Shade Loving Flowers and Plants

Shade does a wonderful job of keeping a home cool and protected from the hot summer sun, and sitting under the shade of a big tree on a carpet of cool green grass is comforting on a hot summer day. People who don't have a shady yard long for the cover of big shade trees, but sometimes those with too much shade find it difficult to grow specific plants in their yards. There are beautiful plants that grow very well in shade, and many of these plants actually require shade in order to thrive. If your yard is shrouded in shade, consider the following shade loving plants, and create a colorful shady haven that you'll love and appreciate all year long.

Bleeding Hearts

These old-fashioned flowers can often be seen growing wild along roadsides in certain areas of the United States, but anyone with a shady yard in zones two through nine can enjoy these shade loving perennial flowers. These flowers are called bleeding hearts because their flowers resemble hearts with flowing white tears that hang in rows from narrow stems. Bleeding hearts are simply beautiful, and they look stunning when paired with lacy green ferns or hostas. Bleeding hearts reach a maximum height of approximately three feet, and they make wonderful cut flowers. Those will full shade will enjoy these colorful pink and white flowers.

Crested Lady Ferns

Ferns are beautiful lush green plants that thrive in the shade. Those with full shade will appreciate having lacy green ferns adorning their yard. The crested lady fern is especially beautiful. This shade loving plant has fonds that grow to a maximum height of approximately two ½ feet, and they spread to a width of about two feet. These beautiful ferns are great to use as a border or backdrop for lily-of-the-valley or other low-growing flowers, and they do very well in shady rock gardens. The crested lady fern can also be potted and placed in a shady location in zones two through nine.

Lily-of-the-Valley

This shade loving flower is wonderfully fragrant, and the scent of lily-of-the-valley has been recreated for cologne, candles, and for many other fragrant uses. This flower is a must for those shrouded in shade and wanting to add contrast to the green foliage of ferns and other green plants. Lily-of-the-valley flowers look like little white bells perched on the ends of dainty curved stems. The foliage of this shade loving flower is just as attractive as the flowers themselves. The green hue of this shade dwelling plant is beautiful. Lily-of-the-valley is very easy to care for, and it spreads rather quickly. It's a low-growing plant that reaches a maximum height of about ten inches.

Blue Hosta

There are hundreds of varieties of hostas, and hostas are well-known plants that thrive in shade. The blue hosta is one of the best-known varieties because of the beautiful foliage and flowers that adorn it. This hosta forms a big mound that up to three feet in height, and it spreads to an awesome sixty inches in width. The blooms of this shade loving plant are light lavender in color, and they magically appear late in the summer. This hosta is best suited for shady locations in zones three through eight.

Royal Standard Hosta

This beautiful hosta boasts white sweet-scented trumpet-shaped flowers atop stems that reach approximately three feet in height. The flowers of this hosta appear sometime in late summer. The foliage is lush, broad, and a beautiful shade of green that makes a lovely backdrop for the flowers it presents. The mounds of this hosta reach a diameter of about forty-eight inches. Consider planting this beautiful shade loving plant in zones four through eight for best results.

Green and White Hosta

The green and white hosta resembles a tropical house plant, but this plant with a tropical flare thrives in shade. The foliage of this hosta is trimmed in green and painted by nature with an attractive white stripe. The blooms of this shade loving plant are sweetly-scented, and they are a lovely shade of light lavender. Consider planting this eye-catching hosta in zones three through eight for best results. It's a wonderful addition to any yard shrouded by full shade.