Which Flowers Are Best for Shade Gardens

Most of these plants and flowers can easily handle morning sun or bright light, but they all need protection from strong afternoon sun.

Some are forest plants, such as lentils, snowdrops, and daffodils. Some are bedding plants, or foliage plants, others are shrubs. All of these can be used in your landscape if you have the conditions that require them and will give you months of visual enjoyment.

This article is limited to shade flowers. These are just a few of my favorites.

Often mispronounced as “Gerber” daisy, Gerber daisy (Gerbera jamesonii) is beautiful and makes gorgeous cut flowers. They need some bright sunlight, but only morning sun or bright light. I’ve seen full sun recommended for them, but when I tried it, they struggled. Moving them to a location away from the midday sun solved the problem.

I have been successfully growing it for the past few years. If you provide them with good, well-drained soil that ranges from neutral to acidic, they will suit you beautifully from spring to early winter, depending on how cold it gets in the winter.

They usually need about an inch of water per week. They often wilt during the hottest part of the day, then come back at the end of the day.

The foxglove consists of a range of plants, some of which are biennials, perennials, and even shrub species. The most famous of this group of plants appears to be Digitalis purpurea. It is a biennial plant, meaning it grows a group of plants in its first year, flowers in the second year, and then dies.

These strikingly beautiful bell-shaped flowers can get quite large, so plant them about 2 feet apart. They may need to bet.

Here in the southeastern United States, they need to be protected from the afternoon sun, but they do need some light. Flooded or filtered light is best. I’ve been told they can enjoy full sun in the northern states, but since I’ve never grown there, I can’t speak to that.

Phloxgloves require rich, well-drained, slightly acidic soil with a pH of 5.5 to 6.5. They don’t mind moisture, but they don’t like their soil to become too dry. They should get about an inch of rain per week.

There are short-lived perennial crops. One is Digitalis x mertonensis. It is a cross between D.purpurea and D. grandiflora, has pink flowers.

Although foxglove is beautiful, it is a very dangerous plant to grow, especially if you have children, grandchildren or pets. It is toxic to both humans and pets. Not only flowers, but also leaves, stems and seeds contain chemicals that can affect the heart. Wear gloves when handling any part of the foxglove plant – even the seeds.

Another old favorite is the waxed begonia (Begonia semperflorens). The ones I’ve seen recently are labeled “wax begonia” instead of “waxy begonia.” I’m not sure when the name changed, but I grew up knowing them as “Vaxed.” Either way, it is named because of the waxy appearance of its leaves.

It is available in white, pale pink, bright pink, true red, and orange-red, with green or reddish-bronze leaves. There is even a double-flowered variety, which is really beautiful.

Many of today’s varieties are said to grow well in full sun. My one attempt at growing them in full sun was not successful. I bought a lot of them, and soon there were many dead begonias. Since then, I’ve kept them where they only get morning sun.

In most of the United States, they are considered annuals, but when we lived in Central Florida, I had a few that survived our mild winters. If you live in a cold climate, you can pot them and bring them indoors during the winter.

Plant them in the spring after the chance of frost has passed. They prefer fertile, well-drained soil.

If they become leggy, as they likely will in mid- or late summer, simply cut off the long stems. New growth will quickly emerge from the crown.

Did you think that all shamrocks are shamrocks, but not all shamrocks are shamrocks? While the name “clover” can refer to any of the approximately 300 species within the genus Trifolium, the plant name “shamrock” has more specific parameters.

The Gaelic term seamróg, which is directly translated to “little clover” in English, is where the English word “shamrock” originates. This plant group is also called “trilobite” – where “trilobite” or “tree” means three, and “foil” or “folium” means leaf. Therefore, all plants that have a trilobite structure are trilobite plants.

Although not all botanists agree, most agree that “shamrock” refers to white clover (Trifolium repens) or milk clover (Trifolium dubium).

For many years, the shamrock, with its three-leaf structure, has been a symbol of Ireland and St. Patrick’s Day. It is undoubtedly connected to the stories surrounding Saint Patrick, a Christian missionary who used the shamrock in his mission to prove the principles of the Holy Trinity. It was a perfect analogy: three leaflets united by a common stem. It is not the only flower associated with religiosity. Consider the signs of dogwood – but this is a topic for another article.

Another more aggressive wildflower, Oxalis regnellii triangularis, has purple leaves and, when blooming, pinkish-purple flowers.

This is the old standby of most shade gardeners. I feel like everywhere I’ve lived except Florida, the impatience has increased. It was only because developers built our neighborhood on a former pasture and bulldozed the few trees there.

The thriving plants are very easy to grow and provide great colour. It is difficult to compete with them. This is if you have shade or low light.

Impatiens are available in many colors from white to red, and every shade in between as well as coral and orange. They grow themselves, so you’ll have them coming back year after year.

In the Bromeliaceae family there are about 75 genera and about 3,590 known species. They can be grown indoors in tropical areas, but this article is about outdoor plants.

Only in zone 9a and south can it be grown outdoors. Even in Zone 9a, it can be dangerous because the area sometimes freezes hard. At 9A, four or more hours at 32°F (0°C) or below is considered a hard freeze.

As shown in the following picture. It belonged to my former neighbor, who had it growing in a pot in her sunroom. Mine grew up with one of his dogs.

I have had several species of bromeliads in the past. The pink one pictured above, Echmia fasciata, was by far my favorite. Another, (Vriesea splendens), common name, flaming sword, is pictured below. They didn’t grow as well as the pink ones for me, but I was just learning how to grow these beautiful tropical plants.