Even in the most shaded areas of the garden, you can find hardy, shade-loving flowers and plants that produce stunning blooms and beautiful foliage. You don’t have to abandon the dream of a beautiful garden if you have tall trees or a small area of sunlight. Low-light plants are much more common than you might realize. Below is a comprehensive list of low-light plants that will bring life to your garden.
Thirteen Low-Light Plants to Add to Your Garden
Coral Bells
Coral bells don’t need much sunlight to thrive in the garden. In fact, their foliage can even burn if they are placed in too much sun. These low-light plants produce beautiful colors ranging from green to purple, with delicate bell-shaped flowers that bloom throughout spring and summer. This plant can also be grown indoors and in most planting zones.
Vinca Minor-Periwinkle
Vinca Minor can be used around trees and in shaded areas of your garden. These beautiful low-light plants are an excellent choice for filling in empty spaces. They produce glossy green leaves and periwinkle flowers. They thrive in acidic soil.
Peace Lily
Peace Lilies can be grown both indoors or outdoors. They are a great way to purify the air and add an attractive touch to your landscape. This plant is best suited for low-light areas because of its dark green leaves and bright white flowers.
Hydrangea
These perennial beauty plants should be planted in an area that only gets a few hours of sunshine per day. They are bright and fragrant and come in various colors, including pink, purple, and white. Some cultivars have their flowers colored according to the soil’s pH levels.
Bleeding Heart
Bleeding heart is one of the most rewarding low-light plants you can add to your garden. This plant is most sought-after in early spring. It produces bright pink and white heart-shaped flowers. These beautiful plants are easy to grow and can be spread to other parts of your garden. You can also easily remove extra unwanted plants from your garden and share the love with neighbors and friends.
Impatiens
The impatiens, a shade-loving perennial, rewards gardeners with endless blooms throughout the year. These plants can bring a lot of color to the garden’s shady areas and can be planted in hanging baskets or containers. This plant is not cold-hardy and will die at the first frost.
Coleus
Annual coleus is a low-light plant with striking texture and bright colors. These are wonderful additions to container gardens and can
brighten up dark areas in any shade garden. This plant produces velvety leaves in rich reds, purples, yellows, and greens.
Lady Fern
The lady fern adds texture and produces gorgeous plumes of foliage, unlike any other plant in shade gardens. Although they do not require much sunlight, lady ferns need well-watered, moist soil. They can reach up to two feet in width and height and should be well spaced out in the garden.
Lily of the Valley
Lily of the Valley is a stunning addition to shade gardens as groundcover plants. It is a prolific spreader and produces delicate, bell-shaped white flowers.
Begonia
Begonias can be planted in containers, hanging baskets, or ground. They do not require much light to thrive and little to no maintenance. These plants are drought-tolerant and can be found in the most shaded areas of the garden.
Pulmonaria
Much like the bleeding heart, Pulmonaria is one of the first perennial flowers to bloom in the early spring. This plant, also known as ‘Lungwort,’ is a great accent plant for a shade garden. It thrives in low light conditions and is easy to grow. This mid-sized plant produces bell-shaped blooms in a variety of colors. It is similar to the hydrangea, which changes its colors depending on the soil’s pH.
Caladium – Elephant Ear
Caladium bulbs can be planted to produce a rich, billowing selection of leaf that looks like elephant ears. The plant is easy to care for and can thrive in low-light conditions. The bulb can be left in the ground during winter, but it may not come back in spring.
Hosta
You can add traditional or variegated hosta plants to the foundation of your house or any shady areas in your garden. It is easy to care for and grow. However, deer enjoy eating the leaves as much as gardeners.
