Low-Maintenance Gardening: Plants That Grow in the Shade
Botanical gardens or a flower garden can be high-maintenance, especially if your plants are particular about the sunlight and water they need. However, with these plants, you won’t have to worry much about them because they grow in the shade. Here are some low-maintenance garden plants you can start taking care of.
But before that, you need to know this:
Zone Recommendations
Each plant above has a zone recommendation depending on where they are grown. These observations from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s plant hardiness zone system elaborate the range of minimal temperatures needed for the plant’s survival.
Remember: the higher the number, the hotter the temperature; the lower, the colder.
Refer to this image here as we take a look at the following low-maintenance plants mentioned:
Shrubs
These little plants don’t get a lot of love when they should. Not only do they grow with minimal effort, but they also add volume and structure to botanical gardens! If you’ve got empty spaces in your landscaping, consider filling them with these evergreen shrubs:
Hetz’s Japanese holly: Zones 5 to 8
Inkberry holly: Zones 5 to 9
Hemlock: Zones 3 to 7
Yew: Zones 4 to 7.
Even with minimal sunlight and hydration, these shrubs will remain a lush shade of green all year round!
Perennials
If you want slightly more color to go with your flower garden, you can opt for perennial plants instead! These plants change hues according to the season, giving your garden a fully-animated colorscape without that much maintenance. The following can survive in full or partial shade:
Common bleeding hearts: Zones 3 to 9
Fringed bleeding hearts: Zones 3 to 9
Dutchman’s breeches: Zones 3 to 7
Jack-in-the-pulpit: Zones 4 to 9
Lenten rose: Zones 4 to 9
Leopard plants: Zones 4 to 8
Virginia bluebells: Zones 3 to 8
Toad lily: Zones 4 to 8
Siberian bugloss: Zones 3 to 8
Annuals
Want to spruce up your shrubs and perennials in your flower garden? You can do so with annual flowering plants! Their name does not describe their hardiness or seasonal flowering, but their usage! They’re called annuals because they are used only once a year, especially in colder climates! Some annuals are actually perennials that grow in tropical climates and are too tender to survive icy weather.
Some annuals you can display in your garden are:
Impatiens: Zone varies by type
Wax begonia: Zones 7 to 11
Coleus: Zone 11
Fuchsia: Zones 10 to 11
Ground Covers
These plants are useful for full shade if you don’t want to use perennials or keep swapping out annuals for bedding plants. Some ground covers that grow in full shade and need to avoid strong light sources are:
Spotted deadnettle: Zones 4 to 8
Creeping myrtle: Zones 4 to 9
Cast-iron plant: Zones 6 to 11
Vines
Vines bring a dynamic appeal to your flower garden in that it grows virtually anywhere you place it, covering walls, corners, and even ceilings! While they are still low maintenance, they offer a variety of colors in every season, depending on the variant. Boston ivy’s foliage turns yellowish-brown during fall and green in summer (but does not produce flowers). Climbing hydrangea has flowers and does surprisingly well during cold and winter climates.
Climbing hydrangea: Zones 4 to 7
Boston ivy: Zones 4 to 8
To Finish Up
While this list of low-maintenance plants means a lesser need for sunlight and watering, always refer to the zone recommendations stated above. You may not need to look after them as often, but they’ll still need the right temperature conditions to survive, thrive, and make your botanical gardens look alive!
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