15 Shade-Loving Perennials to Brighten Up Your Garden

These expert-approved shade perennials will thrive in the dimly lit areas of your garden.

When spring arrives, many gardeners look forward to seeing their perennials return for another year. The blooms put on a beautiful show, adding seasonal interest to your landscape and attracting essential pollinators like bees and butterflies. But if you've hesitated when it comes to planting perennials in your own garden because it gets little sunlight, don't wait for another season to pass by. There are plenty of shade perennials that prefer partial or full-shade conditions—and their blooms and foliage are just as stunning as the perennials that love to sunbathe. Ahead, we spoke to garden experts about their favorite perennial plants for shade.

Meet the Expert

• Adrienne Roethling, garden director for Paul J. Ciener Botanical Garden, a botanical garden in Kernersville, North Carolina

• Cat Meholic, co-founder of Women in Horticulture, an organization that provide low-cost networking opportunities for women in horticulture

Related: 13 Full-Sun Spring Perennials to Plant for a Gorgeous Flower Garden

Hosta

Known for their beautiful, bold leaves, hostas form small lily-shaped blooms that come in white or purple hues. "There are countless variegated forms with perfect markings to unusual streaking," says Adrienne Roethling, garden director for Paul J. Ciener Botanical Garden. "Flower scapes arise from a rosette of leaves and flower in summer for several weeks." The perennials come in a variety of shapes and sizes, so you can add a mix to your shady garden.

• Zones: 3 to 9

• Size: 4 to 30 inches tall x 6 to 36 inches wide

• Care requirements: Part shade; rich, well-drained soil

Related: 20 Hosta Varieties With Beautiful Foliage and Blooms

Hellebore Onyx Odyssey

A gorgeous evergreen that forms beautiful, double-cup-shaped purple-to-black blooms, this hellebore (Helleborus) variety grows in a bushy, upright clump. "Black flowers are often hard to photograph but are always stunning in person," says Cat Meholic, co-founder of Women in Horticulture. "You can't go wrong with any hellebore, but the dark flowered forms add a sense of elegance to the spring garden."

• Zones: 5 to 8

• Size: 12 inches tall x 18 to 24 inches wide

• Care requirements: Partial to full shade; rich soil

Woodland Phlox

Many species of phlox can tolerate shade, but one of the most common varieties is woodland phlox (Phlox divaricata). "A carpet of medium green, rounded leaves emerges in early spring, giving rise to 12 feet tall stalks producing blue or white, five-petaled flowers," says Roethling. "Typically, plants will go dormant by the heat of the summer."

• Zones: 3 to 9

• Size: 6 to 12 inches tall x 10 to 21 inches wide

• Care requirements: Part shade; average, well-drained soil

Autumn Fern

Autumn fern (Dryopteris erythrosora) will add season-long interest to your yard. "Its upright, V-shaped habit makes it a great form in the garden, especially paired with a bold hosta," says Roethling. "The new leaves emerge in spring with a rusty-colored hue. The fine textured leaves eventually turn all green before turning copper in fall."

• Zones: 5 to 8

• Size: 18 to 24 inches tall x 24 to 36 inches wide

• Care requirements: Full shade; rich, well-drained soil

Barrenwort

Barrenwort (Epimediums) is a popular shade-loving perennial. "The leaf shape of epimedium adds a great texture to the garden, and then you get these fantastical cream-colored flowers in late spring. So much interest in one little plant," says Meholic.

• Zones: 6 to 8

• Size: 8 to 10 inches tall x 12 to 18 inches wide

• Care requirements: Partial to full shade; average, well-drained soil

Virginia Bluebells

Virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginica) are native throughout the Eastern part of the U.S., and stretch west to the middle of the country. "They emerge in late winter with pale green, oval shaped leaves followed by stalks of blue, tubular flowers," says Roethling. "Flower buds open from pink to clear blue and will last for several weeks before going completely dormant."

• Zones: 3 to 8

• Size: 18 to 24 inches tall x 12 to 18 inches wide

• Care requirements: Full shade; moist, rich soil

Japanese Painted Fern

Many perennials will only offer interest for a few weeks, but Japanese painted fern (Athyrium niponicum var. pictum) can last the entire season when well cared for. The plant is a clump-forming fern with arching stems. "New growth emerges in spring, offering a silvery green tone with purple down the center," says Roethling.

