It may be the question most often asked by unhappy gardeners: "My yard is nothing but shade. I don't know what to do. Help!"

That hint of desperation in their tone is born from the mistaken belief that a shady yard or corner is doomed to never hold a garden. In fact, a garden with light or dappled shade has an absolute wealth of plant choices available. Yards with medium to deep shade may face a somewhat more limited selection, but there are still plenty of plant from which to choose. It's a rare spot that has so much shade that no ornamental plant will grow. Best of all, many plants will also bloom in a shady corner, and it's the flowers that count for many gardeners.

That said, to find those shade-loving plants that will work best for your own "problem spot," keep these factors in mind:

First, all shade is not created equal. At its simplest, shade falls into one of these categories:

Light or partial shade is present when plants receive filtered but not direct sun or when areas get direct sun for only a couple of hours in early morning or late afternoon. This shade is where most shade-lovers do best. Darker-colored plants tend to show off to best advantage here, too.

With full shade, plants receive no direct sun during the day but they do receive "reflected light." This type of shade might be found under the canopy of a mature tree, or at the base of a north-facing wall. Some shade lovers that thrive in partial shade will also grow in full shade, but bloom time or plant size may be affected.

Deep shade is usually characterized by a continuous "dusk-like" quality, even during the height of day. Unfortunately, this is one of the most difficult areas in which to grow plants successfully. Heavy shade is an area that gets almost no direct light (under a low deck, for example). Very little will grow here successfully.

Second, if your shaded situation is caused by large trees or shrubs directly above where you wish to plant, be aware that new research has shown that most of a tree's root system exists in the top 2 feet of soil. That means that you would not only have to dig through these feeder roots to plant a shade garden (which will probably both stress your tree and aggravate you), your plants will have to compete with the tree for water and. Because the root system on a tree is so large, it's usually the winner in this sort of competition. Try to locate your garden as far away from the main trunks of any large tree as you can to avoid these problems. Since many shade plants are native to woodlands, where they enjoy the filtered light provided by tree canopies, you're still in luck if you need to garden near trees.

Third, the sad truth is that almost all vegetables and even most herbs are sun-lovers. Very few do their best in a shady location. If your heart is set on raising veggies but your perfect garden site doesn't get full sun, try planting bush varieties in containers and place the pots wherever you DO get at least eight hours of sun, even if that means plopping a few down on the front steps.

So with those few hints in mind, check out a few of our favorite shade-loving plants below.

Monkshood or wolfsbane

  • A relative of the delphinium, wolfsbane or monkshood (Aconitum carmichaelii, Zones 3 to 7) has beautiful blue flowers and dark green divided foliage. These flowers bloom in late summer or autumn, adding color when the garden is short of blue flowers. The wind may tip over monkshood stalks if they are not planted in a protected spot. Stake the flower stalks to prevent this. Note: Monkshood plants are especially poisonous.
  • Some well-known cultivars include ‘Bressingham Spire', which has dark violet flowers and ‘Bicolor', with both blue and white flowers. Note: Monkshoods are poisonous.
  • Best in light shade.


Akebia or chocolate vine

  • A relatively unknown vine, Akebia quinata, Zones 5 to 9, (sometimes called chocolate vine on account of its fragrant flowers) has attractive foliage that may remind you of a tiny tropical umbrella tree. These hardy vines can become large-to 30 feet-and engulf smaller structures in the garden if they're not firmly anchored. Akebias bloom in early spring with purplish flower clusters that are commonly hidden by the foliage. These flowers give way to edible fruits.
  • Another species, A. trifoliata, is also sometimes grown. It's much like its cousin, except it has leaves divided into three leaflets instead of five. There's also a white-flowering variety.
  • Best in light shade.



Astilbe

  • Must-haves for the moist shade garden, astibles (Astilbe spp., Zones 4 to 8) send up beautiful, feathery plumes in summer. The blooms range in color from red to pink on into white and even lavender. The height ranges from less than a foot tall to more than 5 feet. In addition to their attractive flowers, astilbes have divided foliage that's often infused with reddish or bronzy tones.
  • Some especially nice astilbe cultivars include ‘Fanal' with dark red flowers, ‘Deutschland' with white flowers, and ‘Rheinland' with pink flowers.
  • Best in light to medium shade.



Bellflowers

  • A large group of plants, most bellflowers (Campanula spp.) have bell-shaped flowers in shades of blue, white, or pink. While not every bellflower is well suited to the shade garden, low-growing C. poscharskyana (Zones 4 to 7), C. carpatica (Zones 4 to 7), and C. medium (Zones 5 to 8), are shade tolerant.
  • Best in light shade.



