Perennial Shade Flowers

Forget-Me-Not (Myosotis sylvatica) thrive in full to part shade. They grow to a height of between six and twelve inches, and have small, bright blue, daisy-like blooms. Forget-me-Nots are hardy in zones three through nine, and reseed prolifically, so some care might need to be taken to make sure they don’t become invasive. They’re easy to weed out if you find you have too many.

Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) are native North American perennials hardy in zones three through eight. Columbines grow beautifully in a garden that gets about a half day of shade. They can grow up to three feet tall, depending on the cultivar, and produce elegant blooms in shades of red and pink. The flowers are very elegant. Columbines also self sow readily.

Hardy Geranium (Geranium sanguineum) is very different from the annual geraniums which are actually pelargoniums we buy for porch pots or bedding plants. Hardy Geraniums form low mounds and bloom from spring through fall in white, red, purple, pink, or blue. They will thrive in part shade, and some cultivars do perfectly in full shade. Another bonus is that hardy geraniums tolerate dry soil—a common problem when planting under trees. They are hardy in zones four through eight.

Coral Bells (Heuchera) For show-stopping color in the shade garden, coral bells are unbeatable. Recent breeding has produced plants with foliage in just about every color imaginable, from coppery orange to pure black; deep purple to chartreuse. Coral bells do great in part to full shade, and form low mounds of foliage. They also produce flower spikes of delicate, bell-shaped blooms. Depending on the cultivar, coral bells are hardy in zones three through nine.

Astilbe (Astilbe), hardy in zones four through nine, grow wonderfully in part to full shade, as long as they have nice moist soil. It produces feathery plumes in white, pink, purple, peach, or red in late spring through summer.

Bleeding Heart (Dicentra spectabilis) is my favorite shade growing perennial, if not my favorite perennial period. Bleeding Heart is an old-fashioned, absolutely beautiful plant for shade gardens. In spring to early summer, delicate, dangling flowers will appear, looking like rows of heart-shaped lockets. Bleeding Heart blooms in shades of white, pink, purple, and red, and grows up to four feet tall and three feet wide. It dislikes summer heat, however, and may go dormant if it is allowed to dry out. Not to worry–it will come back just fine in the spring. Bleeding Heart thrives in part to full shade in zones two through nine. If it gets sun, morning sun is preferable to afternoon sun, which can be much too hot for Bleeding Heart.

via  Suite101.com.