PERENNIALS FOR SHADE
 Perennials are a wonderful way to add color to your garden without having to replant each year. Listed below are hardy bloomers that prefer a shady location. Many of these can also be grown in morning sun or dappled light, but avoid hot afternoon sun unless noted.
Tip: Flowers and foliage with white, silver, or light colors really brighten up a shady spot.
Perennial flowers typically bloom most during one particular season but may overlap into another season. For instance, a late spring blooming perennial may continue on into summer. If you want color throughout the growing season, be sure to plant spring, summer, and fall blooming perennials, or supplement your plantings with annual flowers.
Perennials for shade are listed below by the season in which they typically BEGIN blooming. Note: Perennial groundcovers for shade are in the 'groundcovers' section).
Click here for a listing of ALL types of perennials by bloom time.
Perennials for Shade—Spring Bloomers
Perennials for Shade—Summer Bloomers
Perennials for Shade--SPRING BLOOMERS
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Bleeding Heart --Old Fashioned Types (Dicentra spectabilis)
Height: 3'
Spread: 2-3'
Bloom Color: Arching sprays of heart-shaped white or pink flowers
Season of Bloom: Spring
Other Notes: Unique blossoms, hardy, long lived perennial.
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Bleeding Heart -- Fern Leaf Type
Height: 8"-10"
Spread: 12"
Bloom Color: Pink
Season of Bloom: Spring with potential to bloom all season
Other Notes: Compact long-blooming bleeding heart. Fern-like foliage is blue-gray. Provide consistent moisture for best display.
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King of Hearts
Photo Courtesy Walters Gardens Inc
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Sonbird Dove
Songbird Cardinal
Swan Pink and Yellow
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Rocky Mountain Blue
Origami Mix
Photo Courtesy Walters Gardens Inc
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Columbine (Aquilegia)
Height: Dwarf types 12", Medium Height 18"-20", Tall types 36"
Spread: 12"
Bloom Color: Blues, yellows, pinks, reds, purples, whites
Season of Bloom: Late Spring to early summer
Other Notes: Deadhead to prolong bloom. Grow in bright shade at lower elevations. May be planted in full sun at higher elevations where summers remain cool.
Varieties:
Denver Gold
Origami Mix
Origami Blue & White
Origami Rose & White
McKana's Giant Hybrids
Rocky Mountain Blue
Songbird Cardinal
Swan Pink & Yellow
Swan Blue & White
Denver Gold
Colorado Plant Select Perennial
Photo Courtesy Plant Select
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Sanguinea
Peach Flambe
Photo Courtesy Walters Gardens Inc
Clockwise from top: Palace Purple (deepest color), Green Spice, Lime Rickey, Snow Angel, Christa, Venus
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Coral Bells / Alumroot (Heuchera)
Height: 12"-24"
Spread: 12"
Bloom Color: sanguinea has bright red blooms. Hybrids mostly have white, light pink, or maroon flowers. All have flowers on long wands.
Season of Bloom: Late Spring to Early Summer depending on variety
Other Notes: Flowers are held above scalloped, low growing foliage. Many, many striking foliage combinations.
Varieties:
Lime Rickey
Obsidian
Peach Flambe
Venus
Sanguinea
 
Lime Rickey Obsidian
Photos Courtesy Walters Gardens Inc
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White Gloria
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Peach Blossom
Photos Courtesy Walters Gardens Inc
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Glow
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False Spirea (Astilbe)
Height: 12"-35"
Spread: 24"-30"
Bloom Color: White, Pink (all shades), Red, Peach
Season of Bloom: Late Spring to Early Summer
Other Notes: Requires consistent moisture
Varieties:
Glow
Peach Blossom
White Gloria
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Ferns
Height: 12"-36"
Spread: 12"-36"
Season of Bloom: no—but foliage adds texture to the shady perennial garden
Other Notes: Colorado's semi-arid climate is not ideal for most ferns. However, hardy varieties listed below do well when planted in shade and given consistent moisture.
Varieties:
Japanese Painted Fern (Athyrium)
Autumn Fern (Dryopteris) 'Brilliance'
Ostrich Fern (Matteuccia)
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Autumn Fern 'Brilliance'
Photo Courtesy Walters Gardens Inc
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Ostrich Fern
Photo Courtesy Walters Gardens Inc
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Foamflower (Tiarella)
Variety: 'Sugar and Spice'
Height: 8"
Spread: 12"
Bloom Color: Pink and white lightly fragrant flowers on long wands
Season of Bloom: Spring
Other Notes: Foliage is green and glossy with a maroon center. Adds nice color contrast even when not in bloom
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Golden Zebra
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Foamy Bells (Heucherella)
Height: 10"-20""
Spread: 15"-28"
Bloom Color: White flowers on long wands
Season of Bloom: Spring
Other Notes: These plants are a cross between Huechera (Coral Bells) and Tiarella (Foamflower). Wonderful garden performance.
Varieties:
Golden Zebra: Foliage is a striking yellow with bright red pigment in the center. Nice color contrast even when not in bloom. (white flowers) 10"H x 15"W
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Forget-Me-Not (Myosotis sylvatica)
'Mon Amie'
Height: 6"-8"
Spread: 6"-8"
Bloom Color: Small, single true blue flowers.
Season of Bloom: Late Spring to Early Summer
Other Notes: A Proven Winners perennial
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Jack Frost
Photos Courtesy Walters Gardens Inc
Looking Glass
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Heartleaf Brunnera
AKA: False Forget Me Not, Siberian Bugloss, or Heartleaf Alkanet
(Brunnera macrophylla)
Height: 12"-18"
Spread: 12"-18"
Bloom Color: Small blue 'forget-me-not' blooms are held in sprays above the leaves
Season of Bloom: Late Spring to Early Summer
Other Notes: Heart-shaped foliage add interest even when not in bloom. Light and airy when adorned with blue flowers. A wonderful plant for a woodland setting.
