What kind of plants grow in the shade?
by
Deb
+10
I live in Maine. I have one side of my house that is shaded by a large maple tree. Will Hosta grow there in the shade, or do they need sun as well? What kinds of flowering plants grow well in the shade, or do they all need sun? I have Begonias that flower all winter and summer long in the house but, wont grow in the shade outdoors and I thought they were a plant that needed shade. I could use some advice. Thanks..!!
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Hosta are wonderful for shade, they only require a very small amount of sunlight. Ferns and Astible are good too.
I am in Alabama zone 7b and hostas do very well in the shade here.
This article may help you on the flowering plants:
https://newengland.com/today/living/gardening/shade-loving-plants/
I have hostas alongside my garage where it is all shade and they grow beautifully. Prior to the hostas, nothing I planted would survive. I live in upstate NY with harsh winters and they have come back every year for more than 10 years. Don’t plant too closely because they multiply each year and may need to be divided. I’m not much of a gardener and as many times as I’ve thinned them out thinking it was too much, they’ve filled in on their own. Very easy and low maintenance.
Another early blooming plant that does well in the shade is tiarella or foam flower. The blooms are just a small they sound and look like spikes of pink or white foam, very pretty. When the flowers are done the leaves are very attractive and stay green all season. A lot of the heuchera (coral bells) varieties tolerate shade and with such a wonderful variety they are prized more for their colourful leaves than their flowers. Check both out.
I have a very large live oak in the backyard which is wonderful for shade, and helps keep my Texas home from getting overly warm during the summer. Problem is grass will not grow under it. One summer we had a terrible storm which knocked over my airplane plant on the ground, dumping it out under the tree. We weren't home until 3 weeks later, it had rooted, and already spread new growth. Fast forward 5 years, and my oak has a beautiful ring of dark green plants around it that have small white flowers every spring. So, airplane plants are also shade lovers!
I'm in Ontario Canada and we have hostas, coral bells, and astilbe in our shade gardens with some added annuals for extra color.
I live in Maine and have quite a few hostas. They actually do best in medium shade, the ones that are in the deep shade don’t always thrive. There are hostas with different light requirements. I love hostas so I have as many different types as I can. I have some that are in full sun and they are huge. The only drawback to them is the deer love them. So I use a spray on them to deter them from eating the foliage. It works pretty well.