Flowers for Shade                               OH 9

Leonard Perry, Extension Professor

PERENNIALS

Low (up to about 1 foot in height)

Botanical and Common Name	Flower Color	Other Notable Features
Ajuga reptans (Carpet Bugle)	Blue	Good foliage
Anchusa ssp. (Bugloss)	Blue	12 - 36"
Asarum europaeum (European Wildginger)	---	Good foliage
Asperula odorata (Sweet Woodruff)	White	Good foliage
Ceratostigma plumbaginoides (Blue Leadwort)	Blue	9"
Convallaria majalis (Lily-of-the-Valley)	White	Good foliage, fragrant
Geranium sanguineum (Bloodred Geranium)	Red, purple	Good foliage
Lamium maculatum (Spotted Deadnettle)	Lavender, white	Good foliage
Myosotis scorpioides (Forget-me-not)	Blue	---
Primula species (Primroses)	Various	---
Sedum spp. (Stonecrop)	Various	---
Stachys olympica (Lamb's Ears)	Pink	Good foliage
Vinca minor (Myrtle, Periwinkle)	Blue	Good foliage
Viola cornuta (Tufted Pansy)	Violet	---
Viola odorata (Violet)	Purple, white	Fragrant

 

Medium (1 1/2 to 3 feet in height)

Botanical and Common Name	Flower Color	Other Notable Features
Astilbe arendsii (Astilbe)	Red, pink, white	Good foliage
Bergenia cordifolia (Heartleaf Bergenia)	Pink	Good foliage
Brunnera macrophylla	Blue	---
Campanula spp. (Bellflowers)	Purple, various	---
Dicentra eximia (Fringed Bleeding-Heart)	Pink	Good foliage
Dicentra spectabilis (Common Bleeding Heart)	Red, white	---
Dodecatheon meadia (Common Shootingstar)	White, pink	---
Epimedium spp. (Epimedium)	White, yellow, red	Good foliage
Flipendula hexapetala (Dropwort)	White	Good foliage
Helleborus ssp. (Hellebore)	White, pink	Good foliage
Hemerocallis (Daylily)	Yellow, orange, red	---
Heuchera sanguinea (Coral Bells)	Red, pink, white	Good foliage
Hosta spp. (Plantain-Lily)	Lavender, white, blue	Good foliage
Iris kaempferi (Japanese Iris)	Red, purple, white	---
Iris sibirica (Siberian Iris)	Red, purple, white	Good foliage
Lysimachia spp. (Loosestrife)	White, yellow	---
Mertensia virginica (Bluebells)	Blue	---
Phlox divaricata (Blue Phlox)	Blue, white	Fragrant
Polemonium caeruleum (Jacob's Ladder)	Blue, white	Good foliage
Tradescantia spp. (Spiderwort)	Blue, white, purple	---
Trollius spp. (Globeflower)	Yellow, orange	---

 

Tall (more than 3 feet in height)

Botanical and Common Name	Flower Color	Other Notable Features
Aconitum spp. (Monkshood)	Blue, purple	Good foliage	---
Cimicifuga racemosa (Cohosh Bugbane)	White	Good foliage
Digitalis purpurea (Common Foxglove)	Lavender, purple, white	---
Fillipendula rubra (Prairie Meadowsweet)	Red, white, pink	---
Lobelia cardinalis (Cardinal Flower)	Red	---
Lythrum cultivars (Purple Loosestrife)	Red, purple	---
Monarda didyma (Beebalm)	Red, pink, white	Fragrant
Thalictrum spp. (Meadowrue)	Pink, lavender, white, yellow	---
Valeriana officinalis (Garden Heliotrope)	White, lavender	Fragrant

ANNUALS (or plants treated as annuals) - for light shade

• Low - (up to 1 foot)
  • Ageratum
  • Alyssum
  • Baby Blue Eyes (Nemophila)
  • Forget-me-not (Myosotis)
  • Edging Lobelia
  • Pansy
  • Periwinkle (Vinca rosea)
  • Snapdragon (dwarf var.)
  • Wishbone Flower (Torenia)
• Medium growing (1 to 3 feet)
  • Balsam
  • Begonia (tuberous & fibrous rooted)
  • Browallia
  • Calendula
  • Centaurea
  • Chinese Forget-me-nots (Cynoglossum)
  • Clarkia
  • Coleus
  • Godetia
  • Impatiens
  • Larkspur (annual)
  • Lupine
  • Monkey-flower(Mimulus)
  • Nicotiana
  • Periwinkle (Vinca rosea)
  • Phlox (P. drummondi)
  • Salvia
  • Schizanthus
  • Snapdragon
• Tall (more than 3 feet)
  • Cleome

(Adapted from original leaflet by N. Pellett and S. Littlefield, UVM)

Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture. Lawrence Forcier, Director, UVM Extension System, Burlington, Vermont. University of Vermont Extension System and U.S. Department of Agriculture cooperating, offer education and employment to everyone, without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, and marital or familial status.

Last reviewed 2003