These Flowers Actually Thrive in Shady Gardens

This pretty, low-growing perennial, also known as perennial geranium, has a lovely spicy-minty scent that also repels deer and rabbits. Cranesbill tolerates full sun but is more of a shade perennial. They have small white, pink, or purple flowers that bloom in late spring.

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The delicate creeping foliage of Irish moss forms dense mats in the garden. When its tiny white flowers bloom in late spring, it looks irresistibly beautiful. Give it lots of moisture and shade, though it will tolerate some morning sun.

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With such an adorable name, you have to grow this shade perennial! Toad lily, named for its spotted flowers, blooms in mid-to-late summer. It needs part-to-full shade to do best.

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Creeping Jenny has a beautiful chartreuse color with tiny yellow flowers that appear in spring. Make sure to plant it somewhere you don’t mind it spreading, as it can take over an area in a hurry (though it’s easy to pull, if you don’t want it spreading).

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Also known as periwinkle, this charming groundcover tolerates full shade or a little morning sun. The pretty blue flowers of this shade perennial appear in late spring.

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Lily of the valley has darling bell-shaped flowers with a strong floral scent. This perennial spreads rapidly, so plant it where it won’t take over, such as between a house and a sidewalk. The fragrant flowers appear in spring.

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The bletilla, or ground orchid, is a sturdy plant that loves moisture, so make sure to water deeply if you haven’t had rain in a few days. This shade perennial will tolerate morning sun, and the pretty orchid-like blooms appear in early summer.

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Hostas do well in shade, but for best leaf coloration, give them some morning sun. They’re also a favorite of Bambi, so avoid planting (or protect with chicken wire cages) if deer frequent your garden. They do get tiny spikes of flowers that hummingbirds love in mid-summer.

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The striking flowers of this shade perennial make it worth planting! A bleeding heart takes several years to show its stuff, so be patient, and you’ll be rewarded. Give it mostly shade with some morning sun for the best blooms. The flowers are pure white, red, or pink, and they appear in late spring.

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With variegated gold and green foliage, Japanese forest grass lights up shady corners of your garden. It does prefer moist soils, but the beautiful arching leaves are deer-resistant.

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Also called tiarella, the beautiful pale pink spikes of foamflower appear in late spring. When planted in masses, they resemble foam from a distance! The delicate flowers bloom for more than a month.

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Also known by the not-so-glamorous name of dead nettle, this shade perennial makes a beautiful, low-maintenance ground cover. It tolerates sun but spreads faster in shade gardens. With silvery splashes on its foliage, lamium flowers bloom in pink, white, or purple in late spring to early summer.

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The feathery flowers of astilbe appear in late spring, adding gorgeous, saturated color to the shade garden. They come in a variety of colors, including white and various shades of pink. The stunning plumes appear in summer; they’re also deer-resistant.

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The burnished fronds of autumn fern add subtle color to shady areas of your yard. They’ll tolerate a little morning sun, but they do best in full shade. They’ll spread rapidly in the right environment. They’re also deer-resistant.

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The foliage of this shade perennial grows in an interesting ladder-like form, but the striking blue flowers are the real showstoppers. Make sure Jacob’s ladder receives a few hours of sun each day for the best blooms. The flowers bloom for weeks in late spring to early summer.

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Bunchberry is a low-growing groundcover that does well in shady areas. The white flowers, which resemble dogwood blossoms (it’s in the same family), become bright red berries in the fall.

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A mat of low-growing foliage makes this shade perennial an excellent groundcover. In summer, bright blue spikes of flowers appear on bugleweed. It can be an aggressive spreader, so make sure to contain it if you don’t want it growing everywhere.

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Available in a wide range of colors from burgundy to chartreuse, coral bells make for a lovely groundcover. Tiny bell-shaped flowers, which hummingbirds love, appear early to mid-summer. Coral bells, also called heuchera, are deer- and rabbit-resistant.

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Columbines are early- to mid-spring bloomers, offering much-needed food early in the season for pollinators. The intricate flowers look delicate, but it’s a tough shade perennial that will return for several years. Many types reseed themselves.

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