Pocket BotanistPlant guides · Plant lists
Plants for shade.
Shade is the border most gardens have and fewest people plan for. These plants grow in partial or full shade by their own care profile: woodland natives, ferns, and the shrubs that flower under trees. The line under each name says how much shade it takes, from dappled to deep.
191 plants
A
- American cancer-root Conopholis americana
Shade
- American hogpeanut Amphicarpaea bracteata
Partial shade to full shade
- American hornbeam Carpinus caroliniana
Partial shade to full shade
- American royal fern Osmunda spectabilis
Partial shade to full shade
- Arrowroot Maranta arundinacea
Partial shade to bright indirect light.
- Ashoka tree Saraca asoca
Partial shade to bright indirect light
B
- Begonia
Partial shade to bright indirect light.
- Begonia Begonia × tuberhybrida
Partial shade
- Bigleaf Hydrangea Hydrangea
Partial shade to morning sun
- Bird's nest fern Asplenium nidus
Filtered light or partial shade
- Black bat flower Tacca chantrieri
Partial shade
- Black spleenwort Asplenium adiantum-nigrum
Partial shade to full shade
- Bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis
Partial shade to full shade
- Blue plantain lily Hosta ventricosa
Partial shade to full shade
- Bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta
Partial shade to full shade
- Boston fern Nephrolepis
Filtered light or partial shade
- Boston fern Nephrolepis exaltata
Filtered light or partial shade
- Broad buckler fern Dryopteris dilatata
Partial shade to full shade
- Bugbane Actaea simplex
Partial shade to full shade
- Bugleweed Ajuga reptans
Partial shade to full shade
- Bunchberry Cornus canadensis
Partial shade to full shade
- Busy Lizzie Impatiens
Partial shade to full shade
- Busy Lizzie Impatiens walleriana
Partial shade to full shade
C
- Cacao Theobroma cacao
Dappled shade
- Caladium Caladium bicolor
Partial shade to bright indirect light.
- Camellia
Partial shade to dappled sunlight
- Canada mayflower Maianthemum canadense
Full shade to partial shade
- Cardamom Elettaria cardamomum
Partial shade
- Chinese Evergreen Aglaonema commutatum 'Siam Aurora'
Partial shade to indirect light
- Christmas fern Polystichum acrostichoides
Partial shade to full shade
- Christmas rose Helleborus niger
Partial shade to full shade
- Cinnamon fern Osmundastrum cinnamomeum
Partial shade to full shade
- Climbing fern Lygodium japonicum
Partial shade to bright indirect light.
- Coleus Plectranthus scutellarioides
Partial shade to full shade
- Common dog violet Viola riviniana
Partial shade to full shade
- Common polypody Polypodium vulgare
Partial shade to full shade
- Corpse Lily Rafflesia arnoldii
Deep shade
- Cranefly orchid Tipularia discolor
Dappled shade
- Creeping Fig Ficus pumila
Bright indirect light to partial shade.
- Cutleaf toothwort Cardamine concatenata
Partial shade to full shade
D
- Deadly nightshade Atropa belladonna
Partial shade
- Deer fern Struthiopteris spicant
Partial shade to full shade
- Dog's mercury Mercurialis perennis
Full shade to partial shade
- Doronicum Doronicum orientale
Partial shade to full shade
- Downy rattlesnake plantain Goodyera pubescens
Dappled shade
- Dutchman's breeches Dicentra cucullaria
Partial shade to full shade
E
- Eastern hemlock Tsuga canadensis
Partial shade to full shade
- Ebony Spleenwort Asplenium platyneuron
Partial shade to full shade
- Elephant Ear Colocasia
Partial shade to bright indirect light
- Enchanter's nightshade Circaea lutetiana
Full shade to partial shade
- English Ivy Hedera helix
Partial shade to bright indirect light.
