10 Combinations for Shade - FineGardening (2024)

FAQs

What are the best filler plants for shade? ›

Filler Plants for Shade Examples:

New Guinea Impatiens, Begonias, Coleus, Ferns, Heliotrope, Dwarf Hostas ('Blue Mouse Ears' or 'Guacamole' are great choices).

Red breaks up the green in light shade

Because of their vibrancy, these colors act like beacons, attracting attention not only to themselves but also to their neighbors. Red and most other hot colors are also opposite to green on the color wheel, so they naturally complement the customary hue of the shade garden.

Perk Up Your Garden With Shade-Loving Perennials

Astilbes are some of the easiest perennials to grow and will open their plume-like flowers in partial shade. They'll even grow in full shade, although you won't get as many flowers. Hostas are also a good choice for shady spots.

Reflect light around your shady garden

You can achieve this by using garden mirrors, shiny sculptures and water features. Consider replacing timber with composite wherever you can. From decking to cladding, composite materials reflect more sunlight than their wood counterparts, making them ideal for this purpose.

Map Out Your Plants

Sketch out your plan on paper. Use graph paper and draw to scale, keeping in mind the mature size and habit of each kind of plant. Site larger plants, like corn and tomatoes, where they won't cast shade over shorter plants. Choose compact varieties if you have limited space.

Shade is a hue or mixture of pure colors to which only black is added. It contains no white or gray. Shade darkens the color, but the hue remains the same. When mixing a shade, begin with the color itself then add black one drop at a time.

By adding black to the color, the value is made darker, resulting in what is referred to as a “shade.” When white is added to a color, the result is a lighter value, which is referred to as a “tint.” commonly refer to as “Burgundy” (red + black) (Figure 2).

Learn Color Theory

Tints refer to hues (or basic colors) that have been lightened by adding white while shades refer to hues that have been darkened by adding black.

Is there a flower that grows in the shade? ›

There are many varieties of bellflower, most of which thrive in shade. Campanula lactiflora (pictured) bears pretty clusters of purple-blue bell-shaped flowers, above heart-shaped green leaves, from summer to autumn.

There are a few full-shade plants and even more choices that grow in partial shade. A full shade location is defined as one that receives at least three to four hours of direct sunlight mostly in the morning or a full day of dappled sunlight.

Many gardeners complain that they can't grow any plants in the shade other than hostas and ferns. Not true! Here are 10 beautiful shade plants from my own garden—plus a list of perennial flowers and annual flowers for shade! Shade gardens bring to mind hostas and ferns and perhaps some astilbe.

Many gardeners complain that they can't grow any plants in the shade other than hostas and ferns. Not true! Here are 10 beautiful shade plants from my own garden—plus a list of perennial flowers and annual flowers for shade! Shade gardens bring to mind hostas and ferns and perhaps some astilbe.

Luckily, we have alternatives, especially when it comes to growing shrubs in the shade. There are some spectacular standouts we can enjoy, including azaleas (pictured above), climbing hydrangeas, Euonymus, red and yellow twig dogwoods, elderberries, ninebark, spirea and others.

1. Baby's Breath. Baby's Breath is one of the most popular types of filler flowers. Although its white hue is popular, it comes in a variety of tinted colors, as well.