11 Best Annual Flowers for Shade

Shade-loving annuals brighten dark corners, fill bare areas, grow around trees, and create a border among larger plantings. They instantly cool down or energize the display based on the color palette, and since they bloom for a single season, they’re easy to change up for a new look. 

The key to selecting and growing annual shade flowers is to observe the space to gauge the amount of shade. Partial shade equates to four or more hours of sunlight per day, while full shade is less than about four hours. Most flowering annuals do best with at least four hours of sun, but there are those that tolerate more shaded areas. Many perform well in dappled light, especially with morning sun, while others rely on bright, indirect light and even deeper shade.

Pair flowering annuals for shade with interesting foliage, especially useful in deep shade, to enliven the display with an alternate form of color. When combined with dynamic foliage plants, shady arrangements feature diversity in color, leaf texture, and form. From tall and upright to spreading and trailing, beautiful selections for shade abound.

Midnight Blend Impatiens

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Midnight Blend Impatiens Seeds

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Jewel Blend Nasturtium

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Jewel Blend Nasturtium Seeds

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Crystal Palace Lobelia

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Impatiens

	botanical name Impatiens walleriana
	sun requirements Partial to full shade
	height 6”-2’
	hardiness zones 10-11

Impatiens are one of the most popular bedding annuals, and they happen to thrive in the shade and warm conditions. It’s easy to appreciate their richly colored blooms that cover mounding foliage from spring until frost. Their single or double blooms shine against petite, dark leaves.

From ballet pink to neon orange to magenta, there’s an impatiens for any garden display. Classic impatiens form a soft mound that gently spills over beds and container edges, and trailing varieties offer a twist on the originals in planters like window boxes and hanging baskets.

The shade-loving Impatiens walleriana is susceptible to downy mildew, especially in damp and humid conditions. Look for the ‘Beacon®’ and ‘Imara®’ series for selections with improved disease resistance. Impatiens grow best in organically rich soils. Regular moisture is key to their vigor, especially in the summer heat.

‘Dragon Wing®’ Begonia

	botanical name Begonia x hybrida ‘Dragon Wing®’
	sun requirements Partial to full shade
	height 1-1.5’
	hardiness zones 10-11

Beegonias of all types make lovely shade additions, tolerating deeper conditions than many other blooming annuals. ‘Dragon Wing®’ begonias bring dramatic flowers and foliage. Easygoing and adaptable, they tolerate heat, humidity, and dry conditions. They bring color and textural interest with slightly arching canes, “winged” leaves, and pendulous flowers. 

Angel wing begonias, too, tuck into shady spots for unusual foliar interest and continual flowers. Their wing-shaped leaves feature dramatic mottling in rich tones. Silvery dots mark deep green, wing-shaped leaves with red undersides. Clusters of white, red, pink, or salmon blooms suspend from arching stems.

In addition to the annual planting, begonias grow well as houseplants, where they overwinter or live indoors year-round. Some varieties are bred for a more compact form, bolder leaf pattern, and longer bloom time. Their flowers are edible with a hint of citrus flavor, so pinch a few to garnish summer salads and desserts.

Torenia

	botanical name Torenia fournieri
	sun requirements Partial to full shade
	height 6-12”
	hardiness zones 10-11

Torenia brightens the shady annual arrangement with multi-colored trumpet flowers in bright pink, blue, purple, yellow, magenta, and white. Their cheery faces resemble snapdragons and drape from leafy stems.

With a full, loosely mounding form, torenia softens the display but brings an infusion of continual color. In rich pigments, varieties are available in single colors or mixes for a complementary design. They bloom from spring until frost with little care. If they lose their shape as the season progresses, give them a trim to tidy them up and promote new growth.

Torenia performs best in moist, well-drained soils. It doesn’t withstand soggy situations, and some varieties wither in high heat and humidity. The ‘Summer Wave^®’ and ‘Kauai™’ series feature improved heat, humidity, and drought tolerance. They thrive in partial shade, even in hot, southern climates.

Browallia

	botanical name Browallia spp.
	sun requirements Partial to full shade
	height 1-2’
	hardiness zones 9-11

Browallia is a true shade-loving flowering annual. It has starry five-petaled white, blue, or purple jewel-toned flowers that shine in the shadows (it’s also known as amethyst or sapphire flower). Deep green leaves lend a lush backdrop to the enchanting blooms.

Look for ‘Starlight’ for a compact variety or the ‘Bell’ series for a trailer. ‘Endless™ Illumination’ brings purple-blue petals with brushed white centers all season. The annual blooms from early summer through frost and overwinters indoors for multi-season flowering.

Low-maintenance, browallia requires little care other than consistent moisture. Pinch stems to encourage branching for a bushy form with multiple branches for blooming. 

Fuchsia

	botanical name Fuchsia spp.
	sun requirements Partial shade
	height 1-3’
	hardiness zones 6-11

Fuchsia is a favorite for pots, hanging baskets, and draping over bed edges. Flowers are highly ornamental and suspend delicately from arching stems like bobbing jewels. Single and double blooms are white, pink, red, magenta, purple, and bicolor.

