Is there a shady spot in your outdoor space that you’re not sure what to do with? Shaded spaces are notoriously challenging to fill with color, but we have solutions. Whether it’s at the front porch, on the patio, or in your landscape, we know lots of amazing plants with blooms and foliage that can brighten up those darker spaces with beautiful color.
On the Patio + Doorstep
Finding colorful options for your shaded patio or doorstep is as easy as heading to the Greenhouse.
Annuals
Annual plants offer a wide range of colorful, shade-loving blooms and foliage for outdoor containers. The classic jewel-toned bedding impatiens are a favorite – as well as New Guinea impatiens, tuberous and wax begonias, coleus, browallia, and the exotic fuschia. For something to trail over the side of the pot, try lysimachia, torenia, or any of the beautiful variegated Algerian or English ivies.
And for instant blooms for your shaded doorstep or patio, check out our pre-made planters in the Plaza and Greenhouse. If you’re not sure which one to pick, just look at the container’s shape – the arrangements in square plastic planters are shade-friendly.
Tropicals
Need some height in the center of those shaded patio planters? That’s where we turn to tropical patio plants and houseplants. Croton is one of the most brilliant patio tropical plants – its large, leathery foliage displays a mix of bright orange, yellow, red, lime, and dark purple on each leaf. It shows its best color in the sun, but croton is beautiful in bright shade too. Ti plant is another shade-friendly patio tropical striped in shades of burgundy, red, and pink. In fact, almost any tall houseplant would love to spend the summer outdoors – but out of the sun – so don’t pass by ‘Colorama’ dracaena, ‘Gold Child’ dracaena, song of India, and even some of the brighter sansevierias when you’re looking for inspiration.
In the Landscape
Not all landscape plants need to stand in the sun all day either – you’ll find lots of bright blooms and textured foliage to grace your shaded landscape spaces too.
Perennial Blooms + Foliage
Perennials offer an amazing variety of shade-loving options. In the early spring, hellebores, bleeding heart, columbine, brunnera, and bergenia provide some our first blooms of the season. Astilbe and ligularia continue the shady blooms through the summer too. Ligularia also adds a ton of texture with its large leaves.
Choosing perennials with colorful foliage is another way to bring long-lasting color to shady spots – without relying on blooms to carry the entire season. Nursery Yard Assistant Buyer Kristin Tweedly has Japanese forest grass and ‘Gold Heart’ bleeding heart growing in the shade under her big catalpa tree. Kristin loves how their bright chartreuse foliage just glows in mid-summer. She also recommends ferns like Japanese painted fern and ‘Brilliance’ autumn fern that provide texture along with subtle color. Of course we can’t forget the many cultivars of heuchera that create mounds of color including burgundy, purple, yellow, and chartreuse. And the beautiful, reliable hosta is another favorite leafy perennial for shade. In solid and variegated tones ranging from blue to bright chartreuse, there’s a hosta to fit any shade garden.
Shrubs
Some of the most beautiful shrubs we can choose for our landscapes love life in the shade. For blooms, look for azalea, rhododendron, deutzia, and clethra – a butterfly favorite. Oakleaf hydrangea is another classic bloomer in the shade. For brightly colored foliage, look to golden-toned evergreens like ‘Golden Mop’ false cypress or ‘Firefly’ spruce. Both of these glowing evergreens shine their brightest with protection from the afternoon sun.
Trees
As tall as most trees are, it’s easy to think they all thrive in full sun, but some of the most colorful tree species prefer a more sheltered life.
‘Tricolor’ European beech is a good example. Native to forested areas where it finds shade and cooler temperatures, this tree’s stunning foliage displays irregular patterns of green, pink, and cream that really stand out in low light. Japanese maple is another colorful tree that presents its best display of brilliant red, purple, or orange foliage with protection from that hot afternoon sun. And for something a little different in your shaded landscape, try Kousa dogwood. Kousa dogwood is a small tree – or large, multi-stemmed shrub – that produces bright white bracts surrounding their tiny true flowers. In the shade, these white bracts really pop against the darker green background.
Bring Color to the Shade
Bringing color to your shady outdoor spaces is easier than you might think. Come take a walk through the Greenhouse and Nursery Yard to browse our shade-friendly plants. And if you need suggestions, just ask. That’s what we’re here for, and we can’t wait to help you find the perfect plants to add color to all your shaded spaces.
