Discover the world of Outdoor Plants That Grow Without Sunlight and add a touch of natural beauty to your shady space.
Want to beautify your exterior with plants but feel discouraged by the lack of direct sunlight? Look no further! There are plenty of Outdoor Plants That Grow Without Sunlight in the shade. Whether you have a small balcony or a spacious backyard, these plants will add a touch of perpetual beauty to your living space.
Outdoor Plants That Grow Without Sunlight
1. Astilbes
Botanical Name: Astilbe
USDA Zone: 4-8
Brighten up your shady garden with these fluffy, feathery flowers that thrive in partial to full shade.
2. Hellebores
Botanical Name: Helleborus
USDA Zone: 6-9
Bring a touch of winter magic to your garden with these elegant, shade-loving perennials that bloom in late winter or early spring.
Here are the Best Types of Hellebores Varieties
3. Japanese Forest Grass
Botanical Name: Hakonechloa macra
USDA Zone: 5-9
Add a splash of sunshine to your shaded garden with the Japanese Forest Grass. These graceful, golden grasses love partial to full shade.
4. Coral Bells
Botanical Name: Heuchera
USDA Zone: 4-10
Coral bells are shade-loving perennials that offer a rainbow of colors from deep burgundy to bright lime, the best options for your garden.
5. Foamflowers
Botanical Name: Tiarella
USDA Zone: 3-9
Foamflowers are delicate, shade-loving plants that produce stunning clusters of airy, frothy blooms that add a whimsical touch to any garden.
6. Toad Lilies
Botanical Name: Tricyrtis
USDA Zone: 4-9
Toad Lilies are shade-loving perennials that will catch your eye with their speckled petals and unique, lily-like blooms,
7. Lungwort
Botanical Name: Pulmonaria
USDA Zone: 3-9
These charming, shade-loving perennials offer both pretty flowers and unique foliage that changes color depending on the light.
8. Jacob’s Ladder
Botanical Name: Polemonium caeruleum
USDA Zone: 3-8
Add a pop of blue to your shade garden with these elegant woodland perennials that bloom in early summer.
9. Solomon’s Seal
Botanical Name: Polygonatum
USDA Zone: 3-9
These graceful, shade-loving plants offer delicate, bell-shaped flowers and interesting, arching stems that add texture to any garden.
10. Baneberry
Botanical Name: Actaea
USDA Zone: 4-8
With their striking, shiny berries and delicate white flowers, these shade-loving perennials offer both beauty and drama to your garden.
11. Wild Ginger
Botanical Name: Asarum
USDA Zone: 4-8
Add a touch of earthy, woodland charm to your shade garden with these low-growing Wild Gingers, a shade-loving perennial that produces pretty, heart-shaped leaves.
12. Barrenwort
Botanical Name: Epimedium
USDA Zone: 3-9
With their dainty, star-shaped flowers and interesting, heart-shaped leaves, these shade-loving perennials are a perfect choice for a woodland garden.
Look at the 35 Beautiful Fall Foliage Plants
13. Sweet Woodruff
Botanical Name: Galium odoratum
USDA Zone: 4-10
Add a sweet scent to your shade garden with these delicate, ground-hugging perennials that thrive in partial to full shade.
14. Goat’s Beard
Botanical Name: Aruncus dioicus
USDA Zone: 3-7
With its towering, fluffy plumes of flowers, the Goat’s Beard is a shade-loving plant that makes a bold statement in any garden.
15. Hosta
Botanical Name: Hosta
USDA Zone: 3-10
Hosta plants, also called plantain lilies, are another popular choice for shade-loving gardeners. These perennials come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and colors, making them a fun and versatile addition to any garden.
16. Brunnera
Botanical Name: Brunnera macrophylla
USDA Zone: 3-9
They offer stunning, forget-me-not-like flowers and heart-shaped leaves that add a touch of elegance to any garden.
17. Dead Nettle
Botanical Name: Lamium
USDA Zone: 4-10
Dead Nettle is versatile, shade-loving plants that offer pretty flowers and interesting foliage and are even deer-resistant.
18. Bugleweed
Botanical Name: Ajuga reptans
USDA Zone: 3-10
These tough, shade-loving groundcovers offer pretty flowers and dense foliage that can withstand foot traffic.
19. Creeping Jenny
Botanical Name: Lysimachia nummularia
USDA Zone: 4-10
These low-growing, shade-loving plants have bright, chartreuse leaves and tiny yellow flowers that cascade over walls and containers.
