Shade-Loving Flowering Plants

Don't limit your shade gardens to foliage plants. With a selection of shade-loving, flowering annuals and perennials, and a few perennials that make exceptional annuals, you can brighten up even the darkest, dampest area of the garden. With the right flowering plants you can attract butterflies and hummingbirds to your shaded garden beds.

Astilbe (Astible spp.) is a classic in the shade garden with spring and summer flowers that grow in delicate plumes of color above ferny leaves. Astilbe grows in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 through 9, depending on the cultivar. Try the deep-red flowering 'Fanal' (Astilbe ? arendsii 'Fanal'), which grows in USDA zones 3 through 8, or go for a softer look with the lilac-colored flowers of 'Amethyst' (Astilbe ? arendsii 'Amethyst'), which grows in USDA zones 4 through 8.

In full shade gardens, try the flowering bush violet (Browallia speciosa), also called browallia. It grows 1 to 2 feet tall with simple, open flowers and deep green leaves. The flowers are white, purple and blue. As an added bonus, this delicate little plant attracts hummingbirds when it blooms from mid to late summer. It's technically a perennial in USDA zones 9 through 11, but more often treated as an annual.

Growing as a perennial only in the frost-free climates of USDA zones 10 through 11, Dragon Wind Red begonia (Begonia 'Bepared') is usually treated as an annual. This striking cultivar has scarlet flowers that will bloom continuously from spring until the first winter frost kills the plants back to the ground. Dragon Wing Red begonias grow 12 to 18 inches tall.

The toad lily (Tricyrtis formosana), which grows in USDA zones 4 through 9, has trumpet-shaped white flowers splashed with dark red or purple spots above lance-shaped leaves. Look for these strange, striking flowers in late summer. Toad lily grows in clumps 2 to 3 feet tall and 1 1/2 to 2 feet wide in full to part shade and most soil.

A natural in shaded woodland gardens, Carolina Moonlight False Indigo (Baptisia x 'Carolina Moonlight') stands out with its pale yellow to cream white flowers that bloom in clusters on erect stalks of blue-green leaves. It grows 3 feet tall and blooms from late spring through early summer. This perennial grows in USDA zones 4 through 8 and attracts butterflies to the garden.

Fuchsias (Fuchsia spp.), sometimes called lady's eardrops, which grow in USDA zones 10 through 11, are frost-tender broad-leaf evergreens that makes a striking annual in frost-prone climates. The ornate red, white, pink, purple and bi-color pendulous flowers hang from drooping stems. Fuchsias grow in part to full shade and like moist soil.

With delicate purple flowers from late spring through frost wishbone flower (Torenia fournieri) is a colorful addition to shaded woodland and flower gardens or border areas. It is an annual that grows in all climates. Wishbone flower grows 6 to 12 inches tall with tubular flowers that have dark purple fading to pale purple towards the center.

Tropical gardens get a kick of color with Flame bush lily (Clivia miniata 'Monya'). In late winter and early spring, deep orange flowers bloom in dense clusters against the evergreen foliage. Flame bush lily grows 2 to 3 feet tall in clumps 2 to 3 feet wide and needs full shade to thrive. This tender perennial grows in USDA zones 9 through 11.

In USDA zones 6 through 10 you can grow the showy 'Ritak' sausage vine (Holboellia latifolia 'Ritak'). This striking shade-loving vine grows 15 feet tall with a 12 foot sprawl. The fragrant purple flowers bloom in clusters in spring. 'Ritak' sausage vine brings a tropical flair to shade gardens in areas that get hard freezes.