- English yew Taxus baccata
Full sun to full shade
- European sanicle Sanicula europaea
Partial shade to full shade
- Evergreen wood fern Dryopteris intermedia
Partial shade to full shade
F
- False goat's beard Astilbe
Partial shade to full shade
- Feathery false lily of the valley Maianthemum racemosum
Partial shade to full shade
- Flying duck orchid Caleana major
Partial shade
- Forget-me-not Myosotis sylvatica
Partial shade to full shade
- Fragrant plantain lily Hosta plantaginea
Partial shade to full shade
- Fuchsia
Partial shade to full shade
G
- Galangal Alpinia galanga
Partial shade to bright indirect light
- Garlic mustard Alliaria petiolata
Partial shade to full shade
- Ghost orchid Dendrophylax lindenii
Dappled shade
- Ghost plant Monotropa uniflora
Deep shade
- Ginger Zingiber officinale
Partial shade to bright filtered light
- ginger lily Zingiber spectabile
Partial shade to bright indirect light
- Golden-scaled male fern Dryopteris affinis
Partial shade to full shade
- Goutweed Aegopodium podagraria
Partial shade to full shade
- Greater stitchwort Rabelera holostea
Partial shade to dappled sunlight
- Greater wood-rush Luzula sylvatica
Partial shade to full shade
- Green alkanet Pentaglottis sempervirens
Partial shade to full shade
H
- hairy brome Bromus ramosus
partial shade to shade
- Hart's tongue fern Asplenium scolopendrium
Partial shade to full shade
- Hedge woundwort Stachys sylvatica
Partial shade to full shade
- Hepatica Hepatica nobilis
Partial shade to full shade
- Himalayan blue poppy Meconopsis betonicifolia
Partial shade
I
- Indian cucumber root Medeola virginiana
Partial shade to full shade
- Italian arum Arum italicum
Partial shade to full shade
- Ivy-leaved cyclamen Cyclamen hederifolium
Partial shade to full shade
- Ivy-leaved toadflax Cymbalaria muralis
Partial shade to full shade
J
- Jack-in-the-pulpit Arisaema triphyllum
Partial shade to full shade
- Japanese aralia Fatsia japonica
Partial shade to full shade
- Japanese Camellia Camellia japonica
Partial shade to filtered light
- Japanese Maple Acer palmatum
Partial shade to dappled sunlight
- Japanese skimmia Skimmia japonica
Partial shade to full shade
- Japanese stiltgrass Microstegium vimineum
Partial shade to full shade
- Jumpseed Persicaria virginiana
Partial shade to full shade
K
- Kuma bamboo grass Sasa veitchii
Partial shade to full shade
L
- Lady fern Athyrium filix-femina
Partial shade to full shade
- Lady's slipper orchid Cypripedium calceolus
Partial shade
- Leatherleaf Fern Rumohra adiantiformis
Partial shade to full shade
- Lenten rose Helleborus orientalis
Partial shade to full shade
- Lily of the Valley Convallaria majalis
Partial shade to full shade
- Liverworts Marchantiophyta
Partial shade to full shade
- Lords and Ladies Arum maculatum
Partial shade to full shade
- lousewort Pedicularis sylvatica
partial shade
- Lungwort Pulmonaria officinalis
Partial shade to full shade
M
- Maidenhair fern Adiantum capillus-veneris
Filtered light or partial shade
- Maidenhair spleenwort Asplenium trichomanes
Partial shade to full shade
- Male fern Dryopteris filix-mas
Partial shade to full shade
- Mangosteen Garcinia mangostana
Partial shade to bright indirect light
- Mapleleaf viburnum Viburnum acerifolium
Partial shade to full shade
- Marginal wood fern Dryopteris marginalis
Partial shade to full shade
- Marsh violet Viola palustris
Partial shade to full shade
- Masterwort Astrantia major
Partial shade to full shade
- Mayapple Podophyllum peltatum
Partial shade to full shade
- Mondo grass Ophiopogon japonicus
Partial shade to full shade
- Monkey face orchid Dracula simia
Filtered shade
- Mountain Laurel Kalmia latifolia
Partial shade to partial sun
N
- New York fern Amauropelta noveboracensis
Partial shade to full shade
- Northern maidenhair fern Adiantum pedatum
Partial shade to full shade
- Northern sea oats Chasmanthium latifolium
Part shade to full shade
- Northern spicebush Lindera benzoin
Partial shade to full shade
- Northern starflower Lysimachia borealis
Partial shade to full shade
- Nutmeg Myristica fragrans
Partial shade to bright indirect light
O
- Opposite-leaved golden-saxifrage Chrysosplenium oppositifolium
Partial shade to full shade
- Orange jewelweed Impatiens capensis
Partial shade to full shade
P
- Pagoda flower Clerodendrum paniculatum
Partial shade to bright filtered light
- Parlor palm Chamaedorea elegans
Bright indirect light to partial shade.
