11 Cottage Garden Plants for Shade

A cottage garden is a lifelong and wonderfully fulfilling space that reflects the heart and imagination of the gardener. It’s a lovely place to find a spot for treasures and found items. It’s also a wonderful way to blend a wide variety of different plants in a way that feels holistic and harmonious.

As your cottage garden grows, you will undoubtedly end up with some shaded spaces if you didn’t originally start out with them. Shaded areas can be tricky. Many of the flowering plants we love need a fair amount of light to produce their prettiest flowers. 

Don’t give up on those shady spots just yet, though. There are tons of beautiful plants that are happiest in partial and even full shade. Here are some of our favorite plants that fit into those spaces of the cottage garden that receive limited exposure. 

Hellebore ‘Paris in Pink’

	botanical name Helleborus ‘Paris in Pink’
	sun requirements Partial to full shade
	height 1’-2’
	hardiness zones 4-9

Hellebore, which you may know as the lenten rose, is a wonderful early spring bloomer. The deep, evergreen foliage is beautiful year-round, and the flowers are subtle but stunning. They thrive in dappled light situations, where the sun filters through overhead trees and shrubs. 

‘Paris in Pink’ is part of the Honeymoon® series of hellebore. The blossoms are a melange of soft rose-pink shades. The variations make these blooms look delicate, but in reality, these are sturdy evergreens. They are easy to grow and prefer moist, rich soil. 

Begonia ‘Garden Angel Silver’

	botanical name Begonia ‘Garden Angel Silver’
	sun requirements Partial to full shade
	height 1’-2’
	hardiness zones 7-11

Begonias can be funny about the cold, but some are quite cold-tolerant. If you live North of zone 9, make sure to look for one that is cold-hardy. These evergreen perennials have beautiful, often colorful foliage in shades of green, white, pink, and red. Even when not in bloom, they are stunning in the shade garden. 

Keep your begonias moist and give it good air circulation. ‘Garden Angel Silver’ is a wonderful cold-hardy begonia with showy deep green foliage with flashy silver accents. It produces sweet, pink flowers in late summer to add a splash of color. These are fast-growing and great for filling shaded spaces with interesting textures. 

Coleus ‘Trusty Rusty’

	botanical name Coleus scutellarioides ‘Uf06419’
	sun requirements Partial shade
	height 1’-3’
	hardiness zones 10-11

Need some annual color that grows fast and adds a ton of color to those shaded areas? Coleus is perfect for the job. It won’t make it through the winter outdoors, but it handles the summer heat like a champ, and once you plant it, you won’t have to do much to maintain it. 

Coleus is perfect for borders in less sunny spots. ‘Trusty Rusty’ is an award-winning cultivar that has bright red leaves and just a hint of yellow along the serrated margins. This is perfect if you want the look of drama without any actual drama. 

Impatiens ‘Infinity Blushing Crimson’

	botanical name Impatiens ‘Infinity Blushing Crimson’
	sun requirements Partial to full shade
	height 10”-2’
	hardiness zones 10-11

Impatiens are wonderful for adding color that lasts a long time to those shady spots in the cottage garden. They are exceptionally easygoing and tolerate the heat of summer without skipping a beat. They’re annual in most climates, but in zones 10-11, they will overwinter. 

‘Infinity Blushing Crimson’ is just one of a wide range of varieties in different colors. There is an impatiens for any space and just about any climate. They are low-growing and make a stunning border. They pair nicely with ferns for additional texture. 

Goat’s Beard ‘Misty Lace’

	botanical name Aruncus ‘Misty Lace’ PP15798
	sun requirements Partial to full shade
	height 3’-4’
	hardiness zones 3-7

Goat’s beard is great for cooler climates, where it is a perennial. It also stands up well to summer heat. No worries about this plant going dormant in warm weather, as this is when it does its best blooming! It stays beautiful through the fall with lush, attractive foliage. 

