Looking to add some shade-loving flowers to your garden? Even the darkest spots of your yard can benefit from a splash of color from these flowers that grow well in the shade.
Many people think that if they have a shady garden they can’t grow flowers. Nothing could be further from the truth! If you have a yard or garden space with less than full sun, you can absolutely have a vibrantly beautiful flower garden.
What are the best flowers to grow in the shade? Keep reading, and I’ll show you all the best ones!
Best Perennial Shade-Loving Flowers
I love having perennial flowers in my garden because I only have to plant them once and they come back year after year. Take a look at this lovely variety of perennial flowers that grow in shade. These beauties will help fill in even your darkest corners with a splash of color.
Astilbe
These shade-loving flowering plants, known for their tall, beautiful bright pink plumes, will burn in full sun. To keep that from happening, plant them in a light to a moderate shady spot.
Zone: 4-9
Light Needs: Part shade to shade
Water Needs: Consistent watering is preferred; slightly drought tolerant
Flower Colours: Pink
Blooms: Mid-summer
Bleeding-Heart
These shade-loving flowers appear early in spring and provide quite the ornamental show with pink and white heart-shaped flowers growing on arching stems. Bleeding hearts are a wonderful addition to a shade border providing height, texture, and color.
Zone: 3-9
Light Needs: Part shade to shade
Water Needs: Keep soil consistently moist
Flower Colours: Pink and white, white
Blooms: Early spring
Learn More: Check out our post on how to grow bleeding heart plants in your garden.
Foam Flower
A spring bloomer, these flowers grow well in the shade and are characterized by white fluffy blooms.
Zone: 4-9
Light Needs: Part shade to shade
Water Needs: Keep consistently moist
Flower Colours: White
Blooms: Spring to early summer
Forget-Me-Not
Native to the United States, the dainty forget-me-not is a low-maintenance addition to many landscapes and looks terrific in garden borders. Forget-me-nots are also one of the fastest-growing flowers in your summer garden and are wonderful shade flowering plants.
Zone: 5-9
Light Needs: Part shade
Water Needs: Prefer to stay moist; thrive in wet, humid areas such as near a body of water
Flower Colours: Blue with yellow centers, pink, white
Blooms: May through October
Learn More: See our full guide on growing and caring for forget-me-nots flowers.
Hydrangea
A showy shade-loving flower indeed. Hydrangeas are famous for their large, rounded clusters of pink, blue or white flowers. These are non-fussy flowering shrubs that create a great deal of curb appeal. They grow exceptionally well against foundations on the north side of a home.
Zone: 3-9
Light Needs: Part shade
Water Needs: Prefer to stay moist; water deeply as least once a week
Flower Colours: Blue, pink, white
Blooms: Summer to fall
Lily-of-the-Valley
A tiny, delicate-looking flower with a strong, wonderful scent. These shade-loving favorites have adorned gardens and other areas for thousands of years.
There is one crucial thing to know about this flower: it is poisonous and can be fatal to children and pets if ingested. Just two leaves can be a fatal dose. If you have children or pets that frequent your space, I highly recommend steering clear of this one.
Zone: 2-9
Light Needs: Part shade to shade
Water Needs: Keep soil moist
Flower Colours: Pink, white
Blooms: Spring
Primrose
This early spring bloomer comes in a large variety of sizes and colors and makes an excellent garden or border flower. Also suitable for container gardening, this stunning perennial will add vibrant colors to any landscape.
Zone: 2-8
Light Needs: Part shade, shade
Water Needs: Don’t over-water; prefer well-drained soil and the chance to dry out very slightly between waterings
Flower Colours: Blue, green, orange, red, pink, white, yellow
Blooms: Spring
Annual Flowers that Grow in Shade
Annual flowers may not come back year after year, but nothing can beat the blooming power of a splashy annual. Check out this list of the best annual flowers for shaded areas to make your garden pop!
Impatiens
These cheery, bright beauties can put on quite a colorful display even in full shade. These blooming powerhouses come in a huge variety of colors and will continue to put on a show until the first frost. Impatiens look incredible as ground cover, in window boxes, and in patio containers.
Light Needs: Part shade, shade
Water Needs: Keep soil moist; will wilt quickly with a lack of water
Flower Colours: Blue, yellow, purple, orange, red, pink, white
Blooms: Spring, summer, fall
You May Be Interested in Reading: How to Grow and Care for Impatiens
Begonias
These showy shade loving flowering plants are a favorite for good reason: begonias are easy to grow and thrive in a variety of conditions. I plant Bada Bing And Bada Boom begonias (see the picture below) every single year in my window boxes at the front of my house, and in containers on my front step. They put on a very beautiful show all summer long.
Light Needs: Part shade, shade
Water Needs: Keep soil moist; well-drained soil
Flower Colours: Yellow, orange, pink, white
Blooms: Spring, summer, fall
Calendula
With their bright yellow and orange blooms, the calendula (also known as pot marigolds) has long been a favorite in British Cottage gardens. The secret to growing thriving calendula plants is to slightly neglect them.
Light Needs: Part shade
Water Needs: Keep soil moist; well-drained soil
Flower Colours: Yellow, orange
Blooms: Spring, fall
Snapdragons
A bright, mid-sized plant, snapdragons make a terrific bridge between short and tall plants in your garden. Perfect for cut bouquets, this cool-weather bloomer looks right at home among violas and pansies.
Light Needs: Part shade to Full Sun
Water Needs: Prefer well-drained soil; avoid over-watering
Flower Colours: Yellow, orange, white, pink, red
Blooms: Spring, summer, fall
Fuchsia
This delicate, exotic-looking flower has a rather unique shape. Although not particularly fragrant, fuchsia will stun in hanging baskets and attract hummingbirds.
Light Needs: Part shade, shade
Water Needs: Prefer well-drained soil; avoid over-watering
Flower Colours: Purple, orange, white, pink, red
Blooms: Summer, fall
Pansy
Part of the viola family, pansies are cool-weather flowers that grow in shade and are among the first colorful blooms you see as winter departs.
Light Needs: Part shade
Water Needs: Prefer well-drained soil; avoid over-watering
Flower Colours: Purple, blue, orange, white, pink, red
Blooms: Spring, fall
Related: Pansies are wonderful flowers for dry pressing. If you’re interested in drying flowers, or picking and drying a bouquet of your flowers, check out our posts on drying flowers and caring for dried flowers.
Wishbone
The wishbone flower is a delicate, shade-loving flower with plentiful blossoms that grow close to the ground. The bi-color blooms of the wishbone add a nice splash of color to garden borders.
Wishbone flowers would make an excellent addition to a moonlight garden!
Light Needs: Part shade
Water Needs: Keep soil moist; prefer well-drained soil
Flower Colours: Purple, blue, yellow, white, pink
Blooms: Spring, summer, fall
Vegetables that Grow in the Shade
Did you know that there are even some vegetables that can grow well without full sun? There are dozens of shade-tolerant options that can provide you with a bountiful harvest! Here are 28 shade-friendly vegetables to try planting.
You can also grow a bevy of vegetables indoors too with the right tools.
Flowers that Grow in the Shade: Final Thoughts
With this list of gorgeous flowers that do well in shade, you won’t need to look anywhere else to brighten up those dark spots in your yard. Enjoy all areas of your yard this year – even the shady ones with these shade-loving flowers! Which flower on this list is your favorite?
I love to grow my own flowers for displays during the summer but I also get extra use out of them for my craft projects. Dried flowers make excellent potpourri!