The Best Shrubs For Shade To Add To Your Garden

by John Griffith
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If you have a garden that tends to be more on the shady side, we’ve got you. It may seem impossible to have your dream landscape design without any sunlight, but there are many plants that actually prefer shade rather than sun. And they are just as beautiful as sunny loving plants. You no longer have to ignore the darker parts of your property or designate them only for storage. Instead, you can add beautiful colors, texture, and designs through considered planting. All those shady spots around your property are full of undiscovered potential. Today we will show you a range of wonderful plants that will thrive in all those darker places around the garden. Some have beautiful blooms, others lush foliage. So, you will be able to create a picturesque landscape even in the shadiest corners of your garden with these amazing shrubs for shade.

You no longer have to ignore the darker parts of your property

shrubs for shade yellow japanese shrub

The Best Shrubs For Shade

Adding shade-loving shrubs is a great way to add color, greenery, and cheer to the shadier parts of your property. Many varieties offer year-round beauty and tend to be low-maintenance when it comes to care. This makes them a perfect choice if you have a busy schedule and can’t spend hours on end tending to the garden. In general, any of these lovely shrubs would make a great addition to the garden, you just have to pick your favorites.

Many varieties offer year-round beauty and tend to be low-maintenance

lily0of the valley pink flower shrub

#Rhododendron

This shrub is absolutely stunning. It has lush dark evergreen leaves with huge flower heads. Its flowers can come in a variety of colors including pink, yellow, purple red, white, and even a mix of two colors. While there are some ground-hugging varieties, rhododendrons can grow up to twenty feet tall. This shrub prefers partial to full shade conditions. When it comes to soil, it does like its soil on the more acidic side and well-draining.

This shrub is absolutely stunning

pink rhododendron shrub

#Japanese Rose

This shrub is one of the most shade-tolerant plants. Not only will this deciduous shrub survive in the shadiest of place, it will thrive. The Japanese rose has a beautiful green bark with bright yellow flowers. In spring, you will enjoy it’s beautiful blooms multiple times if it is in partial shade. This shrub is a fast-grower and can reach up to seven feet tall. It will need some pruning, but is overwise pretty easy to maintain. Keep in mind that the Japanese rose likes loamy, well-draining soil.

The Japanese rose has a beautiful green bark with bright yellow flowers

japanese rose shrub with flowers and leaves

#Lily-of-the-Valley Shrub

These shrubs thrive in partial shade and well-draining soil. The lily-of-the-valley shrub has beautiful broad leaves and cascades of pink and white flowers during spring. While it is a slow-grower, once it reaches its full potential, it will be the centerpiece of your garden. It’s an evergreen shrub, so it will look great the whole year. Just keep its soil moist and acidic to make sure it is at its happiest.

The lily-of-the-valley shrub has beautiful broad leaves and cascades of pink and white flowers

pink lily of the valley shrub

#Azalea

Ah, the beautiful azalea. These shrubs are loved by many for their stunning colors and breathtaking flowers. You can find them in a variety of shades of pink, red, and purple. Azaleas also come in many shapes and sizes, so you can easily find one that fits your garden space and aesthetic. While this shrub is closely related to the rhododendron, most azalea varieties are deciduous, rather than evergreen like their cousin. But there are some evergreen varieties you can find. This shrub like part to full shade conditions and well-draining acidic soil.

These shrubs are loved by many for their stunning colors

pink azalea flowers on shrub

#Emerald ‘n’ Gold Euonymus

This beautiful shrub is a great choice if you want something with lush foliage. The emerald ‘n’ gold euonymus has striking bi-colored leaves in green and gold which is also where this gets its name from. While the gold on the leaves gets brighter the more sun exposure it gets, this shrub also does great in partial shade. This plant is a fast-grower, so you will need to prune it to keep it back. But other than that it doesn’t need a lot of tending to. Just make sure to keep its soil moist, but well-drained.

The emerald ‘n’ gold euonymus has striking bi-colored leaves

euonymus fortunei emerald n gold

These were some of the best shrubs for shade you can add to your garden. We hope you found this article useful. Now you can pick your favorite shrubs and create a fairy tale like landscape even in the shadiest parts of your garden.

These were some of the best shrubs for shade you can add to your garden

shrubs for shade dark and light pink rhododendron

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John Griffith

John Griffith is a young, passionate journalist. Writing has been John’s hobby ever since he was a boy. He has worked in some of the UK’s most successful news portals over the course of his professional career but found his forever home at Archzine.