annual plants made for shade

annual plants to

brighten a dark border

Learning how to plant a Shade garden is a very common interest we hear from customers, and many also want to know what Annual plants grow well in shade. The good news is, many annuals thrive in Shade. Flowering options are at a minimum, but they do exist! And there is no shortage of foliage, color, and texture to create a showy display. Best of all, annual plants grow their hearts out, and so make for productive pops of color in the shadiest of gardens. Scroll to explore a DIY Shade Garden we created using mostly annual plants.

sample garden

For the heavily wooded area featured in this video, we opted for fiery bursts of burnt orange, deep reds, brightly contrasting chartreuse greens, and touches of blue. All worked well to highlight the garden bed while complementing the homeowner’s tool shed. Featured annual plants include Begonia Santa Cruz®, SunPatiens® Electric Orange, Coleus ‘Oxblood’, Coleus ‘Rodeo Drive’, and Torenia Summer Wave® Bouquet Blue, all of which are spectacular shade performers.

shade annual plant families

Popular annual plant families for Shade include Begonia, Boston Fern, Caladium, Chenille, Coleus, Fuchsia, Impatiens, New Guinea Impatiens, Nicotiana, Pansies & Violas, Sweet Potato Vine, SunPatiens®, Torenia, and more. You might also consider common houseplants like Tradescantia, Ivy, Hypoestes, and others that can be grown outdoors during the summer months to add interest to shady sites (be sure to transition them back indoors during fall, if you want to overwinter them).

shopping for plants

When shopping at Petitti’s, look for the sky-blue “Shade” signs in our Annuals greenhouse. That’s where you’ll find plant varieties for Part Shade (4-6 hours of direct sunlight) and Shade (4 hours or less of direct sunlight). Narrow down your selection by choosing a color combination you prefer.

how to plant in shade

As with most all plants, we recommend following Angelo’s Six Steps for Success Planting Guide for installing your annuals in a shade garden. Additionally, we recommend the following for best results with your shade garden.

shade garden tips

  • Incorporate Petitti Planting Mix™ with your ground soil to raise the overall soil level in the area. Mounding up the spots where your annuals grow will allow them to compete against established tree & shrub root systems for moisture and nutrients.
  • Space plants according to size at maturity to maintain promote good air circulation and prevent the onset of fungal disease.
  • For best design, plant “thrillers” (the tallest plants) in the back and “spillers” (the smallest plants) in the front.
  • For a showier display, especially when viewed from a distance, create “pools of color” by staggering, yet spacing, the same type of plant.
  • Re-apply a slow-release fertilizer midsummer to maintain best flowering and foliage development.
  • Though most annuals are self-cleaning, a bit of deadheading or light trimming will induce denser growth, branching, and flowering.
back to shade gardening
rack out the area
raise the soil level
Apply Espoma Bio-tone® Starter Plus
pay attention to tag info
gently break up the root system
add mulch
apply Osmocote®

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