Shade-Tolerant Potted Flowers

Spreading Flowers

• Impatiens are shade-loving flowers that appear in nearly every color, including red, pink, purple and white. They are widely available in garden centers and generally produce a multitude of simple flowers that grow from spreading foliage. Thanks to their growth habit, these flowers are ideal for large containers or filling beds, and are quite easy to grow as long as they receive sufficient moisture. Plant in full or part shade for best results. Impatiens will quickly spread to fill a small or large container.

Flowers With Attractive Foliage

• Wax begonias (Begonia cucullata) are common shade-loving flowers with succulent, waxy leaves, which may be dark green or bronze in color. Flowers appear in vivid reds, pinks, white or salmon. These hardy flowers are tolerant of shaded and sunny locations and thrive in containers or beds. They generally reach 18 inches in height and grow in a mounding habit with large, glossy leaves that highlight their summer-blooming flowers.

  Polka dot plants (Hypoestes phyllostachya) exhibit an attractive show with speckled leaves of red, white or pink spots. Grow this plant in containers in part shade for best results.

Flowers with Markings

• The wishbone flower (Torenia fournieri) is less known than other shade-loving flowers, but it has distinct color markings that some say resemble a clown face. The tubular flowers are similar to snapdragons and come in colors of white, purple, yellow, blue or pink, with contrasting markings. This plant earned its nickname with its wishbone-like stamens. Reaching as high as 12 inches, wishbone flowers are ideal for containers or beds in the shade.

  Pansies (Viola x wittrockiana) have a round, spreading growth habit and produce showy flowers, often with characteristic blotches that make them appear like faces. These flowers grow in part shade or full sun and are available in many colors, including yellow, pink, purple white, lavender, blue and black.

Planning

• When planning a container garden, it is important to use containers that are appropriate for the flower selections you have chosen. Flowers that grow taller than 12 inches require medium or large pots with a diameter of 8 inches or more. Smaller varieties can tolerate any size pot, including hanging baskets or 4-inch containers, and they may be grouped in large pots or half-whiskey barrels. Many shade-loving flowers prefer lots of moisture but also require well-draining soil to thrive.