Plants that Tolerate Shade

One common landscape condition is shade, whether cast by trees, shrubs, or structures.  Shady spots can sometimes be difficult to populate with plants that will thrive without suffering poor flower performance or becoming stunted, leggy, or discolored.

Partial or Full Shade Plants

First, a selection of herbaceous plants from the database that can tolerate either partial shade (2-4 hours of sunlight per day) or full shade (0-2 hours of sun):

• Ajuga reptans - bugleweed
• Aquilegia x hybrida - columbine
• Begonia semperflorens-cultorum - wax begonia
• Calibrachoa 'Million Bells' - million bells
• Chasmanthium latifolium - inland sea oats (C. latifolium is a shade-tolerant grass, which is a relatively uncommon combination)
• Crocus sp. - crocus
• Hedera helix - English ivy
• Hemerocallis sp. - daylily
• Impatiens hawkeri - New Guinea impatiens
• Impatiens walleriana - impatiens
• Lamium maculatum - spotted deadnettle
• Liriope muscari - lilyturf
• Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii - Turk's cap (Turk's cap is both shade-tolerant and a Texas native, another uncommon find)
• Ophiopogon japonicus - monkeygrass
• Oxalis regnellii var. triangularis - purple shamrocks
• Paeonia hybrid - European peony
• Pelargonium graveolens - scented geranium
• Pentas lanceolata - pentas
• Solenostemon scutellarioides - coleus
• Trachelospermum asiaticum - Asian jasmine
• Vinca major - big periwinkle

Light Shade Plants

For a wider selection, there are also plants that prefer light shade, or around 4-6 hours of sunlight per day:

• Achillea millefolium - common yarrow
• Allium schoenoprasum - chives
• Allium tuberosum - garlic chives
• Alternanthera brasiliana - false amaranth
• Anisacanthus quadrifidus var. wrightii - flame acanthus
• Antirrhinum majus - snapdragon
• Aster sp. - hardy aster
• Brassica oleracea - ornamental cabbage
• Callirhoe involucrata - winecup
• Canna x generalis - canna lily
• Catharanthus roseus - Madagascar periwinkle
• Celosia argentea - cockscomb
• Chrysanthemum x morifolium - hardy chrysanthemum
• Cichorium intybus - chickory
• Cuphea hyssopifolia - Mexican heather
• Dahlia x hybrida - garden dahlia
• Dianthus chinensis - China pinks
• Eustoma exaltatum ssp. russellianum - bluebells
• Gazania rigens - treasure flower
• Gerbera jamesonii - Gerber daisy
• Glandularia bipinnatifida - prairie verbena
• Glandularia x hybrida - garden verbena
• Hyacinthus orientalis - hyacinth
• Ipomoea x batatas - sweet potato vine
• Iris x germanica - German iris
• Lantana camara - common lantana
• Lathyrus odoratus - sweet pea
• Leymus arenarius 'Blue Dune' - blue dune lyme grass
• Lilium sp. - lily
• Lobelia erinus - lobelia
• Melampodium leucanthum - blackfoot daisy
• Mentha spicata - spearmint
• Mirabilis jalapa - four o'clocks
• Miscanthus sinensis 'Variegatus' - variegated Chinese silver grass
• Narcissus pseudonarcissus - daffodil
• Nassella tenuissima - Mexican feathergrass
• Origanum vulgare - oregano
• Pelargonium x hortorum - geranium
• Pennisetum alopecuroides - perennial fountain grass
• Pennisetum setaceum 'Rubrum' - purple fountain grass
• Petroselinum crispum var. crispum - curly parsley
• Petroselinum crispum var. neapolitanum - flat-leaf parsley
• Petunia x atkinsiana - petunia
• Platycodon grandiflorus - balloon flower
• Plumbago auriculata - blue plumbago
• Rosmarinus officinalis - rosemary
• Ruellia caerulea - Mexican petunia
• Salvia coccinea - scarlet sage
• Salvia farinacea - mealy blue sage
• Salvia greggii - autumn sage
• Scabiosa atropurpurea - pincushion
• Schizachyrium scoparium - little bluestem
• Sempervivum sp. - hen and chicks
• Senecio cineraria - dusty Miller
• Stachys byzantina - lamb's ear
• Thymus vulgaris - English thyme
• Thymus x citriodorus - lemon thyme
• Tradescantia pallida - purple heart
• Tulipa sp. - tulip
• Viola cornuta - Johnny-jump-up
• Viola x wittrockiana - pansy

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