• Zones: 4 to 11

• Size: 18 to 24 inches tall x 18 to 24 inches wide

• Care requirements: Partial to full shade; rich, well-drained soil

Columbine

Columbine (Aquilegia) is available in a range of blues, peuprles, oranges, reds, pinks, whites, and even yellows. Any variety of this beautiful flower will work in a shaded garden and will attract pollinators.

• Zones: 3 to 8

• Size: 12 to 36 inches tall x 6 to 24 inches wide

• Care requirements: Partial to full shade; well-drained soil

Phacelia

Great for filling gaps in your garden, phacelia is native to the southeastern U.S. and self-sows freely once in your garden. "The lovely lavender flowers of phacelia are great for early spring pollinators and can quickly fill in large gaps in your garden," says Meholic. "It is aggressive, and the foliage fades before summer."

• Zones: 5 to 8

• Size: 12 to 36 inches tall x 12 to 36 inches wide

• Care requirements: Partial to full shade; tolerates most soil types

Northern Maidenhair Fern

Maidenhair fern (Adiantum pedatum) is an elegant perennial that's great for deeply shaded areas of your garden. "The foliage is a vibrant green, and upon closer inspection, the jet-black stems add interest and coolness to any design," says Meholic. "The fronds are held in a semi-circle, which gives it a fun shape that mixes well with other shade-loving foliage plants."

• Zones: 3 to 8

• Size: 12 to 36 inches tall x 18 to 36 inches wide

• Care requirements: Partial to full shade; moist, acidic soil

Green-and-gold

Ground covers are a low-maintenance way to fill in gaps in your landscape, and green-and-gold (Chrysogonum virginianum) is a shade-loving variety that is easy to grow. "It flowers from May to October, with the sunny-yellow flowers most showy in summer," says Meholic. "This is a great filler plant in the garden to out-compete weeds and add brightness to any bed."

• Zones: 5 to 9

• Size: 6 to 12 inches tall x 12 to 34 inches wide

• Care requirements: Partial to full shade; average, moist soil

Related: 10 Fast-Growing Ground Cover Plants That Give Your Yard Quick, Beautiful Results

Foamflower

Although foamflower (Tiarella) is traditionally slow-growing, it can thrive in the shade—and looks beautiful. "It has a lovely green leaf with red accents that are most pronounced in winter," says Meholic. "The white flowers are a charming bonus in late spring."

• Zones: 4 to 9

• Size: 5 to 12 inches tall x 12 to 18 inches wide

• Care requirements: Partial to full shade; average to rich, moist soil

Lungwort

Lungwort (Pulmonaria officinalis) is a shade-loving ground cover with blooms that change color as it ages. "It provides a lovely silver-green foliage accent, a bright pop of purple-pink flowers in the spring, and is deer resistant," says Meholic. The low-maintenance plant generally takes care of itself and helps its neighboring plants look their best, too.

• Zones: 4 to 9

• Size: 6 to 12 inches tall x 12 to 18 inches wide

• Care requirements: Partial to full shade; average garden soil

Bugleweed

Bugleweed (Ajuga) is a perennial ground cover that tolerates all light levels, but grows rapidly in areas with partial shade. It forms a dense mat with small clusters of purple flowers that bloom from mid- to late-spring. This plant needs good air circulation and should be transplanted when it gets too crowded.

• Zones: 3 to 10

• Size: 6 to 12 inches tall x 6 to 12 inches wide

• Care requirements: Partial to full shade; well-draining

Wild Ginger

The fuzzy heart-shaped foliage of wild ginger (Asarum canadense) will add welcome texture to your garden. While its brownish-purple flowers are hidden under the plant's foliage, they attract pollinators with their sweet fragrance. This plant is not tolerant to drought, so the soil must stay consistently moist.

• Zones: 4 to 6

• Size: 6 to 12 inches tall x 4 to 6 inches wide

• Care requirements: Partial to full shade; most soil

Read the original article on Martha Stewart.