Shade Loving Perennials

5 Most Popular Shade Loving Perennials

It is natural for most of the plants to strive for sunshine, but there are also many shade loving perennials that can't tolerate full sun.

There is no clear definition of shade; it can range from slight to dense shady conditions. Most perennials like several hours of morning sunlight, but the heat of the noon is too hot for them.

Such plants usually survive in any conditions except direct sunlight in the hottest part of the day, or growing in the deepest shade.

For the shade areas of your garden we would recommend to choose Hosta, Foxglove, Solomon's Seal, Foamflower, Bluestars, Meadow-rue, Lungwort, Forget-me-not, Lily-of-the-Valley and Coral Bells.

For especially shady locations that receive very little sunlight, like the ones under the trees, ferns would be more than suitable.

It is a well-known fact that ferns will survive in places which are considered too dark for many plants. There are lots of fern varieties you can choose from, and a combination of a few different species would be exceedingly beautiful and original.

Keep it in mind that some of fern varieties die off in the autumn and appear again after the winter months. And there are also evergreen varieties: they will decorate your garden all year long, even in times when there are no other plants left. However, you should be aware of the ability of ferns to spread aggressively, so you will need to keep the spreading under control if you do not want to end up with ferns all over your garden.

Lungwort plants are great shade loving perennials that usually prefer areas with partial shade. They will decorate your garden with tender pink or blue flowers, and also with their unusual foliage with whitish silver spots.

Blue star is another perennial flower that likes shady conditions. As it's implied from its name, the flowers of this perennial are blue in colour and star shaped. They look especially charming if planted in groups. The blooming period will cover the time from May to June, but the green leaves of this plant will decorate your garden till the end of summer.

Christmas Rose is one more excellent plant for planting in shady areas of your garden. They are rather effortless to take care of provided you do not disturb them by trying to move or divide the plants. They come in different colours.

Hostas (plantain lilies) plant is a very popular choice for shade gardens. There are a wide range of varieties with different leaf textures, colours and sizes, and you can make your garden a very special place by using these plants. The foliage is not the only attraction of this plant - its beautiful flowers will bring you an addition of white and blue to your garden. They will bloom from the end of spring and all through the summer months.

Sometimes it is not that simple to create a beautiful shade garden, but if you choose the plants carefully and select a proper combination of colors, it is possible to get absolutely stunning results.