Shady areas in the landscape can be challenging to work with. But with the right plants, low-light areas can become treasured spaces for high style and creative design.
At Loma Vista Nursery, we grow a range of plants for shade that offer long-term performance, interesting texture and seasonal color. Consider the following plants design tools that can help solve site challenges and add lasting value to your installs.
Sprinter® Boxwood (Buxus microphylla) – Proven Winners Photo
Sprinter® Boxwood – Structure & Definition
Sprinter® Boxwood is an improved Japanese boxwood that lends the clean, classic look of a hedge to landscape designs. It grows faster than traditional varieties and keeps its tight, upright shape. It’s a solid choice for formal borders, shaded entries or foundation plantings. Sprinter® reaches 2 to 4 feet tall and wide at maturity. It fills in quickly and is deer and disease resistant. It thrives in part shade and well-drained soil and performs well in USDA Hardiness Zones 5 to 9. Select it when you need evergreen structure that’s easy to manage and dependable in lower light.
Fizzy Mizzy® Sweetspire (Itea virginica) – Proven Winners Photo
Fizzy Mizzy® Sweetspire – Seasonal Color
Fizzy Mizzy® is a compact, native shrub well-suited for shaded areas where you want both bloom and fall color. This Itea holds its form at about 2 to 3 feet tall and wide at maturity. Upright white flower spikes emerge in late spring. Blooms are fragrant and attract pollinators. The plant’s green foliage shifts to deep red and burgundy in fall. Fizzy Mizzy® is ideal in USDA Hardiness Zones 5 to 9. It handles a variety of soils, including clay and wet areas. This makes it useful as a waterwise plant selection in rain garden designs and along shaded slopes. It’s also a good fit in naturalized plantings and mixed borders.
Blue Angel Hosta (Hosta x ‘Blue Angel’)
Blue Angel Hosta – Bold Foliage
Blue Angel Hosta is a go-to plant for adding large, bold foliage to shaded areas. This variety produces huge, powdery blue leaves. It can reach up to 3 feet tall and 4 feet wide, creating a strong visual anchor in the landscape. Lavender flowers bloom in summer and attract hummingbirds. Ideal for planting in USDA Hardiness Zones 3 to 8, Blue Angel Hosta performs best in moist, well-drained soil and in partial to full shade. Plant it under trees or near buildings where designs call for consistent texture, erosion control and a low-maintenance solution.
‘Visions’ Chinese Astilbe (Astilbe chinensis)
Visions Astilbe – Moist Shade
Visions Astilbe is a compact, reliable bloomer for shady sites that are consistently moist. However, it also tolerates dry conditions once its established. This perennial forms a mound of bronze-green textured foliage. At maturity, the plant is about 18 to 24 inches tall and wide. Raspberry-pink plumes emerge in early to midsummer. In addition to offering a bit of height in the landscape when in flower, Visions Astilbe adds vertical interest and pairs well with hostas and groundcovers. Hardy in USDA Zones 4 to 8, it is a strong performer in shade gardens, along walkways and at woodland edges.
Purple Dragon Dead Nettle (Lamium maculatum ‘Purple Dragon’)
Purple Dragon Lamium – Groundcover Color
Purple Dragon Lamium is a spreading groundcover that adds light and color to dark landscape corners. It grows only 6 to 8 inches tall but can spread up to 2 feet. With silver-green foliage, its bright purple flowers appear in spring and persist through summer. Plant Lamium under shrubs, in shaded rock or cottage gardens and along paths. It is an attractive option for erosion control or weed suppression in tough-to-plant spots. Hardy in USDA Hardiness Zones 3 to 8, Purple Dragon is deer and rabbit resistant and tolerates dry shade once it’s established.
Tuff Stuff Top Fun® Reblooming Mountain Hydrangea (Hydrangea serrata)
Tuff Stuff Top Fun® Reblooming Hydrangea – Proven Performer
Tuff Stuff Top Fun® is a compact mountain hydrangea that brings dependable bloom performance and cold hardiness to shady spaces. This perennial shrub tops off at 2 to 3 feet tall and wide. True to its name, stems are strong and sturdy. Lacecap flowers bloom in early summer all the way through fall. Color can shift from pink to blue depending on soil pH. Test the soil to determine the optimal planting location for the specific color in your landscape design. Tuff Stuff Top Fun® reblooms without heavy pruning. It fits easily into shade borders, foundation beds and in container designs where long bloom time is a priority. Ideal in USDA Hardiness Zones 5 to 9.
Learn More About Loma Vista Nursery’s Landscape Plants
Loma Vista Nursery grows flowering shrubs, perennial plants, groundcovers and trees for Midwest independent garden centers, landscape contractors and wholesale distributors. Our team of plant experts helps people learn about plants and the healthy varieties we grow.
Review Loma Vista Nursery’s plant catalog for information and visit our website to learn about our values and best practices as a wholesale Midwest plant grower. For help with orders and plant-related questions, send an email to sales@lomavistanursery.com or call (785) 229-7200.
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