blue or purple, with the exception of T. macrantha, which is yellow. Tricyrtis hirta and formosana are the most common species (as well as hybrids) and there is even a lovely gold-variegated form called ‘Ninja Star’. Grows 2-3’ tall. Hardy to USDA zone 4.
(Tricyrtis hirta | 📸 Andre Karwath-Wikipedia)
Hosta
Lastly, I thought that I would leave you with an obvious choice, Hosta, which many gardeners tend to overlook simply because they are so common. But with innumerable foliage combinations of bright gold, blue, deep green and white, as well as reliable blooms of lavender or white (with many of them being fragrant) from late May through to frost, they definitely add a flowering element to the shaded garden. As well, they are a tasty edible with delicious flowers for fresh salads and new shoots which can be steamed and eaten like asparagus.
(Hosta 'Rainforest Sunrise' |
📸 MK Lascelle)
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