Chris is a gardening writer and nature enthusiast. He graduated from Oxford Brookes University in 2022 with an MA in Psychology. Chris works with the Leeds Green Action Society, helping their food cooperative by growing various fruit and vegetables on their two allotments in Hyde Park, Leeds.
Reviewed By COLIN SKELLY
Colin is a Horticulturist and Horticultural Consultant with experience in a range of practical and managerial roles across heritage, commercial and public horticulture. He holds the Royal Horticultural Society’s Master of Horticulture award and has a particular interest in horticultural ecology and naturalistic planting for habitat and climate resilience.
Contributions From SUNIL PATEL
Sunil is the owner and curator of the garden at 13 Broom Acres, which is open to the public during the summer months under the National Garden Scheme. He has also published a book, ‘A Year In A Small Garden’, about the changes over the course of a year in his garden.
Flo Headlam is a Garden Designer, Writer & TV Presenter. She is currently a Designer and Presenter on BBC Garden Rescue, having previously worked in the BBC Gardeners' World team. Flo has a Diploma in Garden Design from Capel Manor and has experience working on commercial projects and community gardens.
IN THIS GUIDE
Got a shady spot in your garden that’s a little lacking in colour and character?
It’s tempting to leave this space alone and focus your growing efforts on bright, sunlit areas.
But with the right guidance, it’s possible to get a vivid and exciting bloom established in areas that the sunlight doesn’t always visit.
“I have pots of ferns, trailing ivy and epimediums tucked by a hedge in permanent shade,” shares Sunil Patel from 13 Broom Acres.
“It’s dry under there and I often forget to water those pots as they’re separate from the others, but they still grow.”
In this guide, we’ve rounded up some of the best plants that will thrive in containers in the shadiest parts of your garden.
After reading this guide you’ll realise that a shady section of your garden is nothing to shy away from.
Rather, it’s the source of endless opportunity to plant and enjoy a different set of plants from what you might otherwise see.
Once you get into the swing of these shade-loving customers you’ll realise just how rewarding they can be.
1) Hostas
- HARDINESS RATING: H7
- PREFERRED SUNLIGHT: PART SHADE
- SOIL REQUIREMENTS: CLAY OR LOAM; MOIST BUT WELL DRAINED
This is a broad and inclusive family of plants, with differing varieties sporting all sorts of colours, shapes, and moods.
Hostas have particular suitability to shaded conditions, making this a perfect plant to get acquainted with if you’ve got a shady garden!
There are plenty of varieties to choose from, but here are three to whet your whistle:
H. ‘Blue Mouse Ears’
Cutely and aptly named, the delicate bluey purple flowers of this diminutive hosta variety give a nice and unobtrusive splash of colour.
Expect a maximum size of 0.5 x 0.5m.
H. ‘June’
Clocking in at a similar size to blue mouse ears, this variety boasts variegated leaves, with green and white-yellow intermingling to create a striking aesthetic.
H. ‘Francee’
Slightly bigger at 1m²; the ‘Francee’ variety also sports variegated leaves.
This time, however, the green is on the inside and skirted by white, rather than the other way round.
Great for creating contrast!
2) Ferns
- HARDINESS RATING: H5
- PREFERRED SUNLIGHT: ANY
- SOIL REQUIREMENTS: ANY
Head to any woodland and you’ll probably see a carpet of fern lining the ground beneath the soaring tree canopies.
If this isn’t a testament to the plant’s ability to thrive in shady conditions, we don’t know what is!
And not only are ferns well-suited to shade, but they’re a pleasure to look at as well.
They have a rugged image and a dazzling spectrum of green that will brighten up even the dreariest corner of your garden.
Again, we’ve selected a few varieties to help get you started:
Dryopteris affinis (Scaly Male Fern)
This deciduous fern does well in damp conditions, giving you options if your shady spot is also a little moist.
In terms of looks this aligns very closely with your ‘average’ fern.
Adiantum venustum (Evergreen Maidenhair)
This evergreen fern also handles damp well, and the year-round foliage will hold strong appeal to some gardeners.
Smaller, rounder leaves also create a distinctive aesthetic.
Top Tip: If you’re working with a dry spot rather than a damp one, varieties like asplenium, polypodium, and dryopteris should do you well. See more varieties in this guide.
3) Begonia
- HARDINESS RATING: H2
- PREFERRED SUNLIGHT: PART SHADE
- SOIL REQUIREMENTS: SAND OR LOAM; MOIST BUT WELL DRAINED
Here’s another plant particularly well-suited to shade.
Just take a look at the selection of begonia varieties available and you’ll quickly see that it’s a medley of shapes and colours to enliven any garden space.
We recommend the B. ‘Illumination’ series as a good jump-off point for this flower: the bold orange bloom will draw the eye and set off the greens, whites, and yellows likely to surround it in a display of shade-loving plants.
If orange isn’t your thing you’ll have no trouble finding yellows, reds, pinks, purples, whites, and more.
With a little time and energy invested, creating a stunning display from begonias is well within your reach.
