Flowering Shrubs for Shade
Rev up your yard’s shady spots with surprisingly colorful shrubs.
Related To:
Hydrangea (Hydrangea spp.)
Both lacecap and bigleaf hydrangeas bring color to partly shaded locations. Flowers start the show in early summer and continue an eye-catching display until—and beyond—fall frost. Hardiness varies, but new hybrids offer winter hardiness to Zones 4 in bigleaf hydrangeas. Lacecaps are usually hardy in Zones 6 to 9.
How to Plant, Grow and Care for Hydrangeas
Rhododendron (Rhododendron ‘Handy Man Purple’)
Nothing says spring like a rhododendron in full bloom. You can find varieties with blossoms in nearly any shade, although pastels and reds are most common. This flowery beauty grows best in part to full shade. Avoid clay soil to prevent root rot. Hardy in Zones 4 to 8.
How to Grow and Care for Rhododendron
Bottlebrush Buckeye (Aesculus parviflora)
Sansanqua Camellia (Camellia sasanqua)
Black Beauty Elderberry (Sambucus nigra ‘Gerda’)
‘Little Henry’ Virginia Sweetspire (Itea virginica ‘Little Henry’)
Summersweet (Clethra alnifolia)
Azalea (Azalea spp.)
‘Diabolo’ Ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Diabolo’)
Oakleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia)

Photo By: Photo by Felder Rushing