Shade Plants
For the Rogue Valley
Beautiful plants to enliven cool, shady spots in your garden
Shady garden or patio areas provide opportunities to explore unique plants that can brighten your landscape design. The following plants work well in part to full shade in our region. If your shady area is also dry, see our Dry Shade Plants List.
Shade plants list
| Botanical Name | Common Name | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| FERNS | ||
| Adiantum pedatum | Maidenhair Fern | |
| Athyrium niponicum ‘Pictum’ | Japanese Painted Fern | |
| Athyrium felix-femina | Lady Fern | |
| Blechnum spicant | Deer Fern | |
| Cyrtomium fortunei | Hardy Holly Fern | |
| Dryopteris erythrosora | Autumn Fern | |
| Matteuccia struthiopteris | Ostrich Fern | |
| Polystichum munitum | Western Sword Fern | |
| Polystichum polyblepharum | Tassel Fern | |
| Polystichum setiferum | Alaska Fern | |
| Woodwardia fimbriata | Giant Chain Fern | |
| GRASSES AND GRASS-LIKE PLANTS | ||
| Bamboo spp. | Bamboo species | |
| Calamagrostis brachytricha | Korean Feather Reed Grass | |
| Carex spp. | Sedge | |
| Chasmanthium latifolium | Northern Sea Oats | |
| Deschmpsia caespitosa | Tufted Hair Grass | |
| Festuca californica | California Fescue (dry shade) | |
| Hakonechloa macra | Japanese Forest Grass | |
| Juncus spp. | Rush (a few native species) | |
| Liriope spp. | Lily Turf | |
| Molinia caerulea | Moor Grass | |
| Ophiopogon japonica | Japanese Mondo Grass (including dwarf & black) | |
| Reineckia carnea | Chinese Reineckia | |
| PERENNIALS | ||
| Acanthus mollis/spinosus | Bears Breech | |
| Aconitum spp. | Monkshood | |
| Ajuga repens | Carpet Bugle | |
| Anenome spp. | Windflower | |
| Aquilegia spp. | Columbine | |
| Aruncus spp. | Goat’s Beard | |
| Asarum spp. | Wild Ginger | |
| Astilbe spp. | False Spirea | |
| Astrantia major | Masterwort | |
| Bergenia spp. | Heartleaf Bergenia | |
| Brunnera macrophylla | Siberian Bugloss/Heartleaf Brunnera | |
| Campanula spp. | Bellflower | |
| Cimicifuga/Actea spp. | Bugbane | |
| Dicentra spp. | Bleeding Heart | |
| Digitalis purpurea (and hybrids) | Foxglove | |
| Epimedium spp. | Bishop’s Hat | |
| Erigeron pulchellus | Robin’s Plantain/Fleabane | |
| Euphorbia amygdaloides ‘Ruby Glow’ | Wood Spurge | |
| Fragaria spp. | Wild Strawberry (Coast/Alpine) | |
| Galium odoratum | Sweet Woddruff | |
| Geranium spp. | True Geranium | |
| Helleborus spp. | Lenten/ Christmas/Niger Rose | |
| Hernaria glabra | Rupturewort | |
| Heuchera spp. and hybrids | Coral Bells | |
| Hosta hybrids | Hosta | |
| Hypericum calycinum | St. John’s Wort | |
| Iris ensata | Japanese Iris | |
| Lamium maculatum | Dead nettle | |
| Laurentia fluviatilis | Blue Star Creeper | |
| Ligularia hybrids | Ligularia | |
| Lysimachia nummularia | Creeping Jenny | |
| Mentha requiennii | Corsican Mint | |
| Oxalis oregana | Redwood Sorrel | |
| Pachysandra terminalis | Japanese Spurge | |
| Polemonium caeruleum | Jacob’s Ladder | |
| Polygonatum odoratum | Fragrant Solomon’s Seal | |
| Pratia spp. | Blue/White Star Creeper | |
| Rubus calcynoides | Creeping Bramble/Raspberry | |
| Sagina subulata | Irish Moss | |
| Spigelia marilandica | Indian Pink | |
| Stachys coccinea | Coral Hedgenettle | |
| Thalictrum spp. | Meadow Rue | |
| Tradescantia andersoniana | Spiderwort | |
| Vinca minor | Periwinkle | |
| SHRUBS | ||
| Abies balsamea ‘Nana’ | Dwarf Balsam Fir | |
| Amelanchier alnifolia | Western Serviceberry | |
| Arbutus unedo ‘Compacta’ | Compact Strawberry Tree | |
| Aucuba japonica | Japanese Aucuba | |