Bleeding heart

  • A must-have for the shade garden, bleeding hearts (Dicentra spp.) offer very fine-textured, ferny foliage and delicate, intriguing flowers. There are several different types-the old-fashioned bleeding heart has the largest flowers; unfortunately it goes dormant by midsummer. The fern-leafed types have smaller flowers but bloom through the season.
  • The old-fashioned bleeding heart. D. spectabilis (Zones 3 to 9), grows to 4 feet tall and has chains of pink or white flowers. There are a number of fern-leafed types (hardy in Zones 4 to 8), including the cultivars ‘Bountiful', which has pink flowers, ‘Bacchanal', which blooms red, and ‘Aurora', which is white. Also, in milder parts of the country, look for the yellow bleeding heart - D. scandens - a vine hardy Zones 6 to 8.
  • Best in light to medium shade


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Browallia

  • This lovely annual, Browallia speciosa, bears many star-shaped blue flowers in summer and has appealing foliage. Browallias make great mates for some of the cooler-colored impatiens, or stand well by themselves. The plants also perform well in baskets and containers. (For a stunning combination, combine them in containers with impatiens and trailing lobelia.)
  • Best in light to medium shade.



Bugbane

  • Bugbane (previously Cimicifuga spp., now Actaea spp., Zones 4 to 8) is a taller, late-blooming shade garden gem that sends up spikes of white or creamy flowers that look something like wands. Some bugbanes have blooms that smell somewhat unpleasant; be sure not to plant these near your fragrant shade plants. When not in bloom, the plants have attractive astilbe-like foliage, that in some cultivars is deep purplish-green.
  • Some of the purple-leafed cutivars are ‘Atropurpurea' and ‘Brunette'. Both have plumes of white flowers and grow to about 4 feet.
  • Best in light to medium shade.



Christmas rose

  • The Christmas rose (Helleborus spp.) is the first perennial to bloom in many gardens. If you look close, you might see its resemblance to its cousins-the columbine and clematis. Christmas roses have dark green, leathery foliage that's evergreen in many areas. The flowers appear in shades of white, pink, green, and red, often before the snow has melted. One of the hardiest species is H. orientalis, the Lenten rose. Another common hellebore is H. niger, the Christmas rose. Both are hardy in Zones 4 to 8.
  • Note: Like its cousin, the monkshood, the hellebores are very poisonous.
  • Best in light to medium shade.



Columbine

  • Few plants are as graceful as the columbine (Aquilegia spp., Zones 3 to 9). These relatives of monkshood and clematis bear odd, spurred flowers in summer. These flowers appear in almost every color of the rainbow, including white, black, and bicolors. In addition to their beautiful blossoms, columbines have attractive fan-shaped foliage. Columbines are famous for self-seeding in the garden, though the seedlings from hybrids rarely look like their parents.
  • A. canadensis is a native columbine with red and yellow flowers. A. flabellata, the fan columbine, is a dwarf species with rich blue flowers and especially attractive blue-green foliage.
  • Best in light to medium shade.



Corydalis

  • A group of plants related to the bleeding heart, most species of corydalis (Corydalis spp.) have beautiful, ferny foliage and clusters of flowers in shades of yellow, white, pink, red, purple, and even blue. I've found C. lutea (Zones 5 to 8) is the easiest shade garden plants to grow-it self-seeds in many gardens and blooms all season long, adding cheerful yellow flowers to the shady border.
  • Another corydalis that's gotten a lot of attention is C. flexuosa - which has fragrant blue flowers in spring and sometimes again in autumn. It's hardy Zones 6 to 8.
  • Best in light to medium shade.



Dutchman's pipe

  • Dutchman's pipe (Aristolochia macrophylla, Zones 5 to 8) produces another of the most distinctive flowers in the shade garden (though the blooms are usually hidden beneath the leaves). These vines usually have heart-shaped foliage and pipe-shaped flowers in shades of white, green, and purple. The plants can become quite large-place them well to prevent any structures from collapsing. It's hardy Zones 5 to 8.
  • Best in light shade.



Forget-me-not

  • Forget-me-not (Myosotis spp., Zones 5 to 9) is prized ground cover in the shady conditions and has flowers in a rare shade of blue. A biennial, this plant self-seeds readily in many gardens and can become a pest if left unchecked. Given that, it's well worth growing it for the lovely springtime flowers.
  • For added variety, be on the lookout for white- and pink-flowering cultivars such as ‘Snowball' or ‘Victoria Rose'.
  • Best in light to medium shade.



Foxglove

  • Another old-fashioned favorite, foxgloves (Digitalis spp.) have spikes of showy flowers in a range of colors from white to purple. The most common species, D. purpurea (Zones 4 to 8), is a biennial that self-seeds happily in many gardens, giving it the appearance of being a perennial.
  • A true perennial species, the strawberry foxglove (D. x mertonensis) has lovely pinkish flowers and doesn't grow as tall. Other perennial species of foxglove include D. grandiflora and D. lutea, both of which have yellow flowers and are hardy in Zone 3 to 9.
  • Best in light to medium shade.



