What flowering plants grow in shady spots?

Hi everyone

I have been monitoring my new garden last few weeks - more than half of it gets no sun due to some enormous trees next door that my neighbour can't/won't deal with. Any tips for me on what to plant here? The beds have some small evergreen shrubs already and I was really hoping to fill up all the gaps with colourful perennials and hardys......?

One bed seems to get around six hours of full sun a day, so I've taken a chance and planted up some sun-loving plants, and some herbs, and have got my fingers crossed!

I seem to have no trouble growing weeds, mainly small trees it seems !

TIA

Jackcat

 

Astrantia, Aquilegia, Foxgloves, Dicentra, Vinca Major, Bergenia.

 

Jackcat - I have a strip of lawn which gets no sun and am considering putting in a bed along that strip so will watch this thread with interest. I have an Aquilegia but it is in a pot on the sunny side - I hope this is ok??

 

It all depends on whether it is dry from the trees or not. Dry shade is much more of a problem than normal/damp shade.

I have an area on the north side of a garage, which only gets about 10 minutes sun a day, but is reasonably moist as a result. I am growing Day lilies (usually best in full sun - but very happy here), Lythrum, Persicaria, Astrantia, hardy Geraniums, Aconitum napellus, Aquilegia, Crocosmia, Dicentra, Astilbe and Lobelia siphilitica. I am surprised at how well they do, which makes me think that many plants will do better than you think.

All the above put on a good show of colour. But you could play safer and go for large leaved foliage plants. Plants that thrive in full sun tend to have small and/or silvery leaves, plants that thrive in shade are the opposite and tend to have large leaves to make the most of what light there is.

 

I'm afraid nothing will grow in my dark strip - except lilly of the valley. It may lack that vibrant splash of colour, but I can forgive it that especially when the flowers fill the house with their wonderful fragrance. I find that the foliage too is far more resistant to slugs than perhaps the more traditional hostas.