Planting Around Your Tree: Top Ten Plants That Grow Best in the Shade

Trees add height and character to every yard, but many gardeners, having difficulty getting plants to grow beneath the shade of a tree, don't know whether to forgo their trees to help their plants or to live with a barren, flowerless patch beneath the tree's shade.

Shade is wonderful in the summertime, making your yard more comfortable in the summer heat. Instead of removing a valuable source of shade and beauty, choose plants that will thrive in the shade to complement your landscape.

The Top Ten Georgia Plants that Grow Best in Shade

1. Lenten Rose (Helleborus). This beautiful low-growing flower is available in pink, white and mauve. Its evergreen foliage remains a vibrant green throughout the year, and the blossom blooms until late spring.


2. Autumn Fern (Dryopteris Erythrosora). These ferns can stand up to a number of climates and, like the Lenten Rose, remain green all year. Coppery fronds uncurl during the spring; despite their size, they grow surprisingly tall and will contrast well with other plants in the garden.


3. Hostas. These ferns grow together and provide a contrasting leaf form. They come in a variety of colors and grow well with the Autumn Fern listed above.


4. Solomon's Seal (Polygonatum). This bush showcases its white striped edges and looks great when paired with other plainer green shades which bring out its unique leaves.


5. Japanese Painted Fern (Athyrium Nipponicum). While these ferns will grow in heavy shade, a small bit of sunlight throughout the day is best. The beautiful silver tint of the leaves is best complimented by blue and purple leaved Hostas.


6. Northern Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum Pedatum). This green and delicate fern is more rigid than it appears; given filtered light it will even begin to spread and form a colony.


7. Toadlily (Tricyrtis). With orchid-like flowers coming in shades of lavender, plum and pink, these plants bloom into autumn. Toad Lilies should be placed at the edge of a shady region in order to produce the most flowers.


8. Barrenwort (Epimedium). Small, delicate flowers on wiry stems signal the arrival of new foliage. They form a beautiful ground cover of yellow, lavender or white when the flowers are in bloom.


9. Hardy Begonia (Begonia Grandis). True to its name, this plant can withstand harsh winters and grow into colonies. It is colorful through the year with its red veined leaves year round and pink flowers in the summer.


10. Woodland Phlox (Phlox Divaricata). Similar to the Barrenwort, these plants leave a carpet of lavender or blue small flowers. They are lightly fragranced and blossom most fervently with some morning sun.

With so many options and varieties of pretty flowers and foliage to adorn a shaded area, there is no need to sacrifice your trees in order to enjoy a beautiful garden. Keeping your tree neatly trimmed will provide a great opportunity to start a shaded garden underneath it. Shaded gardens can add a nice contrast to your yard, as most shaded area plants are green year round and will last for more than two years. Allowing some light to fall through the tree's branches will help a shaded garden grow fast and remain healthy; having the tree professionally trimmed will keep both the tree and the new shaded garden looking their best.

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