| Azalea spp. and cvs. | Azalea | |
| Berberis darwinii (and others) | Darwin’s Evergreen Barberry (many species/hybrids) | |
| Berberis t. ‘Aurea’ | Golden Barberry | |
| Buxus spp. | Boxwood | |
| Calycanthus occidentalis | Western Spicebush | |
| Camelia spp. | Camelia | |
| Carpenteria californica | Bush Anemone | |
| Cephalotaxus harringtonia | Japanese Plum Yew | |
| Chamaecyparis spp. | False Cypress | |
| Choisya ternata | Mexican Orange | |
| Clethra alnifolia | Summersweet | |
| Corylopsis pauciflora | Winter Hazel | |
| Daphne spp. | Daphne | |
| Distylium hybrids | Distylium | |
| Fatsia japonica | Japanese Aralia | |
| Fothergilla gardinii | Fothergilla | |
| Gardenia Jasminoides | Hardy Gardenia | |
| Garrya elliptica | Coast Silk-Tassel | |
| Gaultheria spp. | Salal/Wintergeen | |
| Hamamelis hybrids | Witchhazel | |
| Holodiscus discolor | Ocean Spray | |
| Hydrangea spp. | Hydrangea | |
| Ilex crenata | Japanese Holly | |
| Ilex spp. | Holly | |
| Kerria japonica | Kerria japonica | |
| Leucothoe spp. | Leucothoe (Fetterbush) | |
| Lonicera pileata/nitida | Privet/Box Honeysuckle | |
| Loropetalum chinensis | Fringe flower | |
| Mahonia spp. | Oregon Grape | |
| Mahonia hybrids | Mahonia (like ‘Charity’ & ‘Soft Caress’) | |
| Myrica californica | Pacific Wax Myrtle | |
| Nandina domestica and varieties | Heavenly Bamboo | |
| Osmanthus heterophyllus | Hollyleaf Osmanthus (great cultivars) | |
| Osmarea burkwoodii | Osmarea burkwoodii | |
| Paxistima myrsinites | Oregon Boxwood | |
| Philadelphus spp. | Mock Orange | |
| Physocarpus capitatus | Ninebark (native) | |
| Picea abies nidiformis | Birds Nest Spruce | |
| Picea sitchensis ‘Papoose’ | Dwarf Sitka Spruce | |
| Pieris japonica | Andromeda or Lily of the Valley | |
| Rhamnus californica | Coffeberry | |
| Rhododendron spp. | Rhododendron | |
| Ribes aureum | Golden Currant | |
| Ribes sangunineum | Red Flowering Currant | |
| Sarcococca spp. | Sweetbox | |
| Skimmia japonioca | Skimmia | |
| Sorbaria sorbifolia | Ural False Spirea | |
| Spirea douglasii/densiflora | Douglas/Mountain Spirea | |
| Symphoricarpos alba | Snow Berry | |
| Taxus densiformis | Japanese Spreading Yew | |
| Vaccinium ovatum | Evergreen Huckleberry | |
| Viburnum davidii | Viburnum davidii | |
| TREES | ||
| Arbutus unedo | Strawberry Tree | |
| Acer circinatum/glabrum | Vine/Rocky Mountain Maple | |
| Acer japonicum | Full Moon Maple | |
| Acer palmatum (& Acer p. dessectum) | Japanese (and Laceleaf) Maple | |
| Cercis canadensis ‘Forest Pansy’ | Forest Pansy Redbud | |
| Chamaecyparis obtusa | Hinoki False Cypress | |
| Cornus spp. | Dogwood | |
| Heptacodium miconoides | Seven Son Flower | |
| Oxydendron arboreum | Sourwood | |
| Parrotia persica | Persian Ironwood | |
| Podocarpus macrophyllus ‘Maki’ | Shrubby Yew Pine | |
| Rhamnus purshiana | Cascara | |
| Stewartia pseudocamellia | Japanese Stewartia | |
| Styrax japonica/obassia | Japanese/Fragrant Snowbell | |
| Thuja plicata | Western Red Cedar | |
| Tsuga spp. | Hemlock | |
| VINES | ||
| Akebia quinata | Fiveleaf Akebia | |
| Clematis armandii | Evergreen Clematis | |
| Hydrangea petiolaris | Climbing Hydrangea | |
| Parthenocissus henryana | Silvervein Creeper | |
| Schizophragma hydrangeoides | Japanese Hydrangea Vine | |
| Trachelospermum asiaticum/jasminoides | Asiatic/Star jasmine | |
Want more help?
If you’d like more help with plant, shrub and/or tree selection or assistance with your landscape design, get details on our Design & Consult page about what types of services we provide.
