Shrubs for Shade – Cutting Edge Plants

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Hydrangeas

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"About Hydrangeas" Blog

SHRUBS FOR SHADE

We specialize in shrubs, so here's our collection of shrubs for shade gardens. Since we have a smattering of perennials and trees, we've included them on this page too.

Plant in the shade or plant in the sun? One of the first decisions to make after a new plant has grabbed your attention.

We have filtering options on the left side of every collection page, but our goal is that this page dedicated to shrubs for shade helps you get one step closer to finding the right shrubs for your shady garden.

Many of these shade plants can transition to partial shade or even full sun in some cases. Please read the complete plant descriptions.

Do you need help figuring out what type of shade you have? We've written about shade on our general blog, so follow that underlined link.

We have a lot of hydrangeas in our midst, so we've kept them in their own dedicated area. Our Hydrangea Collection, except for the panicle hydrangeas, are full or partial shade shrubs.

Flower Color

Cultural Considerations

Special Features

Hardiness Zone - Pick Your Zone

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bottlebrush buckeye bush

Aesculus parviflora (bottlebrush buckeye)

True 1 Gallon

$29.00

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bottlebrush buckeye bush

Aesculus parviflora (bottlebrush buckeye)

$29.00

Bottlebrush buckeye is a captivating, native, and mammoth-sized shrub with tremendous white "bottlebrush" flowers. The flowers are perfectly named: bottlebrush buckeye aptly describes both the whiskery flowers and the buckeye-looking seeds. The compound palmate leaves, reminiscent of windmill palm fronds, are distinctive. You'll see this buckeye shrub in big parks or expanse...

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Purple sweetshrub

Calycanthus floridus var. purpureus (sweetshrub)

True 1 Gallon

$29.00

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Purple sweetshrub

Calycanthus floridus var. purpureus (sweetshrub)

$29.00

Sweetshrub or Carolina allspice is a favorite native plant; the flowers being like no other. The petals on these flowers are actually tepals. Another famous example of a tepal is the "petals" on Magnolia flowers. Variety purpureus is extra special due to rich purple color of the backsides of leaves, maturing leaves especially (i.e., not...

Hartlage Wine spicebush flower

Calycanthus x raulstonii 'Hartlage Wine' (sweetshrub)

True 1 Gallon

$29.00

...

Hartlage Wine spicebush flower

Calycanthus x raulstonii 'Hartlage Wine' (sweetshrub)

$29.00

Hartlage Wine sweetshrub brings bodaciousness to the otherwise demure-looking flower of a never-the-less beloved native shrub. It's a strange and captivating flower, but prone to blending in amongst the leaves - thus, demure. Hartlage Wine gives gardeners the visual wow factor from bigger and showier flowers, borne more abundantly on...

a tea plant for home landscaping

Camellia sinensis (tea)

True 1 Gallon

$29.00

...

a tea plant for home landscaping

Camellia sinensis (tea)

$29.00

This is the true tea bush. Yes, indeed, the beverage is also a garden-worthy evergreen shrub. Why isn't everybody talking about what a massive block of leaves this shrub forms? This plant should be used more in gardens! We had two in front of our former house and they were vigorous...

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blue evergreen hydrangea flower buds

Dichroa febrifuga (blue evergreen hydrangea or Chinese quinine)

True 1 Gallon

$29.00

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blue evergreen hydrangea flower buds

Dichroa febrifuga (blue evergreen hydrangea or Chinese quinine)

$29.00

Dichroa is weirdly similar, but wonderfully different than bigleaf hydrangea. Even though it's called "blue evergreen hydrangea" the flowers turn pink in alkaline soil and purple in neutral - this trait is the main floral similarity to bigleaf hydrangea. Texture and shape of Chinese quinine leaves are similar to bigleaf hydrangea,...

Mt. Airy witch alder flowers

Fothergilla x intermedia 'Mt. Airy' (witch alder)

True 1 Gallon

$19.00

...

Mt. Airy witch alder flowers

Fothergilla x intermedia 'Mt. Airy' (witch alder)

$19.00

Mt. Airy Fothergilla or witch alder is the gold standard for all Fothergillas. Michael Dirr selected it from Mt. Airy Arboretum 30 years ago and no other Fothergilla has appreciated like Mt. Airy - it stands the test of time. White, 2" tall, bottlebrush-style flowers blanket Mt. Airy from top...

Double Mint Gardenia flower close up

Gardenia jasminoides 'Double Mint' (cape jasmine)

True 1 Gallon

$29.00

...

Double Mint Gardenia flower close up

Gardenia jasminoides 'Double Mint' (cape jasmine)

$29.00

Double Mint Gardenia is a great name for these perky, 2" diameter, abundant flowers. It is our best reblooming gardenia, to the point of continuous bloom through summer. Heavenly-scented flowers adorn a slightly smaller stature that's perfect for smaller spaces and containers. To compare with Sweet Tea, this one is...

