Contributed photo
Bleeding hearts, bugbane, hostas and crested iris are just a few of the plants that can be successfully planted in the shade. Horticulturists with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach recently shared tips for perennials, wildflowers and groundcovers in shady locations. Native woodland wildflowers are sometimes overlooked, but they have adapted to the area and are easy to grow. Native woodland wildflowers that grow well include columbine, Canadian wild ginger, trillium and Virginia bluebells. These woodland wildflowers can be purchased at area garden centers. Groundcovers that do well in shade include foam flower, creeping phlox and spotted deadnettle.
Perennials for shady locations:
monkshood (Aconitum spp.), bugbane (Actaea racemosa), astilbe (Astilbe spp.), Siberian bugloss (Brunnera macrophylla), bleeding heart (Dicentra spp.), hosta (Hosta spp.), crested iris (Iris cristata), martagon lily (Lilium martagon), Jacob’s ladder (Polemonium caeruleum), lungwort (Pulmonaria spp.), celandine poppy (Stylophorum spp.), meadow rue (Thalictrum spp.), toad lily (Tricyrtis hirta) and various ferns
Native wildflowers to plant in shady spots:
wild columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), Jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum), goat’s beard (Aruncus dioicus), Canadian wild ginger (Asarum canadense), Dutchman’s breeches (Dicentra cucullaria), shooting star (Dodecatheon meadia), false Solomon’s seal (Maianthemum racemosum), Virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginica), woodland phlox (Phlox divaricata), May apple (Podophyllum peltatum), Solomon’s seal (Polygonatum biflorum), bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis), trillium (Trillium spp.), large-flowered bellwort (Uvularia grandiflora)
Groundcovers for shade:
bugleweed (Ajuga spp.), wild ginger (Asarum canadense and A. europaeum), barrenwort (Epimedium spp.), sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum), hosta (Hosta spp.), yellow archangel (Lamium galeobdolon), spotted deadnettle (Lamium maculatum), creeping lily-turf (Liriope spicata), Japanese pachysandra (Pachysandra terminalis), creeping phlox (Phlox stolonifera), lungwort (Pulmonaria spp.), foam flower (Tiarella cordifolia), vinca (Vinca minor)