Stephen Albert
Growing trees and shrubs in shade can be a challenge if you choose plants that prefer sunny conditions. If you choose plants that are adapted to shady conditions, shade gardening is quite enjoyable and barely any work at all.
There are many shrubs and trees that prefer shade. They are understory plants that like the company of tall trees or overarching shrubs. Many have colorful blooms or foliage.
Choosing shrubs and trees for shade
When choosing shrubs and trees for shade be sure to consider the following: (1) will the plant grow in my regions or growing zone; (2) what height and width will best fit the location; (3) is the plant evergreen or deciduous; (4) does the plant flower, have interesting foliage, or or colorful branches (for winter interest).
Planting in shade
Keep in mind that the soil under large trees can be poor or dry; trees draw up a lot of moisture and nutrients. Preparing the planting area for shade-loving shrubs and trees may require amending the soil with organic matter. Adding aged compost on a regular basis can transform poor soil. If you find tree roots in the spot where you want to plant, you can remove any roots less than 1-inch (2.5cm) in diameter without hurting the tree.
Dig a large hole for shrubs and trees, larger than you would in a sunny spot, then add plenty of aged compost or commercial organic planting mix; this will help new planting become esstablished.
Trees that withstand shade
| Botanical Name | Height | Zone | Common Name |
| Acer circinatum | 25’ | 5-9 | Vine Maple |
| Acer pensylvanicum | 36’ | 3-7 | Striped Maple |
| Acer spicatum | 25’ | 3-7 | Mountain Maple |
| Amelanchier spp. | 36’ | 4-9 | Serviceberries |
| Cercis canadensis | 30’ | 4 | Eastern Redbud |
| Cornus florida | 25’ | 5-8 | Flowering Dogwood |
| Ilex spp. | 10’-15’ | 5-9 | Hollies |
| Podocarpus macrophyllus | 50’ | 7-10 | Yew Podocarpus |
| Prunus pensylvanica | 30’ | 6-8 | Pin Cherry |
| Rhododendron maximum | 12’-36’ | 4-9 | Rosebay Rhododendron |
| Thuja occidentalis | 10-15’ | 2-9 | American Arborvitae |
| Tsuga spp. | 25’-50’ | 3-8 | Hemlocks |
Shrubs that withstand shade
| Botanical Name | Height | Zone | Common Name |
| Abelia spp. | 5’-10’ | 7-9 | Abelias |
| Acanthopanax sieboldianus | 9’ | 4 | Free-leaved Aralia |
| Alnus spp. | 9’-40’ | 2-7 | Alders |
| Amelanchier spp. | 6’-25’ | 2-7 | Serviceberries |
| Ardisia crispa | 2’-5’ | 6-9 | Coral Ardisia |
| Aronia spp. | 2’-9’ | 4-9 | Chokeberries |
| Aucuba japonica | 10’ | 6-10 | Japanese Aucuba |
| Azara microphylla | 12’-18’ | 8-10 | Boxleaf Azara |
| Berberis spp. | 2’-10’ | 5-9 | Barberries |
| Brunfeldsia spp. | 3’ | 10 | Raintree |
| Botanical Name | Height | Zone | Common Name |
| Calycanthus floridus | 8’ | 5-9 | Carolina Allspice |
| Camelia japonica | 3’-10’ | 7-9 | Common Camellia |
| Camelia sinensis | 30’ | 9 | Tea Camellia |
| Chamaecyparis obtusa | 2’-15’ | 4-8 | Hinoki Cypress |
| Chimonanthus praecox | 8’-12’ | 7-9 | Wintersweet |
| Chionanthus virginicus | 10’ | 4-9 | Fringetree |
| Clethra alnifolia | 24”-36” | 3-9 | Summersweet |
| Colutea arborescens | 10’ | 6-8 | Bladder-senna |
| Comptonia peregrina | 24”-36” | 2-8 | Sweet fern |
| Botanical Name | Height | Zone | Common Name |
| Cornus spp. | 1.5-24’ | 2-8 | Dogwoods |
| Corylopsis spp. | 10-18’ | 5-7 | Winter hazels |
| Corylus spp. | 15-30’ | 3-4 | Hazels |
| Cotoneaster salicifolius | 15’ | 5-8 | Cotoneaster |
| Daphne mezereum | 3’ | 4-8 | February Daphne |
