Recommendations please! Good plants to grow in the shade.

[Lily715]

My garden doesn't get much sun at all. It's all stones no grass. I rent so I can't change much but I'd like to put some pots out to brighten it up a bit. Does anyone have any recommendations of plants that I could pot that don't need much/any sunlight? Thank you. Also I'm totally new to this gardening lark

Ferns? I have gone heavy on these in my pots, as I couldn't think of much else that a) works in pots and b) tolerates permanent shade

My top tip for pots is to buy as big as you can manage. However tiny your garden (and mine is), they really do shrink to nothing when you get them out there Big pots dry out slower, too.

I can't link it, but look a bit further down the board for the 'shady characters' thread - lots of great suggestions there.

How shady is it? Heuchera comes in all different shades of foliage (bronze, yellow, orange, purple, black, silver) and would look good with ferns, as does coleus (pink, white, red variegated leaves). Ivy and creeping jenny grow well in shade. Fatsia Japonica tolerates full shade if you want something big and bold. A lot of herbs will grow in shade - mint, parsley, coriander, chives etc There is less choice for flowering rather than foliage plants but begonias, fuchsias and lobelia would all be fine. It could look really stunning and unusual if you use foliage plants for colour rather than flowers and stick to one colour for the flowering plants eg white begonias, fuchsias and lobelia.

Coloured/painted pots would also help brighten things up too.

Thanks everyone!

My last garden was very shady most of the day, under trees, and shaded by buildings: here's some of what I grew both in and out of pots. I either used a tree and shrub compost (for trees and shrubs ) or mixed up a compost with half a good quality multipurpose like Jacks' magic and half John Innes number 2 compost with a bit of added grit and some slow release feed (Miracle grow does one , easily available, Wilkos usually has it) for perennials - the same but with Joh Innes Number 3. You can get all the compost ingredients easily at your local garden centre, Wilkos, B&Q and such. Local Nurseries usually seem to have pots for the best prices.

So, Plants ....

Ferns, hostas, epimediums, brunnera, lamium, certain grasses.

Acers work very well, mine used to live in the shadiest bit of the garden under trees.

Saxifrages like London Pride.

Tiarella, which is in flower at the moment and looks lovely. Also some of the Heucheras and heucherellas.

Aquilegia, Iris sibirica in lighter shade (thinking about it mine were in shade all year round)

Cyclamen, bluebells, anemones - esp the Japanese anemones (and pots will keep them contained so they don't romp over everything).

errm, what else did I have ... liriope, knautia, astrantia, some geraniums (I inherited a blue flowered one that was happy anywhere), aquilegia (granny's bonnets), geum, ajuga.

Anything with the second name 'sylvatica' means it comes from woodland originally.

Some of the Hardy fuchsias - I had the one with tiny white flowers that did very well.

Violets. Begonia and busy lizzy for summer colour.

Primula...

Most of these should be easy to find either at garden centres and nurseries, on ebay, or online from places like Long Acre Plants.

Oh yes, you could also try the smaller azalea and if you look at rose grower's websites you'll see some are suitable for shade - I had 'The Fairy' rose under trees.

I hope that gives you a few to get you started - Happy gardening!

Whoops, I meant to say a John Innes no. 3 mix for better established shrubs and plants (usually the larger pots)

I agree about ferns and if you have space and funds go big and dramatic. You can also do lovely things with bulbs in spring which is when all the woodland flowers come up.

A camellia or rhododendron might do ok plus hellebores, primulas, foxgloves (would need support)

Ah just go for lilyred’s post - very comprehensive!

I had liriope edging a shady bed - it looked great once established

Hydrangea do well in pots and shade but they are quite a thirsty plant so will need watering.
Hostas look good in pots again happy in shade but slug love them so you will need to either put pellets or some bark around them.
If you just want bedding plants then geranium, bizzie Lizzies and begonia all will be quite happy in shade.

My in laws had a patch of soil un the shade of a huge evergreen. The only thing the managed to grow in there was a dicentra (bleeding heart)

I didn't add that what I would have loved, but for the winter weather, was something like this tropical garden - hope that works!
apologies to all, it's a D M link