Welcome to the companion piece to Flowers for Shade Gardens. The flowers suggested here thrive in partial shade, often preferring morning sun and protection from the hot afternoon sun, making them very versatile and right for most gardens.
What is Partial SHADE?
When choosing flowers, it’s important to know which type of light you are working with. Areas that receive some sun and some shade are often referred to as partial shade or partial sun (or part shade/part sun). Since the term can be a bit ambiguous (what is “some” shade?), here are the definitions we at Swansons use regularly for different shade levels.
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Partial Shade (also called Partial Sun) is an area that receives about 4-6 hours of direct sun per day. Plants that prefer partial shade like the morning sun but should be protected from intense afternoon sun.
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Dappled Shade – this can be a type of partial shade in which sunlight trickles down through the leaves of overhead trees most of the day. It can be considered full shade if the light trickles down for only 2-4 hours each day.
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Full Shade is an area that receives less than 4 hours of direct sunlight per day but is not entirely without sunlight.
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Deep Shade is an area that receives little or no direct sunlight. For example, it may be along a north wall and under a tree or deck, obscuring even ambient light from the sky. Most plants will not grow in deep shade.
Knowing these definitions is a good start to understanding plant tags and choosing the best flowers for your garden. If you’d like more in-depth information about shade, check out our blog post, “Fifty Shades of… Well, Shade.”
Which Flowers Prefer Partial Shade?
Below are some of my favorite flowers that thrive in partial shade and have bloomed well in my PNW garden. I’ve loosely arranged them by bloom time so you can plan to have flowers throughout the year. Some of these plants can handle full sun here in the PNW, and that is noted in their descriptions.
Aimée Damman
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