Varieties:
Looking Glass
Jack Frost
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Photo Courtesy Walters Gardens Inc
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Lily of the Valley (Convallaria majalis)
Height: 6"
Spread: 12" but has potential to spread more in a moist shady setting
Bloom Color: Fragrant, small, bell-shaped white flowers
Season of Bloom: Spring
Other Notes: Short and sweet perennial. Foliage typically dies back during the summer heat.
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Photo Courtesy Walters Gardens Inc
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Lungwort (Pulmonaria)
'Raspberry Splash'
Height: 12"
Spread: 16"-24"
Bloom Color: Stunning small, raspberry-pink flower clusters
Season of Bloom: Late Spring to Early Summer
Other Notes: Silvery spotted shimmery leaves
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Winter Color
Photo Courtesy Walters Gardens Inc
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Bergenia Winter Glow
Photo Courtesy Walters Gardens Inc
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Pig Squeak (Bergenia cordifolia)
Variety: Winter Glow (Winterglut)
Height: 8”
Spread: 12”-15”
Bloom Color: Pink
Season of Bloom: Spring
Other Notes: Mostly grown for green thick foliage that turns shades of red in fall. Leaves are semi-evergreen and hold well into the winter. Shade to part sun. May also be grown in sun.
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Primrose (Primula)
Danova mix (Zones 4-7)
Height: 8”-12”
Spread: 12”
Bloom Color: Wide range from red, white, purple, blue to yellow
Season of Bloom: Spring
Other Notes: Blooms best during cool weather. Does best in morning sun. Prefers organically rich soil and MUST have a consistently moist location.
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Wood's Violet
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Violet / Viola (Perennial Viola)
Height: 6"-8"
Spread: 8"-10"
Bloom Color: Lavenders, purples, yellows, creams
Season of Bloom: Spring (some varieties will bloom all season)
Other Notes: Most varieties are also fragrant
Varieties:
Northern Lights heat tolerant, blue and gold blooms
Jumping Jack heat tolerant, perennial version of a 'Johnny Jump-up'
Wood's Violet (aggressive spreader, makes a good groundcover)
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Perennials for Shade -- SUMMER Bloomers
Lucerne
Photo Courtesy Walters Gardens Inc
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Yellowstone
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Blue-eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium)
Height: 10"
Spread: 15"
Bloom Color: Star-shaped flowers are produced on the end of the 'grass' blade. (lavenders/blues/yellow depending on variety)
Season of Bloom: Summer is strongest bloom period followed by sporadic blooms later in season
Other Notes: Small perennial good for rock garden plantings. Plant in bright shade for best blooms. (Tradescantia AKA Spiderwort has a similar look but is larger)
Varieties:
Lucerne (green leaves, lavender flowers)
Yellowstone (green leaves, yellow flowers)
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Hosta / Plantain Lily (Hosta)
Height: 6"-36"
Spread: 12"-36"
Bloom Color: Usually white or lavender spikes held above the foliage
Season of Bloom: Summer
Other Notes: Grown primarily for the foliage. Forms lush clumps of lance shaped, or rounded leaves with a wide variety of coloration.
Varieties:
Andrew
Autumn Frost
August Moon
Blueberry Muffin
Blue Angel
Dancing Stars
Designer Genes
Empress Wu
Francee
Niagara Falls
Hosta Photos Below Courtesy of Walters Gardens Inc
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August Moon
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Autumn Frost
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Andrew
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Blueberry Muffin
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Blue Angel
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Dancing Stars
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Designer Genes
Niagara Falls
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Empress Wu
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Francee
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Stairway to Heaven
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Jacob's Ladder (Polemonium)
Height: 18"
Spread: 15" (in bloom)
Bloom Color: Lavender
Season of Bloom: Summer
Other Notes: Fern-like foliage is held low in neat mounds
Varieties:
Stairway to Heaven: variegated foliage with lavender-blue flowers
Purple Rain Strain: purple leaves with lavender-blue flowers
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Honorine Jobert
Photo Courtesy Walters Gardens Inc
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September Charm
Photo Courtesy Bailey Nurseries Inc
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Japanese Anemone - Windflower
(Anemone)
Height: 2'-3'
Spread: 2'
Bloom Color: Pink or white
Season of Bloom: Late Summer into Fall
Other Notes: Looking for late season color? These are cottage
garden favorites. Grow in well-drained, organic rich soil. Provide consistent moisture. (avoid extremes of VERY dry and boggy). Does best in a bright morning sun or dappled light location.
Varieties:
September Charm (A. hupehensis): Pink blooms
Honorine Jobert: Pure white flowers
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Lady's Mantle (Alchemilla mollis)
'Thriller'
Height: 18"
Spread: 18"
Bloom Color: Yellow blooms held in sprays above the foliage
Season of Bloom: Early Summer
Other Notes: Prefers consistent moisture. Plant in bright shade. Lovely creased leaves catch dew.
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Big Blue
Photo Courtesy Walters Gardens Inc
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Lily-turf
(Liriope)
Variety: Big Blue
Height: 12"-18"
Spread: 15"-18"
Bloom Color: Lavender 'grape hyacinth' type blooms
Season of Bloom: Late summer
Other Notes: This grass-like perennial likes part to full shade. Big Blue is a clump-forming selection with wide strappy leaves and a fountain-like habit. Drought tolerant.
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Rose Campion (Lychnis coronaria)
Height: 28”-36”
Spread: 24”
Bloom Color: Hot pink or white
Season of Bloom: Summer—long bloom time
Other Notes: Will grow in sun, part sun or shade. Good choice for dry shade.
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