You can hide and soften garden walls with our pick of the best plants for a shady border.
Check out our articles on the best plants for dry soil, clay soil, and acid soil for more plant suggestions, or use our handy plant finder to look through all of them.
Creating a stunning border along a shaded area of your garden can seem daunting but with the right plant selections it can be easy and rewarding. Choosing plants suited to thrive in shade rather than sunlight is the key.
When planning a shaded border, the first step is to analyze the specific conditions. Levels of shade vary from light to full, and soil moisture is also a factor. Dry shade under the canopy of trees is very different from the cool, moist shade on the north side of a home. Carefully evaluate both the light levels and soil characteristics before choosing plants.
Fortunately there are many delightful options that not only survive but absolutely flourish in shady borders Let’s explore some of the top choices
Best Perennials for Shaded Borders
Hostas
No plant is more at home in shade than the hosta. With endless varieties, hostas offer diverse textures, forms, sizes and leaf colors ranging from chartreuse to deep blue-green. They combine beautifully with other shade lovers and add grace and structure. Plant them in groups for maximum impact.
Astilbes
The feathery plumes of astilbes create lovely contrast when combined with broad hosta leaves. Flower colors include white, pink, red and purple. Astilbes thrive in moist, nutrient-rich soil. Plant them in groups among other low-growing perennials.
Lungwort
The spotted leaves and blue flower clusters of lungworts add cheery color to shaded gardens. These spreading perennials form dense clumps and bloom in spring. Popular varieties include ‘Mrs. Moon’ and ‘Sarah’.
Coral Bells
Available in a diverse range of leaf shapes and colors, coral bells offer long-lasting foliage beauty and delicate bell-shaped blooms on slender stalks. Try combining them with hostas and ferns. Some top varieties include ‘Cherry Truffle’ and ‘Citronelle’.
Hellebores
Often blooming in late winter and early spring, hellebores provide a welcome pop of color when little else is in bloom. The nodding, rose-like flowers rise above attractive clumps of leathery leaves. Give them rich, moist soil.
Best Annuals for Shaded Borders
Begonias
From bold, upright forms to trailing types ideal for hanging baskets, begonias offer abundant blooms in shades of pink, red, white and orange. They prefer evenly moist soil and thrive in both light and deep shade border locations.
Coleus
Grown for their vividly colored and patterned foliage, coleus come in a spectacular range of hues including deep burgundy, bright lime-green and multi-colored combinations. They love shade and provide outstanding texture and contrast.
Impatiens
Impatiens are the quintessential shade annual, blooming vigorously all season in both sun and shade. Choose from standard bedding types and SunPatiens® varieties bred specifically for gardens with a few hours of sunlight.
Caladiums
The big, heart-shaped leaves of caladiums provide outstanding tropical flair in shady beds and borders. Combining their diverse palette of whites, greens, pinks and reds creates stunning compositions. Plant bulbs in spring after the soil warms.
Best Shrubs and Trees for Shade Borders
Hydrangeas
The bulletproofleaves and spectacular blooms of hydrangeas are perfect for shady beds and borders. Plant them next to steps, foundations and fences. Favorites include ‘Annabelle’, ‘Little Lime’ and ‘Endless Summer’.
Camellias
Among the first flowers of spring, camellias bloom prolifically in shade with flowers ranging from white to deep red. Their handsome, evergreen foliage also helps structure the shaded border. Provide rich, acidic soil.
Japanese Maple
Prized for their delicate leaf shapes and colors, Japanese maples thrive in part shade, providing year-round beauty and elegance. Plant them as accent plants or small specimen trees. Select slow-growing varieties for borders and beds.
Azaleas/Rhododendrons
Available in a diverse range of flower colors, sizes and bloom times, azaleas and rhododendrons lend vibrant color to shaded beds in spring. Plant them near foundations, steps, fences and driveways.
Boxwood
The classic hedge shrub, boxwoods tolerate deep shade while providing excellent structure and greenery. Use them as hedges, specimens, topiaries and edging. Select compact, slow-growing varieties like ‘Green Gem’ for border plantings.
Best Vines for Shaded Areas
Hydrangea Vine
Climbing hydrangeas put on a spectacular floral display in spring on fences, arbors and trellises in shady spots. Give them rich soil and a strong support for their vigorous growth.
