Beautiful gardens can be created in shady locations just as easily as in sunny ones. In fact, shade gardens are more lush in their appearance than sun gardens. Shade loving perennials in the foreground with shade shrubs create a very pleasing effect. Water features or a simple bird bath can create a wonderful shade oasis along with your plantings. 

Shade Shrubbery:

camellia sasanqua	acuba	azalea	fatsia

rhododendron	mountain laurel	Japanese andromeda (pieris)

       

camellia japonica	mahonia

Shade loving perennials:

Hosta	helleborus	heuchera

Aspidistra	lily of the valley	ferns

Native shade loving wildflowers:

dwarf crested iris	trillium	columbine

 There is a wide assortment of shade perennials to choose from. Probably the most popular one is hosta. Hosta will come in solid green or variegated green and white or green and gold colors. Some solid hostas will even have a blueish tint. Lenten rose(helleborus) is another popular shade perennial. With its bloom time during Lent, it is an early harbinger of Spring. Other shade perennials which do well are aspidistra (evergreen), coral bells (heuchera) and lily of the valley.

 The native shade loving wildflowers do exceptionally well in shade gardens. Dwarf crested iris, solomon’s seal, bleeding heart, trillium and columbine are just a few of the native wildflowers which perform well in South Carolina shade gardens. Ferns are a wonderful addition to any shade garden. Some ferns are deciduous, others evergreen. Autumn fern and holly fern are good evergreen ferns to use. Japanese painted fern and hay scented fern are good deciduous ferns to use. The most outstanding annual to use in shade gardens is impatiens. Exquisite color combinations are available to create either vivid or muted drifts of color, depending on the style of garden desired.
 
  We are blessed in South Carolina to have a wide variety of plant material to choose from for our gardens. Beautiful gardens can be created whether they are in sun or shade. 

  The South Carolina Nursery and Landscape Association has many experts who can assist you with choosing the right plant for the right spot. Be sure to consult with one of our qualified members who will be able to help you in establishing azaleas in your setting! A list of these individuals who reside nearest to you can be found in the membership section on this web site. You may also view past articles here. For an extensive list of consumer related gardening topics visit the: Clemson Extension Service Home and Garden Information Center.