4) Coleus
- HARDINESS RATING: H1C
- PREFERRED SUNLIGHT: FULL SUN OR PART SHADE
- SOIL REQUIREMENTS: ANY; MOIST BUT WELL DRAINED
Here’s another plant just bursting with colour, and not just via its flowers.
Scroll through a list of coleus and you’ll see vibrant red leaves with green zig zags, yellow leaves with mottled red flecks, purple leaves that fade to pink and white towards the centre, and many other exciting combinations.
Used well, coleus can provide an exciting and invigorating backdrop for other flowers in your display of shade-loving plants.
It’s easy to forget about colour when working in an area of your garden with specific conditions.
But try not to fall into this trap: explore different combinations; explore unexpected colours.
Mix them up and see what happens, and you may find this becomes one of the most exciting areas of your garden!
To get you started with coleus, here are the varieties that correspond to the colour combinations we mentioned previously:
C. ‘Glory of Luxembourg’
Red leaves with green zig zags.
C. ‘Pineapplette’
Yellow leaves with mottled red flecks.
C. ‘Wizard Rose’
Green foliage that fades to cream and red towards the centre.
5) Golden Creeping Jenny
- HARDINESS RATING: H5
- PREFERRED SUNLIGHT: PART SHADE
- SOIL REQUIREMENTS: ANY
Lysimachia nummularia ‘Aurea’, also known as golden creeping Jenny, is a beautiful plant that forms a mat of vibrant yellow flowers at ground level.
Just like ferns, this is a plant you’d expect to see winding its way around high tree trunks in thick woodland, and it’s a surefire way to bring this ambience into your garden.
And what’s more, the yellow colour stays year-round, keeping this plant visually interesting and engaging in all seasons.
We’ve included this because it’s an excellent reminder that not all shady container displays need to rely on plants that clock in at similar heights.
A ground-level burst of yellow-topped by graduated heights of colourful plants like begonia and coleus will create stunning displays that bring your sun-free spots to life.
6) Impatiens
- HARDINESS RATING: H1C
- PREFERRED SUNLIGHT: PART SHADE
- SOIL REQUIREMENTS: LOAM; MOIST BUT WELL DRAINED
There’s no better time to introduce impatiens than while we’re on the subject of colour.
These delicate and dainty flowers bring an enchanting feel to any garden lucky enough to be graced by their company, and we definitely recommend considering them for your shady container displays.
If you’re looking for something attractive and colourful that will thrive in the shade, you can’t go wrong here.
There are plenty of varieties ranging in height, colour, and feel – meaning that some combination will work perfectly for your garden.
Impatiens walleriana is a great starting point.
7) Carex
- HARDINESS RATING: VARIES
- PREFERRED SUNLIGHT: PART SHADE
- SOIL REQUIREMENTS: CLAY OR LOAM; POORLY DRAINED
This plant could pass as a grass to the untrained observer, and while it technically isn’t a grass, it looks great when used with other ornamental grasses as prairie-style backdrops for shady container displays.
Choosing a variety of plants for your displays is an important part of getting a really distinctive visual effect.
We’ve mentioned height and colour before, and while introducing carex it’s a good time to think about how combining subtle and flamboyant plants can lead to a well-balanced and harmonious display.
Different carex varieties offer green, variegated green and white, and even bronzish brown leaves, giving you lots of options when choosing the right one to accompany the other plants in your shade container.
“Carex is fast becoming one of my most used plants for shade,” shares Colin Skelly, a Master Horticulturist.
“It can tie other elements of planting together, as grasses can. There are variegated cultivars to catch the eye as well as species with more subtle charm.”
8) Boxwood
- HARDINESS RATING: H6
- PREFERRED SUNLIGHT: ANY
- SOIL REQUIREMENTS: ANY
These evergreen shrubs offer something a little different to the gardener looking for container plants to grow in shade.
Where previously we’ve looked at plants that combine well into displays, a boxwood shrub probably works best as a standalone plant in its own containers.
If you’re a fan of shrubs and topiary, this will be a good one for you.
The bold green leaves look fantastic in mottled sunlight, and shady conditions will help this plant to grow its best – strong sun can scorch and discolour the leaves, eventually causing lasting damage if not rectified.
No Need To Throw Shade
Hopefully this article has shown you that working with a shady garden doesn’t force you to grow dull and uninteresting plants and flowers.
As you’ve seen in our little showcase, there are tons of options available to you when designing a container display for a shady spot: you’ve got the boisterous medleys of colour from begonia and impatiens.
Back these up with ferns and carex and you’ve got a rugged blanket centred around luscious greens. Mix with other plants and you open up a world of possibilities.
“If you have a patio in a more shaded area, lots of plants with different textures will make it feel really luxurious,” adds TV Presenter Flo Headlam.
“It’s all about dressing it like you would an inside room, so if it’s bright and airy, you want colour, scent and movement, and if it’s cool, foliage, texture and different-sized plants will work best.”
Remember, too, that this list is not exhaustive.
There are literally thousands of plants that will grow well in shade, so the deeper you dig into this area, the more options will be revealed to you.
We hope you enjoy designing and planting your shade container display, and also watching it burst steadily into bloom over the coming months.
