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6 Colorful Flowers That Do Well In Shade

by Emily Durgan | Thu, Apr 30, 2015

It’s time to start thinking about summer color in the garden!

Picking the flower varietals to plant in the beds and gardens is one of the best parts of landscaping. Some of our clients ask us about what flowers grow well in shade, as their land may be sheltered by trees or on the wrong side of the summer sun. Fortunately there are many colorful flowers to choose from.

Here are six of our favorite colorful flowers that do well in shade.

Golden shrimp plant is one of our favorite colorful flowers that do well in shade

Golden Shrimp Plant

These interesting yellow flowers make a great display and hummingbirds love them. The golden shrimp plant can grow up to five feet tall, spreading up to four feet wide. With pruning, they’ll stay closer to the ground and they typically don’t grow as high in the shade. They do well in containers or in bedding.

Disclaimer: We use the golden shrimp plant as an annual because it’s not horribly hardy when the temperatures dip.

 

crossandra orange marmalade is one of our favorite colorful flowers that do well in shade

Crossandra Orange Marmalade

With bright orange flowers, this perennial blooms during the warm months. The plant is a hybrid engineered to maintain its petals for several days longer than similar breeds. Orange Marmalade is a nice flower to mix in with other bright colors and does well in shade. The plant grows two to three feet in height and has a similar spread in width.

 

fibrous begonies are one of our favorite colorful flowers that do well in shade

Begonias

With more than 1,200 species, begonias are often classified by their roots: tuberous, fibrous and rhizomatous. In the Florida Panhandle, the most popular type is the fibrous rooted type, that can be used as bedding plants. Rather than creating a mixed area with other annuals, begonias do well on their own, planted in a large quantity. They’re hardy and bloom throughout the summer, providing a lot of color, and they won’t spread out of their area.

 

blue ginger is one of our favorite colorful flowers that do well in shade

Blue Ginger

This striking flower pops up in late summer and early fall, with 10-inch stalks of bluish purple flowers in a cone shape. These plants love the shade, and even without direct sun can grow up to eight feet tall, spreading three feet wide. Even though it’s a perennial, it might not survive the winter in the Florida panhandle area.

 

French hydrangea is one of our favorite colorful flowers that do well in shade

French Hydrangea

If you want a lot of bang for your buck, plant hydrangeas. These blossom clusters are huge, resembling a ball, and you can choose from a variety of pastel colors. Since it’s a shrub, if using it in bedding, you’ll want to plant it behind the shorter flowers. It can grow six feet tall and spread 12 feet wide, though you can prune it so it doesn’t get so large. Hydrangeas bloom well in the shade, making this a perfect plant for gardens that don’t get much sun.

 

calla lily is one of our favorite colorful flowers that do well in shade

Calla Lilies

Native to South Africa, calla lilies are not actually lilies. That said, callas should feel right at home in your shady Northern Florida landscape. Our climate is pretty much perfect for them, too. Callas have a thick, leafless flower stalk with a large, trumpet-shaped blossom and comes in a variety of colors. They’re tolerant of most pests and diseases and will reach heights of 18 inches to 4 feet.

Turn To GreenEarth For Colorful, Shade-Loving Suggestions

At GreenEarth, we can recommend many other colorful flowers that grow well in shade and sun. If you’d like a consultation on want to know what other types of flowers and plants to add to your garden this summer, we can help.

Give us a call at our Panama City Beach office at (850) 236-1959, or call our Santa Rosa Beach office at (850) 267-0010 to set up an appointment. You can also fill out the online form on our website to schedule a consultation.

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Images: Golden shrimp, Crossandra, Begonias, Blue ginger, French hydrangea, Calla lilies

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