8 Popular Shrubs for Shade

A yard full of shade doesn’t have to be empty of flowers and greenery. The north side of most people’s homes and those with large shade trees on their property often believe that they have few options when it comes to filling in the space underneath all that shade. Empty, brown spaces under your trees and sub-par grass and flowers on the shade side of your home don’t have to exist if you don’t want them to. There are plenty of shade loving shrubs you can grow in those areas.

8 Popular Shrubs That Grow Well in Shade

Azaleas

Along with rhododendrons, these are the most popular and best-loved of shade shrubs. They grow best in full or half shade and are loved for their colorful blooms (of all colors) and evergreen foliage. They are often used as hedges, foundation plantings, and so forth.

Barberry

This variety is a good partial-shade shrub which thrives in many growing conditions. Beware its thorny stems, but delight in its red berries and spectacular yellow blooms.

Camelia

Another evergreen shade lover, this beautiful shrub blooms in late winter or early spring with shades of red, pink, white, or can be bicolored. These are popular under tree shrubs. Often, Camelias are sprinkled in with other, later blooming varieties as foundation plantings to create a season of color.

Gardenia

One of the most well known of the shade shrubs, the gardenia varieties are very fragrant plants that thrive in warm climates. They do well in light shade with moist soil, are evergreens, and bloom intensely fragrant white flowers in the spring.

Goat’s Beard

This is an easy to grow shrub that does well in partial shade. Well suited to woodland atmospheres, the white blooms of this beautiful shrub will brighten any area.

Juneberry

Thriving in lightly shaded areas, the Juneberry becomes a mass of small, white flowers in the spring. After they bloom, they produce purple berries in the mid and late summer. This is a beautiful favorite in areas where tall obstructions block the sun for part of the day.

Viburnum

These are shade tolerant shrubs with attractive and fragrant blooms. They are sweet smelling and popular as under story plants to accent overhangs and the edges of decks and other shade producers.

Witch Hazel

Large and beautifully scented, the witch hazel is a popular shade shrub that is often used as a corner or center piece for a foundational array. The lovely yellow flowers bloom in spring time to set off this beautiful plant.

Other options include the always-favorite hydrangeas, several varieties of which are shade-tolerant in varying degrees. Boxwoods, honeysuckle, Carolina spice, and Yew shrubs are also popular shade dwellers for a variety of situations and uses.

Caring for Shade Tolerant Shrubs

Shade shrubs often require less water than their full sun counterparts, but can be susceptible to some problems of nutritional care in some situations. This is especially true under trees, which can leach the soil of nutrients quickly while discouraging undergrowth and natural composting. So care will be required in adding nutrients to the soil to alleviate this.

Want to learn more about shrubs for shade?

Small and Medium Sized Evergreen Shrubs
Evergreen Shrubs
Gardening in the Shade