Fuchsia boasts a long bloom time and fills a container as a single specimen or filler selection. Heavy blooms in spring and early summer repeat into fall, and the intricate blossoms attract hummingbirds.

Fuchsia needs bright, indirect light to thrive. Organically rich soils and regular moisture bring the best performance, though they’re somewhat drought-tolerant once established. Fuchsia in pots and hanging baskets overwinter indoors (but can be a challenge). Pinch and prune stems for the best vigor during the active growing season and in overwintering.

Lobelia

	botanical name Lobelia erinus
	sun requirements Partial to full shade
	height 4-18”
	hardiness zones 10-11

Lobelia bears a blanket of saturated blue flowers that we don’t often find in annuals. The petite, tubular blooms cover gray-green leaves from late spring through frost. The range of blues includes powder and lavender, as well as white and pink varieties. Masses of the dainty flowers cover the mounding or trailing forms (depending on the variety) when in full bloom.

Lobelia shows the best flowering with some sun exposure, especially morning sun or dappled light. It appreciates afternoon shade protection. In hot climates, heat-tolerant varieties like ‘Techno® Heat Dark Blue’ offer longer blooming during the summer highs. 

Cut back stems after each bloom period to encourage successive flushes. Provide moist, rich, well-drained soils for lasting color.

Scarlet Sage

	botanical name Salvia coccinea
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 1-3’
	hardiness zones 8-10

Salvia coccinea is a compact sage with spikes of red tubular flowers that bloom from early summer through frost. Emerging earlier than other salvias, the North American native species has cultivars in pink, white, and coral. ‘Coral Nymph’ produces warm coral-pink blooms, while ‘Summer Jewel™ Pink’ sparkles in pure pink.

Scarlet sage is heat and drought-tolerant and grows with little tending. It yields the most flowers in four or more hours of sun, from intermittent periods throughout the day to afternoon protection in hot climates. In too much shade, it shows less growth, looser stems, and fewer flowers. 

Deadhead scarlet sage to promote more blooms. While it perennializes in warm, frost-free zones, it grows quickly as an annual in cooler areas. It also reseeds in zones 6 and above for successional seasons of color. As a bonus, the aromatic foliage is deer and rabbit-resistant.

New Guinea Impatiens

	botanical name Impatiens hawkeri
	sun requirements Full sun to full shade
	height 6”-2’
	hardiness zones 10-12

New Guinea impatiens bring larger flowers and leaves than the classic tuberous garden impatiens. The elongated foliage is usually deep olive or purple with a metallic sheen, creating bold contrast to the bright blooms. Flowers carry the range of pastel, neon, and dark tones of common impatiens.

New Guineas grow in deep shade but tolerate sunnier areas better than I. walleriana. They’re also more resistant to mildew diseases, making them an adaptable choice for humid environments.

The florific annuals rely on regular moisture and prefer soils high in organic matter. Their varied forms include upright, mounding, and spreading, with solid or variegated leaves.

Bacopa

	botanical name Chaenostoma cordatum
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 3-6”
	hardiness zones 9-11

Bacopa is a showy little trailing annual that, like lobelia, needs at least some sun to flower. It has flat-petaled white, blue, purple, or pink flowers that line tidy, draping stems in spring through frost.

Bacopa makes a pretty compliment to other blooming annuals along the border or container edge. It’s lovely among rich greens and purple foliage selections and gives a gentle infusion of color. White bacopa instantly brightens darker zones.

Bacopa is carefree but fades in extreme heat. In hot summer climates, look for heat-resistant varieties like ‘Tried and True’ or ‘MegaCopa™’ with larger blooms. It needs organically rich, evenly moist soils, though bacopa tolerates drying out slightly between waterings.

Nasturtium

	botanical name Tropaeolum spp.
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 1-10’
	hardiness zones 9-11

Nasturtium has round leaves on stems that climb, spread, or trail, depending on supports. The large tubular blooms in yellow, orange, red, or ivory draw hummingbirds and other pollinators for their nectar. Newer varieties feature unique characteristics like deep maroon blossoms, variegated foliage, and trailing qualities for added interest. 

With a loose and rambling form, nasturtium lends itself to informal displays and is both ornamental and edible. The leaf and flower have a peppery flavor and make a pretty summer garnish. 

The easy-to-grow annuals develop quickly from seed. They’re well-suited to hanging baskets and even grow indoors in a bright spot. They tolerate dry conditions and some cooling shade, especially in hot, southern climates.

Coleus

	botanical name Coleus scutellarioides
	sun requirements Full sun to full shade
	height 6”-3’
	hardiness zones 10-11

Coleus makes our list of annual shade flowers because it technically does flower, even though it’s grown for its dynamic foliage. In fact, the summer bloom spike is best pinched off in favor of sending energy to maintain the leaves. Despite the subtle bloom, we’d be remiss to leave coleus off the list since it’s such a shade standout.