Geranium

  • True geraniums (Geranium spp.), not to be confused with their annual cousins, are often overlooked in the shade garden. Most have attractive divided foliage and bloom in a very wide range of colors-from nearly black to white. Some are ground covers, where others grow a couple of feet tall.
  • One especially well-known cultivar is ‘Johnson's Blue' (Zones 4 to 8). It has lavender-blue flowers in summer. One of the longest-blooming species is G. sanguineum (Zones 4 to 8), which blooms much of the season and has foliage that colors nicely in autumn.
  • Best in light shade.



Iris

  • While many gardeners are most familiar with the showy, fragrant flowers of tall bearded irises, some gems in this group native to woodlands are wonderful additions to the shade garden. One of these is Iris cristata (Zones 4 to 8), a very dwarf species with bluish flowers in spring. Different cultivars bloom in a range of colors, but not to the extent of their taller cousins.
  • Siberian irises, I. Siberica (Zones 4 to 9), can take a small amount of shade, as well, especially in hot climates.
  • Best in light shade.



Lily-of-the-valley

  • Commonly known as lily-of-the-valley (Convallaria majalis, Zones 2 to 7), this old-fashioned perennial is one of the hardiest plants in the shade garden. Established clumps can go on for years with virtually no care. In spring, lily-of-the-valley sends up small shoots with white, bell-shaped flowers that are wonderfully fragrant. These flowers often give way to red, berry-like fruits. Lily-of-the-valley foliage is also attractive-the leaves are blue-green and oval-shaped. For a twist on the lily-of-the-valley, look for the cultivars ‘Rosea' which has pink flowers or ‘Albostriata' which has white-striped leaves.
  • Two quick cautions: Lily-of-the-valley can be aggressive, and must be watched to keep it from outgrowing its location. Also: All parts of the plant, including the fruits, are poisonous.
  • Best in light to heavy shade.



Lilyturf

  • When it's not in bloom, some gardeners mistake lilyturf (Liriope spp., Zones 5 to 10) for an ornamental grass with its dark green, grassy foliage. Spikes of purple or lavender flowers appear in summer. One of the best choices for highly shaded areas, lilyturf withstands a wide range of difficult conditions, including heat and drought.
  • There are also some white-flowering cultivars-including ‘Monroe White', as well as cultivars with variegated foliage (‘Variegata') to help lighten up shady areas.
  • Best in light to heavy shade.



Lungwort

  • Called lungworts (Pulmonaria spp., Zones 4 to 8) this group of plants with elegant silvery spotting on their leaves is one of my favorites in the border. Most have lovely blue flowers in early spring that soften to pink and last a surprisingly long time. After the flowers fade, you're left with the wonderfully variegated foliage that stays attractive through the rest of the season.
  • There are hundreds of lungwort cultivars on the market-some have blue flowers, others are pink (‘Redstart') or white (‘Sissinghurst White'). Some species have plain green foliage; other cultivars are variegated in streaks instead of spots.
  • Best in light shade.



Phlox

  • Woodland phlox (Phlox divaricata, Zones 4 to 8) is native to woodland areas of North America. The plant stays small-only growing about a foot or so tall, and has lovely lavender-blue flowers in spring. It's a great companion for other spring-blooming ground covers such as forget-me-nots.
  • There are a number of cultivars of woodland phlox with flowers in shades of blue, lilac-blue, and nearly white.
  • Best in light to medium shade.



Primrose

  • Primroses (Primula spp., Zones 3 to 10, depending on species) lend an English garden feeling to any area with their clusters of colorful flowers and flat, hairy leaves. There are several hundred different species of these plants, and hundreds of hybrids on top of that; the color range is nearly endless. Many of the shade-loving species prefer a slightly acidic soil that has plenty of organic matter. Primroses also like cooler summers and may not do well in areas where temperatures rise dramatically.
  • Best in light shade.



Toad lily

  • Toad lilies (Tricyrtis spp., Zones 4 to 9, depending on species) are a late-blooming, overlooked shade plant. These perennials are good for adding height-they often reach about 3 feet tall in the garden. Their flowers, though somewhat lily-like, are often curiously spotted with purple, giving them a very exotic look.
  • There are a number of cultivars available that bloom in shades of purple, white, and even yellow. T. ‘Variegata' has variegated foliage.
  • Best in light to medium shade.



Trillium

  • Sometimes called wakerobins (Trillium spp., Zones 3 to 8, depending on species) because of their early bloom time, trilliums are woodland plants with three showy petals in shades of red, white, and yellow. Curiously, the plants send up three leaves in the spring-and these are the only leaves the plants have for the season. White-flowered T. grandiflorum is the most common garden trillium
  • Best in light to medium shade.