Shade Plants for the Northeast

Perennials

• Dutchman's breeches (Dicentra cucullaria) grow wild from Nova Scotia into North Carolina, from Zone 3 to 7, so it is an option for the Northeast. This perennial wildflower loves the shade and it produces an unusual flower, shaped like tiny pairs of pants. The white flowers bloom early in spring before the plant goes dormant by summer. Dry, shady sites are ideal for the white wood aster (Eurybia divaricata), a flower of the Northeast with an affinity for shade. It grows to 30 inches, blooms in August and September and features heart-shaped foliage. Woodland phlox and mayapple are other possible perennials for Northeast shade.

Trees

• The striped maple (Acer pensylvanicum) is an understory tree of the Northeast, growing in shade along forest edges. Striped maple develops to between 15 and 20 feet, featuring three-lobed leaves that turn yellow in fall. The bark is showy, notes the University of Connecticut Plant Database, highlighted with white stripes on the green background. American hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana) is a Northeast species from Zone 3 southward, growing to 30 feet in sun or full shade. Use it as a lawn tree and watch for its foliage to turn red, orange and yellow come autumn. Common witchhazel (Hamamelis virginiana) grows in shade in the entire Northeast except for northern Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire. It has a late blooming period. Its yellow flowers do not emerge until October or November.

Broadleaf Evergreens

• Trailing arbutus (Epigaea repens) is an evergreen shade for the shade from Massachusetts south in the Northeast. It grows low to the ground, produces white berries and is suitable as a ground cover because of its 6-inch height. Damp, acidic soil in partial to full shade supports creeping wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens), an evergreen shrub with white flowers and brilliantly red berries. Wintergreen is another shrub to use as ground cover; place it with azaleas, blueberries and rhododendrons in the shade. Partridge berry (Mitchella repens) grows just 2 inches tall and is appropriate as an evergreen ground cover in rock gardens and small shady spots.

Deciduous Shrubs

• Plant leatherwood (Dirca palustris) in shade from USDA Zones 4 through 6 in the Northeast. This deciduous shrub featuring many stems has attractive bark and its foliage changes to yellow in the fall months. The buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) grows native from eastern Maine south to New Jersey in the Northeast. It grows well in light shade, especially where it is damp, such as near ponds or swamps. The flowers have a globular shape, are cream white, bloom in July and August and are aromatic.