| Daphne odora | 4’ | 7-9 | Winter Daphne |
| Diervilla sessilifolia | 3’-5’ | 4-8 | Southern Bush-honeysuckle |
| Euonymus japonicus | 12’ | 6-9 | Evergreen Euonymus |
| Fatsia japonica | 5’-12’ | 8-10 | Fatsia |
| Fothergilla spp. | 8’ | 5-8 | Fothergillas |
| Fuchsia magellanica | 3’-6’ | 6-9 | Magellan Fuchsia |
| Botanical Name | Height | Zone | Common Name |
| Gaultheria shallon | 4’ | 6-8 | Salal |
| Gaylussacia baccata | 18”-3’ | 3-7 | Box-huckleberry |
| Hamamelis spp. | 6’-12’ | 3-8 | Witch-hazels |
| Hardenbergia comptoniana | 10’ | 9-11 | Compton Coral-pea |
| Hydrangea macrophylla | 6’ | 6-9 | Garden Hydrangea |
| Hydrangea quercifolia | 6’ | 5-9 | Oak-leaf Hydrangea |
| Hypericum spp. | 1’-6’ | 6-9 | St. John’s-wort |
| Ilex spp. | 9’-30’ | 3-9 | Hollies |
| Illicium floridanum | 8’ | 7-9 | Florida Anise Tree |
| Jacobina spp. | 2-5’ | 10 | Plume-flower |
| Botanical Name | Height | Zone | Common Name |
| Kalmia spp. | 3’-10’ | 2-8 | Mountain-laurels |
| Laurus nobilis | 30’ | 8-11 | Sweet Bay, Laurel |
| Leucothoe fontanesiana | 3’-6’ | 5-8 | Drooping Leucothoe |
| Ligustrum spp. | 6-15’ | 3-9 | Privets |
| Lindera benzoin | 10’ | 4-9 | Spice Bush |
| Lonicera spp. | 3’-15’ | 2-9 | Honeysuckles |
| Lycium barbarum | 5’-11’ | 6-9 | Chinese box thorn |
| Magnolia virginiana | 28’ | 6-9 | Sweet Bay |
| Mahonia spp. | 10”-12’ | 6-9 | Mahonias, Holly Grapes |
| Michelia figo | 5’-11’ | 9-12 | Banana-shrub |
| Myrica spp. | 5’-9’ | 2-6 | Wax Myrtle |
| Botanical Name | Height | Zone | Common Name |
| Nandina domestica | 3’-6’ | 6-11 | Nandina |
| Osmanthus fragrans | 3’-10’ | 7-9 | Sweet Osmanthus |
| Pachysandra terminalis | 10” | 5-8 | Japanese Spurge |
| Paxistima canbyi | 16” | 7-8 | Canby Pachistima |
| Philesia magellanica | 3’ | 7-8 | Magellan Box-lily |
| Phillyrea latifolia | 28’ | 7-9 | |
| Photinia spp. | 10-20’ | 4-9 | Photinias |
| Pieris | 3-12’ | 4-7 | Andromedas |
| Pittosporum tobira | 6’-10’ | 8-10 | Japanese Pittosporum |
| Pyracantha spp. | 3’-15’ | 6-9 | Firethorns |
| Botanical Name | Height | Zone | Common Name |
| Rhamnus spp. | 6’-10’ | 7-9 | Buckthorns |
| Rhaphiolepis umbellata | 1’-5’ | 7-11 | Yeddo-Hawthorn |
| Rhododendron spp. | 4’-20’ | 2-9 | Azaleas, Rhododendorns |
| Rhodotypos scandens | 4’ | 5-8 | Jetbead |
| Rubus odoratus | 8’ | 3-7 | Flowering Raspberry |
| Ruscus aculeatus | 1’-3’ | 7-9 | Butcher’s Broom |
| Sabal minor | 3’-6’ | 9-12 | Dwarf Palmetto |
| Sambucus canadensis | 12’ | 4-9 | Blueberry Elder |
| Sambucus racemosa | 10’ | 3-7 | Red Elder |
| Sarcococca ruscifolia | 3’ | 8-9 | Sarcococcas |
| Sasa palmata | 6’ | 7-11 | Bamboo |
| Severinia buxifolia | 6’ | 8-9 | Chinese Box-orange |
| Skimmia japonica | 4’-15’ | 7-9 | Japanese Skimmia |
| Stachyurus praecox | 5’ | 7-9 | |
| Symphoricarpos spp. | 3-6’ | 3-7 | Snowberry |
Snowball viburnum, Viburnum opulus
| Botanical Name | Height | Zone | Common Name |
| Taxus spp. | 3’-20’ | 3-7 | Yews |
| Thuja spp. | 3’-25’ | 2-7 | Arborvitaes |
| Torreya spp. | 40’-70’ | 7-11 | Torreya |
| Tsuga canadensis | 2’-10’ | 4-8 | Common Hemlock vars. |
| Vaccinium spp. | 8”-5’ | 2-7 | Blueberries |
| Viburnum spp. | 3’-12’ | 2-9 | Viburnums |
| Vinca minor | 4”-8” | 4-9 | Periwinkle |
| Xanthorhiza simplicissima | 2’ | 3-9 | Yellow-root |
| Zamia pumila | 4’ | 9-12 | Coontie |
| Zenobia pulverulenta | 6’ | 5-8 | Dusty Zenobia |
Also of interest:
Shade Gardening
Annuals and Perennials for Shade
Annuals and Perennials for Part Shade