- Parrot flower Impatiens psittacina
Partial shade
- Partridgeberry Mitchella repens
Partial shade to full shade
- Peace Lily Spathiphyllum wallisii
Partial shade to indirect light
- Pendulous sedge Carex pendula
Partial shade to full shade
- Perennial honesty Lunaria rediviva
Partial shade to full shade
- periwinkle Vinca minor
partial shade to full shade
- Pink Lady's Slipper Cypripedium acaule
Dappled shade
- Plantain Lily Hosta
Partial shade to full shade
- Primrose Primula vulgaris
Partial shade to full shade
- Purple cyclamen Cyclamen purpurascens
Partial shade to full shade
R
- Ramsons Allium ursinum
Partial shade to full shade
- Rattlesnake fern Botrypus virginianus
Full shade to partial shade
- Red baneberry Actaea rubra
Partial shade to full shade
- Red trillium Trillium erectum
Partial shade to full shade
- remote sedge Carex remota
Partial shade to full shade
- Resurrection fern Pleopeltis michauxiana
Partial shade
- Rhododendron
Partial shade
- Rough chervil Chaerophyllum temulum
Partial shade to full shade
- Royal fern Osmunda regalis
Partial to full shade
- Rue anemone Anemonella thalictroides
Partial shade to full shade
S
- Salal Gaultheria shallon
Partial shade to full shade
- Salmonberry Rubus spectabilis
Partial shade to full shade
- Sensitive fern Onoclea sensibilis
Partial shade to full shade
- Siberian tea Bergenia crassifolia
Partial shade to full shade
- Siebold's Hosta Hosta sieboldiana
Partial shade to full shade
- Silver tree fern Alsophila dealbata
Partial shade to dappled light
- Sims azalea Rhododendron simsii
Partial shade
- Skunk cabbage Symplocarpus foetidus
Partial shade to full shade
- slender false brome Brachypodium sylvaticum
Partial shade to full shade
- Snake fruit Salacca zalacca
Partial shade to bright indirect light
- Soft shield fern Polystichum setiferum
Partial to full shade
- Soft Tree Fern Dicksonia antarctica
Partial shade to full shade
- Southern running-cedar Diphasiastrum digitatum
Partial shade to full shade
- Spanish Shawl Heterocentron elegans
Partial shade to bright indirect light
- Spotted dead-nettle Lamium maculatum
Partial shade to full shade
- Spur flower Plectranthus
Bright indirect light is best, though some varieties handle partial shade.
- Starry false lily of the valley Maianthemum stellatum
Partial shade to full shade
- Striped maple Acer pensylvanicum
Partial shade to full shade
- Striped wintergreen Chimaphila maculata
Partial shade to full shade
- Sweet box Sarcococca confusa
Partial shade to full shade
- Sweet violet Viola odorata
Partial shade to full shade
T
- three-nerved sandwort Moehringia trinervia
Partial shade to full shade
- Torch Ginger Etlingera elatior
Partial shade to bright indirect light
- Trout Lily Erythronium americanum
Partial shade
- Trumpet gentian Gentiana acaulis
Partial shade
- Tuberous Begonia Begonia boliviensis
Partial shade to bright indirect light
- Turmeric Curcuma longa
Partial shade to bright indirect light
V
- Vanilla orchid Vanilla planifolia
Partial shade to bright indirect light
- Variegated Lilyturf Liriope muscari
Partial shade to full shade
- Virginia bluebells Mertensia virginica
Partial shade to full shade
W
- Wall-rue Asplenium ruta-muraria
Partial shade to full shade
- Welsh poppy Papaver cambricum
Partial shade to full shade
- Western sword fern Polystichum munitum
Partial shade to full shade
- Western trillium Trillium ovatum
Partial shade to full shade
- White Avens Geum canadense
Partial shade to full shade
- White Snakeroot Ageratina altissima
Partial shade to full shade
- White Trillium Trillium grandiflorum
Partial shade to full shade
- Wild Blue Phlox Phlox divaricata
Partial shade to full shade
- Wild Geranium Geranium maculatum
Partial shade to full shade
- Wild sarsaparilla Aralia nudicaulis
Partial shade to full shade
- Winter Daphne Daphne odora
Partial shade
- Winter Purslane Claytonia perfoliata
Partial shade to full shade
- Wintergreen Gaultheria procumbens
Partial shade to full shade
- Wollemi pine Wollemia nobilis
Partial shade to bright indirect light
- wood anemone Anemone quinquefolia
partial shade to full shade
- Wood anemone Anemone nemorosa
Partial shade to full shade
- Wood Avens Geum urbanum
Partial shade to full shade
- wood sedge Carex sylvatica
Partial shade to full shade
- Wood sorrel Oxalis acetosella
Partial shade to full shade
- wood speedwell Veronica montana
Partial shade to full shade
Y
- Yellow Archangel Lamium galeobdolon
Partial shade to full shade
- Yellow pimpernel Lysimachia nemorum
Partial shade to full shade
Not sure what you have? Photograph it.
Pocket Botanist names a plant from a photo and shows its light, water and safety profile the moment it does. Identification is free.
More lists
These lists are built from AI-generated care guides checked against GBIF taxonomy. They are general information, not horticultural or veterinary advice. Read about how we build these guides.