Coral Honeysuckle
A flowering vine native across much of North America, coral honeysuckle thrives in shade, attracting hummingbirds with its bright red blooms. It grows quickly to 10-20 feet.
Clematis
Many clematis tolerate at least part shade, providing unique, colorful flowers. Plant them to climb over shrub branches or supports in shaded borders. Try ‘Rooguchi’ or ‘Polish Spirit’.
Sweet Autumn Clematis
Vigorously growing to 20-30 feet, sweet autumn clematis blooms heavily in late summer and fall, covering shaded structures and fences in fragrant white flowers. It prefers moist soil.
By thoughtfully combining plants from this diverse palette of shade lovers, you can create stunning borders and beds that flourish in the shade.Use ferns, hostas, coral bells, astilbes and other broad-leaved plants to provide beautiful textures and colors. Include vines to add vertical interest on fences and structures. Then weave in annuals for vibrant blooms. With a bit of planning, your shaded garden borders will be lush, colorful and picturesque.
Hydrangea aspera (Villosa Group)
Hydrangea aspera ‘Villosa Group’ is tough, and when it grows up, it will give your shady wall or fence a stately look. It enjoys moist soil, so in especially dry weather, give it a good water right at the roots.
A deciduous and easy to grow climber, Chinese virginia creeper (Parthenocissus henryana) provides a wonderful backdrop. Rich green leaves in spring and summer turn a vivid shade of red in autumn.
Don’t be fooled by their dainty name – Chinese fairy bells, Disporum longistylum, can reach a towering 1. Since they grow to 8m tall, you can plant them in the middle or at the back of your shady border.
This low-growing geranium has a sprawling habit and is best planted at the front of borders and beds. ‘Johnson’s Blue’ produces masses of blue-purple flowers from May to August. Here are 11 more hardy geraniums for shade you could grow.
The soft shield fern (Polystichum setiferum), which is native to Britain, will give your garden lush evergreen color and texture all year long. Perfect for setting off blue geraniums and white Japanese anemones.
Japanese anemones are an ideal plants for shaded walls and fences, where conditions can be drier. They flower for months, providing colour from the later summer months.
Before you plant climbers to grow up fences and walls, you should check out the edges you’ll be attaching them to. Don’t grow climbers up weak, rotting wood or bricks that are falling apart; you’ll just make more work for yourself. Instead, replace and repair where necessary, to ensure a solid foundation on which to grow.
TRANSFORM Your SHADY BORDER: AWESOME 8 SHADE LOVING Plants YOU Can GROW In Your Garden or Balcony
FAQ
What is a good border plant for shade?
What can I plant for ground cover in shade?
What plants are suitable for a shade border?
There are a number of border plants for shade. Here are just some of the plants suitable for gardening in the shade border: Hydrangea and Azalea – No shade border could be complete without a hydrangea. This shade-loving shrub can help provide structure to the shade border, as will other shade-loving shrubs like azaleas.
What flowers make a good garden border?
Bleeding Hearts adds a romantic touch to garden edges. Their unique flower shape and graceful habit create visual interest in borders. 24. Astilbe Astilbe is a stunning choice for garden borders. This perennial plant has feathery, fern-like foliage that adds texture to any landscape. Astilbe blooms in summer, producing showy plumes of tiny flowers.
What plants grow in shade?
Learn about the top 20 shade-loving plants, including Hosta, Heuchera, Dead Nettle, Tiarella, Astilbe, Foxglove, Ferns, Hydrangea and more. Fill the shady spots in your garden with a variety of plants that grow in shade including perennials, annuals, flowering shrubs, and trees.
What color should a shade border be?
When it comes to foliage plants, don’t be afraid to integrate every color of green into your shade border, using bright greens to the darkest olive greens. Light colored leaves, variegated foliage, or those with cream or white margins illuminate the shade border while medium tones are neutral, easing the transition between contrasting colors.
Does a shady border get weeds?
A shady border doesn’t get as many weeds. And when plants flower in a shade, they stay in flower for longer. Plus, of course, there’s much less watering in a hot, dry summer. I have never watered any plant in my shady border and they have all survived some exceptionally hot dry spells without wilting or scorching.
What is a good shade bedding plant?
IMPATIENS A top choice of gardeners for shade bedding plants are impatiens (Impatiens walleriana), valued for their nonstop bloom from late spring through frost. These tropical annuals come in a wide array of colors and are fast-growing, quickly filling in large areas.