Ranging fromshort bushestotall hedges, shade-lovingshrubbery can be evergreenor deciduous.
Some shade-tolerant shrubs produce beautiful blossoms, while others are famous for their attractive foliage.
Learn about 30 shrubs for shade that will spruce up your lawn and garden.
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Climbing Hydrangea (Hydrangea anomala subsp.
Naturally peeling bark on their stems provides winter interest.
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This bush flowers in spring and may bloom multiple times in partial shade.
The bark is kelly green to greenish-yellow throughout the winter.
It is a fast grower and can reach 7 feet.
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Seriously overgrown shrubs can be revived by cutting them all the way back to the ground in the fall.
But, these plants are worth growing for theirvariegated leavesalone.
Daphnes do not like acidic soil; add lime to help neutralize soil that is too acidic.
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Do not plant Daphne shrubs where children or pets have access.
The gold color gets brighter with sun exposure, but this shrub does well in partial shade.
There are many kinds of euonymus.
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One is quite notorious as aninvasive plant, thewinged spindle tree.
Euonymus can be a very fast-growing plant and can be controlled with hard pruning in the spring.
The berries of this plant are black, unlike the familiar red berries on other hollies.
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Like boxwoods, Hetz’s Japanese holly can be closely sheared to form shaped hedges.
Sky Pencil, with its smooth-edged leaves, works well in corners and tight spaces.
Its black berries attract a wide range of birds.
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The smaller cultivars of this tree make terrific hedges.
Yews (Taxus genus)
Yews are one of theplants used in Christmas traditions.
There are many cultivars and the versatility of thesetough plantsmakes thempopular for landscaping.
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Yews should be trimmed in early summer to keep the shape attractive.
Yews aretoxic plants.Do not plant if you have children or pets that live or frequent your garden.
Andromeda (Pieris japonica)
This shade-tolerant shrub is fragrant, flowering shrub andevergreen.
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Different cultivars offer white or pale pink flowers and new growth is also colorful.
Feeding is best done with an acid fertilizer, such as that used for azaleas.
The foliage, which looks something like rosemary, has a fine texture.
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The plant is short-lived and can become straggly unless pruned to maintain an attractive shape.
Deciduous serviceberries are found throughout the Northern Hemisphere.
Clusters of white flowers appear in spring followed by edible purple-blue fruit.
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It is often used to create a border or hedge.
These shrubs are easy to maintain for shape, as they can be pruned at any time.
If you have both male and female plants it will produce red berries in the fall.
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Aucuba can grow up to 15 feet tall with glossy elliptical leaves.
Tiny spring flowers usually bloom in early spring.
It is an ideal choice for cold, damp areas where other shrubs may struggle to survive.
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Mulching with peat moss will help provide the acidity this plant craves.
Like witch hazel, it has fringe-like flowers that bloom very early in the spring.
Chinese fringe flower has a spreading form and can grow up to 12 feet in height.
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Its foliage is usually green, thoughsome varietiesfeature purple leaves.
All parts of the plant are toxic if consumed.
A vase-shaped plant, it grows to tree height if not kept pruned.
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The leaves are dark green on top and bluish-gray on the bottom.
It will grow in all types of soil and can be maintained as a shrub or a tree.
All parts of the red buckeye are toxic to humans and pets.
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However, it is susceptible to Entomosporium leaf spot.
It is a broadleaf evergreen with greenish bark, leathery green leaves, fragrant flowers, and berries.
While pruning isn’t essential, light pruning during the dormant season can keep the plant neat.
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All parts of the skimmia plant are toxic.
It’s indigenous to California, drought-resistant, and has small flowers that produce red berries.
All these qualities make it a favorite plant for California xeriscaping.
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It produces big, beautiful peony flowers in many different shades.
Tree peonies are good border or hedge plants with attractive foliage and blooms.
The arrowwood species is an excellent choice for shade.
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They have clusters of flowers in spring and produce both red fall foliage and blue berries in fall.
They can grow up to 10 feet and are equally as wide.
If you are dealing with a shady spot, aviburnumis your best choice.
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Viburnums are moderate- to fast-growing plants.
They can grow from 1 to 2 feet per year.
There are shade-loving shrubs for every hardiness zone.
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The familiar pink and blue mopheadhydrangeas(Hydrangea spp.
)will not thrive or bloom in full shade.
Azaleas thrive in partial shade.
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They are the perfect companion plant for pine trees because they enjoy the same acid soil for vigorous growth.
Azaleas prefer light to moderate shade.
A Dangerous Garden Thug Exposed: Daphne Laureola.
KENPEI/Wikimedia Commons/CC By 2.0
Master Gardeners Association of British Columbia.
Clinical Toxicology of Yew Poisoning.Annals of Pharmacotherapy, vol.
Amelanchier alnifolia.Missouri Botanical Garden.
The Spruce / David Beaulieu
Leucothoe axillaris.North Carolina State University Plant Toolbox
Hamamelis virginiana.Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, University of Texas.
Fothergilla gardenii.North Carolina State University Plant Toolbox.
Red Buckeye.University of Kentucky, Department of Horticulture.
The Spruce / K. Dave
Photinia (Red Tip).
Clemson University Home and Garden Information Center.
Japanese Skimmia.Washington State University Extension PNW Plants.
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Andrei Stanescu / Getty Images
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