As a garden ages and the trees get taller the garden needs more shade plants. Shade is defined as morning sun and afternoon shade or filtered sun all day. Most of these plants will burn if they are exposed to afternoon sun.

GROUNDCOVERS AND PERENNIALS:

Lungwort (Pulmonaria longifolia)

Coral Bells (Heuchera ‘Forever Red’)

(See more varieties of Heuchera on this blog on Oct. 18, 2020: “Coral Bells”)

Epimedium warleyense

Rodgersia ‘Fireworks’

Lily Turf (Liriope muscari)

Sweet Woodruff (Galium odoratum)

Vancouver hexandra is a native shade groundcover which can be invasive in moist areas.

Salal (Gaultheria shallon) in its native habitat.

Evergreen Currant (Ribes viburnifolium)

Geranium biokovo Needs some sun to bloom. This plant is evergreen but has some reddish leaves in the fall.

Bugloss (Brunnera macrophylla ‘Jack Frost’)

Bergenia ciliata ‘Dumbo’

Elephant Ears (Bergenia crassifolium)

Redwood Sorrel (Oxalis oregona) can grow in deep shade and can be invasive.

Cyclamen hederifolium blooms in the fall and is dormant in the spring and summer.

Cyclamen coum blooms in the winter and is dormant in the summer.

Astilbe chinensis

False Spirea (Astilbe ‘Mojito’)

Maiden’s Wreath (Francoa appendiculata)

Tasmanian Tree Fern (Dicksonia antarctica)

See other shade tolerant plants on this blog “Ferns” dated Mar. 24, 2026.

SHRUBS:

Sarcococca ruscifolia has very fragrant winter flowers and red berries. It can reach 5′.

Sarcococca confusa has very fragrant white flowers in the winter and black fruit. It is a smaller shrub than S. ruscifolia and usually won’t get taller than 30″.

Japanese Aralia (Fatsia japonica)

Gold Dust Plant (Aucuba japonica ‘Variegata’) can reach 10′ or more.

Fallopia japonica ‘Variegata’

Mexican Orange (Choisya ternata)

Winter Daphne (Daphne odora ‘Aureo-marginata’) has very fragrant flowers in January and February.

Daphne ‘Summer Ice’

(See post on this blog on Jan. 19, 2019 “Daphnes” for many other varieties)

Lily of the Valley Shrub (Pieris japonica)

Pieris ‘Flaming Silver’

(See post on this blog on Mar. 19, 2019 “Lily of the Valley” for many other varieties.)

Camellia ‘Capture Enriches’

Camellia japonica ‘Debutant’

(See post on this blog on May 5, 2019 “Camellias” for many other varieties.)

Viburnum davidii

Mahonia bealei

(See many varieties of Mahonia on this blog on Feb. 3, 2019 “Mahonias”)

Azalea

(See many varieties on this blog on June 2, 2019 “Azaleas”)

Rhododendron

(See many varieties on this blog on May 25, 2019 “Rhododendrons”)

Fuchsia-Flowering Gooseberry (Ribes speciosum)