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When you’re designing and brainstorming the best plants for a shade garden, you’re not beholden to ground covers and tiny flowers. While full sun might sound like a requirement for having tall plants, that’s not the case for these shade-loving flowers, trees, and shrubs.
For a little height, there are tall shade plants that’ll add a little visual flourish to garden beds, planters, and borders that are low to the ground. Read on for a list of the best shade plants that’ll spruce up your backyard.
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01
of 14Yew
Credit: Alexander Denisenko / Getty Images
One of the best ways to make the most of not-so-sunny spaces in your garden is through shrubs that love shade like yew trees. The needles are evergreen, so they’ll be bushy, tall, and voluminous year-round. If you want a short variety, choose something like the T. baccata ‘Repandens’; if you’re after something taller, Taxus × media ‘Hicksii’ grows up to 15 feet tall.
- USDA zone: 4–7
- Mature size: 4—60 ft. tall
- Light: Full or partial shade
- Soil: Well-draining soil that’s loamy and moist
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02
of 14Rhododendron
Credit: The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
Nothing catches your eye quite like a wall of rhododendrons. With a wide range of heights and plenty of beautiful color options (from bold red to yellow to purple), this flowering bush is a pretty addition to your shady garden. You can expect blooms from spring all the way into fall.
- USDA zone: 4–7
- Mature size: 4—60 ft. tall
- Light: Full or partial shade
- Soil: Well-draining soil that’s loamy and moist
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03
of 14Mountain Laurel
Credit: The Spruce / K. Dave
Mountain laurel is a safe choice if you’re working with an area of your garden that gets shade all day or for most of the day. This flowering, tall-growing shrub can handle deep shade (though it does best in partial). It’s happy in a planter or when placed directly into the ground if your soil isn’t clay-based or too soggy.
- USDA zone: 4–9
- Mature size: 5–15 ft. tall
- Light: Partial shade
- Soil: Moist, well-drained, and acidic
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04
of 14Canadian Hemlock
Credit: The Spruce / Adrienne Legault
There are a handful of trees that grow in shade, too, and are a surefire way to get extra height in your garden. Its needles won’t leave a mess all over your lawn, and its droopy shape stands out from other styles of trees. Although it’s a relatively slow grower, you can expect one to two feet of height per year.
- USDA zone: 3–7
- Mature size: Up to 70 ft. tall
- Light: Partial shade to full sun
- Soil: Acidic and moist
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05
of 14Camellia
Credit: The Spruce / Kara Riley
The beautiful folds and vibrant hue of camellias make them a worthy candidate for your garden, as they provide the benefits of both flowers and shrubs, growing up to 12 feet tall. They’re pretty low maintenance too, but will need consistently moist soil.
- USDA zone: 7–9
- Mature size: 2–12 ft. tall
- Light: Partial shade
- Soil: Acidic, rich, and moist but well-draining
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06
of 14Fiddlehead Ferns
Credit: The Spruce / K. Dave
Also called an ostrich fern, these fluffy fronds can survive in wet, dark forests, so they’ll undoubtedly thrive in a shadier patch of your garden. Their unique curled heads and bright green color give your backyard texture and deer won’t touch them.
- USDA zone: 3–7
- Mature size: 3–4 ft. tall
- Light: Full shade to partial sun
- Soil: Moist, slightly acidic, rich, and well-draining
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07
of 14Boxwood
Credit: Marina Denisenko
For homeowners and avid gardeners seeking out that chic topiary look, you can’t beat boxwoods. These shrubs don’t mind shade and prefer a dappled light over bright full sun any day. You can let them grow freely, or shape and prune them however you like up until late fall.
- USDA zone: 5–9
- Mature size: 2–8 ft. tall
- Light: Partial shade
- Soil: Loamy soil that’s neutral to alkaline
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08
of 14Leopard Plant
Credit: The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
Leopard plants do wonderfully in shade, but they do still appreciate regular watering and rich soil. You’ll notice their bright yellow flowers appear in early to late summer. As a perennial, you can expect them to come back year after year with the right care.
- USDA zone: 7–9
- Mature size: 1–3 ft. tall
- Light: Shade to partial sun
- Soil: Acidic to neutral soil that’s moist but drains well
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09
of 14Bleeding Hearts
Credit: The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
The flowers of bleeding heart plants are like miniature ornaments for your garden. While they’re not as tall as some other shrubs, they can reach up to 3 feet in height, which adds volume to any bed, planter, or pot. Just keep an eye out for aphids, which are known to like (and destroy) these flowers.
- USDA zone: 3–9
- Mature size: 1–3 ft. tall
- Light: Full to partial shade
- Soil: Moist and neutral, but well draining
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10
of 14Japanese Maple
Credit: The Spruce / Adrienne Legault
Depending on how tall of a plant you’d like for the shady spot in your garden, a Japanese maple is a nice choice. You can find them in both dwarf and taller varieties. Their bold foliage and unique shape (especially weeping varieties) enliven any patch of land.
- USDA zone: 5–9
- Mature size: Up to 25 feet tall
- Light: Partial sun
- Soil: Acidic, moist soil that drains well
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11
of 14Bamboo
Credit: The Spruce / Valerie deLeón
Specific types of bamboo are better suited for shade, including black pearl, sasa, and arrow varieties. This extremely tall and strong plant makes for a great statement in your garden and is perfect for improving privacy.
- USDA zone: 5–10 (depending on variety)
- Mature size: Up to 18 feet tall
- Light: Partial shade to full sun
- Soil: Slightly acidic and loamy
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12
of 14Hydrangeas
Credit: The Spruce / Claire Cohen Bates
Hydrangeas bring a lot to the metaphorical garden table—they’re simple to grow and with a few adjustments to the soil pH, you can get blue, white, pink, red, and purple flowers. While some varieties prefer full sun, many do just fine in partial shade. In hot locations, it’s actually better that they don’t get hot sun all day long.
- USDA zone: 5–9
- Mature size: 2–20 ft. tall
- Light: Partial to full
- Soil: Moist but well-draining. Happy with various pHs.
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13
of 14Coast Leucothoe
Credit: The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
For reddish and green leaves and pretty cupped flowers, coast leucothoe makes a great option. This shrub is perfectly fine with handling partial sunlight and a couple of hours of deep shade. Although it’s part of the blueberry (or heath) family, this plant is highly poisonous and shouldn’t be consumed.
- USDA zone: 5—9
- Mature size: 2–6 ft. tall
- Light: Partial shade
- Soil: Moist and acidic soil that’s well-draining
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14
of 14Foxglove
Credit: The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
Foxgloves are an interesting option, as these are a great choice for shadier gardens if you live in a hotter climate. Otherwise, they’re happy with full sun. There are varieties that handle shade well, like Digitalis x mertonensis and Digitalis parviflora.
- USDA zone: 4–10
- Mature size: 2–5 ft. tall
- Light: Partial shade to full sun
- Soil: Acidic, loamy, and well-draining
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