Annual Plants for a Semi-Shade Garden

Impatiens

• Impatiens are the storm troopers of the shade garden, strong, resilient and dependable. This low-growing plant has flowers that range through a wide variety of colors, with some attractive variegated varieties.
  Remember when choosing your plants that they will be in shadow, and that means that the lighter colored flowers--white, cream, light pink, yellow and pale blue--will glow beautifully in the reduced light, while darker colored flowers may not show to advantage. Impatiens comes in some very light, bright colors.

Coleus

• Another stalwart of the garden is coleus. Grown for its colorful foliage that can range from pink or burgundy to yellow and variegated colors, the leaves add drama all season long. Be careful that you plant this beauty in nice rich soil. "Be sure to learn what kind of shade you really have," Renwald cautions. "Is it semi or deep shade, moist or dry conditions? Then plant accordingly."

Lobelia

• Lobelia is a low-growing plant with white, blue or pale purple flowers.

Ageratum

• Ageratum is a compact plant with fuzzy blue flowers that serves well as an edging plant.

Mandevilla

• Mandevilla is a tall and beautiful vine with trumpet-shaped flowers in pink, yellow, red and white. It can grow up to ten feet tall, winding around fences and other plants, so it is best placed at the back of the garden or grown in a container.

Nicotiana

• The white flowers of nicotiana have a beautiful scent, which intensifies in the evenings.

Snapdragons

• Snapdragons are one of most gardeners' favorite flowers. These colorful ladies do well in semi-shade, as well as tolerating full sun, and provide splashes of bright color.

Begonias

• Begonias come in a variety of colors, with sometimes equally attractive foliage.

Nemesia

• Nemesia is small and bushy. The flowers come in several different colors

Shade-Hardy Greenery

• Vinca, German ivy and ferns will add greenery and texture to the shady garden and complete the garden beds. "Don't forget to put a good place to sit in your shady retreat" advises Renwald. "It's a fine place to contemplate the garden."

Grasses

• Renwald's favorite is the Japanese forest grass, Hakonechloa. "The leaves are lime green, and in a light breeze they add movement as well. A lovely low maintenance grouping for semi-shade would be the forest grass hosta and a woodland-like ground cover called sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum). There you would have color, texture and even fragrance."