Under the dappled shade of high-canopied trees, alongside buildings or on the north sides of slopes, certain shrubs perform their garden duties with stellar competence. Shade-tolerant shrubs either brighten the setting with colorful flowers or
Under the dappled shade of high-canopied trees, alongside buildings or on the north sides of slopes, certain shrubs perform their garden duties with stellar competence. Shade-tolerant shrubs either brighten the setting with colorful flowers or foliage, or replicate the serene green of woodland glens. Fragrant shrubs add yet another dimension. Choose locally suited shrubs according to U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zone requirements.
Shrubs with Showy Flowers
Flowering shade shrubs for USDA plant hardiness zones 5 through 9 include rhododendrons and azaleas (Rhododendrons spp.), and hydrangeas (Hydrangea spp.). Growing zone requirements vary among types of spring-blooming, shade-loving rhododendrons and azaleas. Solid, striped or splotched blossoms cover shrubs ranging from just inches high to more than 40 feet tall. Bold or pastel colors choices include all but true blue. All varieties require well-drained, acid soil. Hydrangeas flower in July and August. Bigleaf hydrangeas (H. macrophylla) display delicate pink and white flower clusters on shrubs 3 to 6 feet high and wide. The cold-tolerant smooth hydrangea (H. arborescens) grows 3 to 5 feet high and as wide. "Annabelle" produces magnificent globes of snowy white flowers up to 1 foot across even in poor soil.
The evergreen silk tassel bush (G. elliptica), native to California coastal ranges, grows 5 to10 feet tall and wide in USDA plant hardiness zones 5 to 9. Dramatic catkins dangle in silvery-white, 8-inch-long tassels on male plants in winter. Berry clusters follow the pollinated female's smaller blooms. The more heat-tolerant Freemont silk tassel (G.fremontii) grows up to 9 feet tall with bright, yellowish green leaves and purple catkins. Evergreen holly bushes (Ilex spp.) contribute serene green to the shaded garden. Inkberry (H. glabra), for USDA plant hardiness zones 4 to 9, forms clumps of 3- to 4-foot high and wide shrubbery. Glossy, smooth-edged leaves and late-summer berries that draw birds are among its attractions. "Shamrock" forms fewer suckers than the species. "Compacta" and "Nordic, " to 4 feet high, can be trimmed down to a 2-foot-high hedge.
Many Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) varieties, for USDA plant hardiness zones 6 to 8, form attractive shrubs of colorful foliage. "Burgundy Lace" reaches 12 feet high and 15 feet wide with lacy, deep-burgundy foliage and bright-green stems. The evergreen Oregon grape (Mahonia aquifolium) produces holly-like, glossy green leaves that emerge as bronze-red new growth in USDA plant hardiness zones 5 to 8. "Orange Flame" grows 2 fee