‘Misty lace’ produces large plumes of fluffy white flowers. They add a feathery texture when blooming and are flexible about exposure. They perform well in the sun or the shade! The more light, the denser and more floriferous your goat’s beard will be. 

Foamy Bells ‘Dayglow Pink’

	botanical name X Heucherella ‘Dayglow Pink’
	sun requirements Partial shade
	height 7”-2’
	hardiness zones 4-9

Foamy bells is another great plant for bridging areas of differing sun exposure. It appreciates moist soil and is evergreen in warmer climates. A mass planting of foamy bells is spectacular. In spring, it sends up large plumes of colorful flowers.

‘Dayglow Pink’ is a compact variety that forms a spreading mound of foliage. The leaves are bright green with chocolate veining. In early summer, it blooms, sending up tall stems topped with delicate pink blossoms. 

Ligularia ‘Bottle Rocket’

	botanical name Ligularia ‘Bottle Rocket’
	sun requirements Partial to full shade
	height 28”-36”
	hardiness zones 4-8

Ligularia has a similar vibe to foamy bells with eye-catching foliage and flamboyant flower spikes. The leaves are large with thickly serrated edges. It is densely clump-forming, growing into a mound of lush leaves and brightly colored flowers. 

‘Bottle Rocket’ is a compact variety that is flexible with light exposure. The leaves are medium green and dramatic, and the flower stems poke up between them. The bloom time is mid to late summer, and the flowers are bright, mustard yellow. 

Virginia Sweetspire ‘Henry’s Rocket’

	botanical name Itea virginica ‘Henry’s Garnet’
	sun requirements Partial shade
	height 3’-5’
	hardiness zones 5-9

If you need a small, flowering shrub to balance out shaded spots in your cottage garden, Virginia sweetspire does a nice job completing this task. It’s semi-evergreen in mild climates, and has striking fall color in cooler ones. Once established, it needs little in the way of caretaking. 

‘Henry’s Garnet’ gets its name from the rich, deep red color that the leaves turn in autumn. The cream-colored blossoms cover the ends of branches in mid-spring and open from the bottom up over a long period. The Royal Horticultural Society awarded this plant the Award of Garden Merit. 

Astilbe ‘Purple Candles’

	botanical name Astilbe chinensis ‘Purple Candles’
	sun requirements Partial to full shade
	height 3’-4’
	hardiness zones 4-9

Astilbe is a perfect plant for adding flowers to shaded spots in your cottage garden. It is clump-forming with fern-like foliage that is attractive when no blooms are present. Rich, moist soil is the key to keeping it happy. Don’t allow the soil to dry out.

‘Purple Candles’ has glowing purple flower spikes that bloom in midsummer. It is tolerant of heavy shade and has strong stems that make it nice for cutting. Pollinators will enjoy your astilbe and the break from the blazing sun in the summertime. 

Ginger ‘Tahitian Flame’

	botanical name Hedychium ‘Tahitian Flame’
	sun requirements Partial to full shade
	height 5’-6’
	hardiness zones 8-11

Ginger makes a great shade plant. Beautiful tropical foliage and fragrant, flamboyant flowers make this one of my favorites for areas that don’t get full exposure. Add to that their spreading nature and vertical interest, and there are few others that come close. 

‘Tahitian Ginger’ is a variety of ginger lily; these big bloomers are really special and extra fragrant. It has variegated foliage that stands upward on tall stems. The flowers are borne in large apricot clusters, and the fragrance is heavenly. 

Bleeding Heart ‘Bacchanal’

	botanical name Dicentra formosa ‘Bacchanal’
	sun requirements Partial shade
	height 1’-2’
	hardiness zones 3-9

There are several growth types when it comes to bleeding heart. Some creep, some mound, and others climb. They all produce uniquely beautiful flowers and tolerate lower-light locations. In cooler climates, they tolerate more sun, but in warmer ones, the opposite is true.