Most plants come with the instructions to plant in a sunny location. Fair enough, as a Master Gardener and long-time home gardener, I understand that plants need sunlight for the photosynthesis process so they can live. But not every location in a home's landscape is the sunny, east-facing gentle slope that garden dreams are made of and I am frequently asked about plants that will grow in shade. Many of us have densely wooded areas where pops of living color at ground level would be nice or stairways and decks on the north side of the house that are cold and barren underneath. Will anything grow in these and similar heavy shade locations? Believe it or not, yes, there are several plants, even flower-producers, that will grow well in a heavy shade location.
* Hostas (Hosta x. tardiana) enjoy a secluded shady spot and will grow into a 2 x 2 feet mound of broad green leaves. Hostas grown in heavy shade rarely bloom, but if the plant does receive a little sunlight it may send up a few spikes and produce some tiny purple bell-shaped blooms.
* Native ferns, like the Lady fern (Athyrium filix-femina) grows well in heavy shade where the soil remains moist. Lady ferns produce delicate-looking, deciduous fronds on plants that can grow up to three feet across.
* Japanese spurge (Pachysandra terminalis), is an ornamental plant that typically is grown as a ground cover. Japanese spurge is an evergreen perennial that produces tiny white flowers in spring.
* Wilson's ivy ( Hedera helix) is an evergreen climber with blue-green leaves. Hardy in most growing zones and sometimes used as a ground cover, portions of Wilson's ivy is poisonous if ingested.
* Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is a pretty plant that has several culinary uses and grows well in heavy shade. Ginger root is harvested and used to make tea, season foods and in the making of some home remedies.
* Hellebores (Helleborus) are one of the few plants that will produce a bloom when grown in heavy shade. Evergreen perennial plant that is common called a Christmas rose or Lenten rose, but is no way related to the rose family. The plants are frost-resistant and produce pale green or greenish-purple blooms in the late winter and early spring when nothing else is blooming in the garden.
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