Sweet Tea Gardenia double flowers

Gardenia jasminoides Sweet Tea™ (cape jasmine)

True 1 Gallon

$29.00

...

Sweet Tea Gardenia double flowers

Gardenia jasminoides Sweet Tea™ (cape jasmine)

$29.00

Sweet Tea Gardenia has large, tennis ball-sized, double flowers. It's a strong rebloomer and a zone cold hardier than most. Gardenias are beloved members of every southern garden, but they do sometimes cause heartbreak due to lack of winter hardiness. We admonish to select a cold hardy variety (there aren't...

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Illicium parviflorum 'Florida Sunshine' (yellow anise tree)

Illicium parviflorum 'Florida Sunshine' (yellow anise tree)

True 1 Gallon

$29.00

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Illicium parviflorum 'Florida Sunshine' (yellow anise tree)

Illicium parviflorum 'Florida Sunshine' (yellow anise tree)

$29.00

You must have Florida Sunshine yellow anise-tree to brighten up your winter garden. The yellow leaves glow and pulsate with sunny cheer that's especially welcome during gray days and in grayed-out garden areas, but the yellow glow is a real mood-lifter 365 days a year. Illicium parviflorum (small anise-tree) is the quintessential native...

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Illicium parviflorum BananAppeal® (yellow anise tree)

Illicium parviflorum BananAppeal® (yellow anise tree)

True 1 Gallon

$29.00

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Illicium parviflorum BananAppeal® (yellow anise tree)

Illicium parviflorum BananAppeal® (yellow anise tree)

$29.00

BananAppeal is half the size as other small anise-trees, forming a 3-4' tall by 3-4' wide, round shrub. So this one has a different shape, being a lower mound, rather than an upright-oval form like FLA Sunshine. Small anise-tree grows wild in moist, woodland soils, but this species transitions well to...

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Itea virginica 'Henry's Garnet' (Virginia sweetspire)

Itea virginica 'Henry's Garnet' (Virginia sweetspire)

True 1 Gallon

$19.00

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Itea virginica 'Henry's Garnet' (Virginia sweetspire)

Itea virginica 'Henry's Garnet' (Virginia sweetspire)

$19.00

Henry's Garnet Virginia sweetspire is one of my favorite "naturalistic" shrubs because it has multi-season interest and wears well in innumerable garden styles. In spring, the 6" long, white pendulous flowers dangle all over the shrub like a designer who loves tassels and fringe. Then it looks well-dressed all summer with arching branches and green...

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Parrotia subaequalis (Chinese parrotia)

Parrotia subaequalis (Chinese parrotia)

True 1 Gallon

$29.00

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Parrotia subaequalis (Chinese parrotia)

Parrotia subaequalis (Chinese parrotia)

$29.00

This Chinese relative to Persian ironwood (Parrotia persica) is aptly called Chinese Ironwood and is also related to those Distylium shrubs over there in the shrub department. Hamamelidacea is one of our favorite families due to the winter-flowers and three seasons of high leaf quality. Regarding Parrotia subaequalis, let's start talking about this...

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Polygonatum odoratum 'Variegatum' (variegated Solomon's seal)

Polygonatum odoratum 'Variegatum' (variegated Solomon's seal)

True 1 Gallon

$19.00

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Polygonatum odoratum 'Variegatum' (variegated Solomon's seal)

Polygonatum odoratum 'Variegatum' (variegated Solomon's seal)

$19.00

Variegated Solomon's seal is a conversation piece and a solid grower throughout its ample hardiness range of zones 3-8. The variegated leaves will likely become some of your favorite in the garden, plus they often turn buttery yellow in the fall for a final show (fall color on an herbaceous perennial is...

jack tree flowers

Sinojackia rehderiana (Jack tree)

True 1 Gallon

$29.00

...

jack tree flowers

Sinojackia rehderiana (Jack tree)

$29.00

The snowdrop-like flowers and smaller-statured head are what bring Jack tree into the limelight. Jack tree is certainly an uncommon small tree. Have you ever seen it before? We'd like to see more of it in gardens and landscapes because it is a tough and beautiful addition to the vast line-up of trees that thrive...

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yellow leaf downy arrowwood viburnum

Viburnum rafinesquianum 'Louise's Sunbeam' (downy arrowwood)

True 1 Gallon

$29.00

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yellow leaf downy arrowwood viburnum

Viburnum rafinesquianum 'Louise's Sunbeam' (downy arrowwood)

$29.00

If Vincent van Gogh gardened, I think he'd favor yellow shrubs. They do so much to lighten dark garden nooks and improve my mood. This native shrub is a colorful variation on the typically green, native viburnum theme - use it in shady shrub borders and for naturalizing in woodlands. The yellow new...

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