Bushes, Shrubs & Plants That Like Shade

Pansy

• Pansies are perennial flowers that are typically grown as annuals in USDA hardiness zones 7 through 10. They can be wiped out by extreme summer heat and winter cold, but do well in shady areas with moist, well-drained soil. They bloom in winter in the southern United States, or in springtime farther north, with one-to-four-inch white, purple and blue flowers. They grow in sunny spots as well, but can be scorched by extremely bright sun.

Appalachian Sedge

• This fine-textured, medium green grass grows well in shady areas with poor soil, making it ideal for spots where shade trees prevent other plants from growing. It also thrives on hillsides, where it can help combat erosion while adding its unique swirling appearance to the landscape. Native to the eastern United States, Appalachian sedge will grow in hardiness zones 4 through 7. It blooms in spring with inconspicuous small blossoms.

Oakleaf hydrangea

• Oak-leaf hydrangea, a hardy and adaptable shrub, grows best in partial shade but will also survive in total shade. Thriving in hardiness zones 5 through 9, it is drought-resistant once established, and grows to about six feet. Its large-lobed leaves turn crimson, burgundy and bronze in fall, and its large, white flowers bloom throughout the summer. Once mature, it sports cinnamon-orange bark that shreds and peels in small, thin strips.

English Ivy

• English ivy is fast-growing and tolerant of a wide range of soils. It grows well in full or partial shade, making it ideal for ground cover beneath large trees, as well as growing over fences, trellises and arbors and up tree trunks. Able to climb 20 to 40 feet, it is also evergreen, and is hardy in zones 5 through 9. English ivy grows small blue-black berries that are inedible to humans but attractive to birds.