10 Favorite Shade Perennials
There are so many perennials we love it was hard to choose just ten. To learn about our hundreds of favorite perennials, please come in and visit us at the nursery.
Astilbe 'Fanal'
The feathery foliage of this Astilbe emerges red in the spring and fades to green. Plumes of red flowers in June and July and are great in bouquets. Astilbe love moist soils which make them great along ponds or in the deep parts of raingardens.
- Part sun to full shade
- 18-24" tall and wide
- Zones 3-9
- Combine with Acorus 'Ogon', Persicaria 'Red Dragon' or red twig dogwood
Beesia deltophylla
Besides "BEEE ZEE UH" being fun to say it is also fun to grow. Beautiful, shiny bronze leaves are evergreen! Tiny clusters of white fringe flowers are a darling contrast to the large leaves. It is a slow and low growing perennial which makes it ideal for small gardens and under-planting shrubs.
- Full to partial shade
- Well-drained, moist soil
- 18-24" tall and wide
- Zones 6-8
- Combine with Kirengeshoma, Tricyrtis, Hakonechloa
Brunnera 'Emerald Mist' - Bulgloss
This stunning Brunnera is an improved form of the Langtrees variety. Its large heart-shaped leaves are pattered with white spots. The foliage is complimented by baby blue forget-me-not flowers March through May. Emerald Mist is stunning in the front of a garden bed and it is deer resistant!
- Morning sun, partial shade
- Moderate moisture
- 14" tall 24"wide
- Zones 4-9
- Combine with Hosta 'August Moon', Ophiopogon (Black Mondo Grass), Acanthus or Carex 'Bowles Golden'
Cimicifuga racemosa 'Brunette' (Actea) – Bugbane
Sultry, dark foliage with feathery, pink buds that explode into white fragrant flower spikes stalks in fall. Brunette is a stately, upright, and narrow plant, that adds striking texture and architecture to the garden. The leaves will be darker if it gets at least four hours of direct sun.
- Full to part sun
- Moderate moisture
- 4-6' tall 2-3' wide
- Zones 3-9
- Combine with Choisya 'Sundace', Fuchsia 'Golden Gate', Heuchera 'Green Spice' or Astrantia
Cyclamen coum and hederifloium
Hardy Cyclamen
These two Cyclamen have small flowers in shades of pink and white which look as if someone turned them inside out. C. coum blooms late winter into spring while its rounded heart shaped leaves are up. C. hederifolium blooms fall into winter often before the stunning jagged heart shaped leaves emerge. Both species have unique silver patterning on the leaves. Both species will slowly create a carpeting groundcover. To experience a breath taking display visit the Rhodendron gardens in Portland.
- Full to part shade
- Well drained soil
- Drought tolerant
- 4" tall 6-12" wide
- Zones 6-9
- Combine with Oxalis adenophyllum, Ophiopogon (Black Mondo Grass), Rhododendron, or Aspidistra
Disporum cantoniese 'Night Heron'
This plant emerges in March with rich black stems reminiscent of bamboo. Shiny ebony foliage unfurls and then droplets of creamy bell-shaped flowers rain from the branches in June. Night Heron has a stately, upright structure and adds a unique vertical accent to the shade garden.
- Morning sun to shade
- Well drained soil
- 5-6' tall 3'wide
- Zones 6-9
- Combine with Autumn Fern, Dwarf Hinoki Cypress, Hosta, or Sarcococca
Epimedium: Barrenwort
All the Epimediums are fabulous with their airy sprays of early spring flowers that come in shades of yellow, orange, white, pink or lavender. Many varieties are evergreen such as, E. warleyenese and 'Rainbow Shades'. Other varieties such as E. 'Rubrum' and 'Frohnleiten' have stunning bronze new growth. Epimediums will slowly spread to create a low maintenance ground cover. They even grow in difficult conditions like dry shade.
- Morning sun, dappled shade
- Drought tolerant
- Height ranges from 6-20" tall all spread
- Zones 5-9
- Combine with Japanese Maples, Pulmonaria, Narcissus and Heuchera.
Helleborus orientalis hybrids
Lenten Rose
The orientalis hybrids offer a huge range of flower diversity such picotee edge, double bloom, exquisite spotting in the flowers and upward facing flowers. The oreintalis hybrids are quite easy to grow and often reseed in your garden. Their large, evergreen leaves can be cut off at bloom time to accentuate the flowers, or left for foliar enjoyment.
- Morning sun to shade
- Slightly drought tolerant but prefers moist well-drained soils
- 18-24" tall 30"wide
- Zones 4-9
- Combine with ferns, Corydalis, Dicentra, or under trees and shrubs.
Heuchera 'Peach Flambe'
Heuchera are so useful in the garden for edging beds and tucking into pots. Their leaves come in a rainbow of colors and are practically evergreen. Peach Flambe is one of the many Heuchera that perform well in full sun and partial shade. It has rich ruffled orange leaves with red undersides that glow in the sun. Red spikes open to white flowers in spring.
- Full to part sun
- Tolerates a wide range of soil types and water
- 8-14" tall 16" wide
- Zone 4-9
- Combine with Manzanita, frosy blue and gold Sedum and Delospermum nubigenium
Saxifraga 'London Pride'
This Saxifraga sports large rosettes of spoon shaped scalloped leaves that are flecked with yellow spots. It adds great texture to the garden year round. In spring, surprisingly cute pink flowers float above the foliage. London Pride is great in the front of the border or in pots. It tolerates dry shade as well as quite a bit of sun.
- Full sun to part shade
- Drought tolerant
- Well drained soil
- 12" tall and wide
- Zone 6-8
- Combine with Anemone japonica, Convallaria, Crocus, and Ophiopogon japonica 'Nana'
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