20. Pachysandra
Botanical Name: Pachysandra terminalis
USDA Zone: 4-8
Pachysandras are tough, shade-loving groundcovers that offer glossy green leaves and pretty, white flowers that add a touch of elegance to any garden.
21. Wild Geranium
Botanical Name: Geranium maculatum
USDA Zone: 3-8
With its delicate, five-petaled flowers and interesting foliage, the Wild Geranium is the perfect choice for a woodland garden.
Check out these Fanciest Types of Geraniums
22. Tractor Seat Plant
Botanical Zone: Farfugium japonicum
USDA Zone: 2-11
Tractor Seat, also known as the Leopard Plant, is a shade-loving perennial that can add a fun and playful touch to any outdoor garden. It is native to Japan and Korea and is widely grown for its large, glossy leaves and bright yellow flowers that bloom in the fall.
23. Meadow Rue
Botanical Name: Thalictrum
USDA Zone: 3-8
The Meadow Rue displays delicate, feathery flowers and interesting foliage. It is also the perfect choice for a cottage garden.
24. Virginia Bluebells
Botanical Name: Mertensia virginica
USDA Zone: 3-8
These shade-loving plants offer stunning, bell-shaped flowers that bloom in shades of blue and pink, adding a touch of beauty to any garden.
25. Columbine
Botanical Name: Aquilegia
USDA Zone: 3-8
Columbines have delicate, spurred flowers and interesting foliage that add a touch of whimsy to any garden.
26. Bloodroot
Botanical Name: Sanguinaria canadensis
USDA Zone: 3-8
Bloodroot bears stunning white flowers with a golden orange center and peculiar, lobed leaves. It can grow up to 12-24 inches tall.
27. Woodland Phlox
Botanical Name: Phlox divaricata
USDA Zone: 3-8
These low-growing perennials offer clusters of fragrant, pastel-colored flowers that add a touch of beauty to any garden.
28. Wild Bleeding Heart
Botanical Name: Dicentra eximia
USDA Zone: 3-9
With their delicate, heart-shaped flowers and interesting foliage, Wild Bleeding Hearts is a perfect choice for a romantic garden.
29. Shooting Stars
Botanical Name: Dodecatheon
USDA Zone: 4-8
Shooting Stars bear stunning, star-shaped flowers that bloom in shades of pink and white, adding a touch of drama to any garden.
30. False Solomon’s Seal
Botanical Name: Maianthemum
USDA Zone: 3-9
The False Solomon’s Seal has interesting, arching stems and clusters of beautiful white flowers that add a touch of elegance to any garden.
31. Trillium
Botanical Name: Trillium
USDA Zone: 4-9
Trilliums come with striking, three-petaled flowers and interesting foliage that add a touch of woodland charm to your garden.
32. Iris Cristata
Botanical Name: Iris cristata
USDA Zone: 4-9
The Iris Cristata are low-growing, shade-loving plants with mesmerizing blue-violet flowers and interesting, sword-like leaves, perfect for a rock garden.
33. Fuchsia
Botanical Name: Fuchsia
USDA Zone: 6-11
With their bright, pendulous flowers and interesting foliage, Fuchsias are a perfect choice for a hanging basket or container garden.
34. Wax Begonia
Botanical Name: Begonia semperflorens
USDA Zone: 9-11
This herbaceous perennial offers waxy, succulent leaves on fleshy stems and pretty pink, red, or white flowers.
35. Pansy
Botanical Name: Viola
USDA Zone: 2-10
Violas are beautiful blooms with delicate, five-petaled flowers in shades of purple, yellow, and white, adding a touch of beauty to any garden.
36. Torenia
Botanical Name: Torenia
USDA Zone: 3-11
These shade-loving annuals offer trumpet-shaped flowers in shades of blue, pink, and purple, adding a touch of elegance to any garden.
37. Leopard’s Bane
Botanical Name: Doronicum
USDA Zone: 4-8
The Leopard’s Bane is the perfect choice for a cottage or wildflower garden. It displays bright, daisy-like flowers and interesting foliage.
38. Impatiens
Botanical Name: Impatiens
USDA Zone: 10-11
These shade-loving annuals offer a profusion of pretty, five-petaled flowers in shades of pink, red, purple, and white, adding a touch of beauty to any garden.
Check out our article on the best Impatiens types here
39. Caladiums
Botanical Name: Caladium
USDA Zone: 3-10
This tropical plant produces large, heart, lance, or arrow-shaped leaves in shades of pink, red, chartreuse, and green.
