What large flowering shrubs do you have in your garden that thrive in full shade?

[easylifewanted]

Have a really shady border next to a fence and I want to plant some quick growing flowering shrubs. I can’t find anything when I google that mentions full shade.

So looking for ideas as I don’t want to waste my money, soil is not great clay

Not really a flowering plant but fatsia japonica is pretty with big green leaves and it seems to grow almost anywhere?

I’m wondering about fatsia and the berries add some interest at points I guess but ideally want flowering.

https://www.gardenersworld.com/plants/shrubs-to-grow-in-shade/

I have similar. My hellebore has been the most successful plant for me. Bought a medium sized one last Sept and it's pretty much doubled in size since. Nice to look at in winter too

Also, is it really full shade? I think in gardening terms that means never gets any sun, eg under dense evergreen tree planting. If it gets any sun, it's actually "partial shade" apparently. Made my life much easier for my small north facing border.

Haha I’ve just read that article @EatCrow but then when I look on nursery websites they all talk about part shade not full shade. Liked the look of pieris and hadn’t heard of it before

I’ve got a Viburnum Tinus, a Fatsia Japonica. which i inherited, along with a laurel. I’m not keen on the laurel but it hides a rather grotty corner. The viburnum has done very well in another dark corner under a tree canopy.

Skimmia, Holly, Ferns, Hellebore, Acers. All very reliable in shade if not particularly flowery.

Fuchsia and Philadephus. Also chaenomeles.

Hellebores and hostas, which aren't really large shrubs, but give a lot of bang for their buck.

Another vote for Viburnum Tinus, I've got it growing under a mature copper beach.
I've got another later flowering deciduous one too but it is taking longer to get going.
I have a flowering currant that is doing well under a large leyandii too, I'd recommend looking out for one of the varieties with larger flowers, I've got a lovely white one. They grow fast but are easy to keep in check.

Bleeding hearts - they grew well in the shade but shady + flowers isn’t an easy pairing.

hostas ?

So I went off looking for viburnum tinus and then reading the description again it talks about sun / partial shade.

i might risk some 9cm pots and see how they do rather than buying bigger ones.

https://www.jparkers.co.uk/viburnum-tinus-0009407c

Love hostas but don’t love the slug / snail watch, also they’re don’t really get big enough for what I’m looking for.

My forsythia refuses to die. Dry shade - and complete shade, never any sun.

I had a lovely fuchsia in a similar spot, but DH and the DC did some 'gardening'.

I have a lovely white fusia in my entirely shady bed. Also tiarella (foam flowers) and calla lillies. My geums do well there too.

Following with interest!

I have a gigantic Skimmia grown from a 9cm pot. They're bionic in the right place, those things.

Our rhododendron and camellia flower well in almost full shade

Fatsia spiders web,no flowers but impressive.Viburnum tinus. Pulmonaria. Rogersia,there is one with white flowers. Fox gloves. White hardy geranium. Heucheras. I have a shady north facing border with these. I like the white because they pop out in the shade. Also on clay but plenty of compost added. Rocks, ferns,tree stumps.... woodland effect copied from Arundel castle.

But pieris needs acid soil (see if rhododendrons grow locally...i doubt it with underlying clay) and it really is 'needs' not 'would prefer'. Has anyone suggested choysia (incorrect spelling)? Anything in deep shade won't give you bountiful flowers, but you can create interest with different leaf forms, colours and textures.

It would be worth a try. We have both pieris Japonica and rhododendrons growing on clay chalk so very alkaline. Both grow quickly enough for me to trim every year and the rhododendron flowers madly for a few weeks. There’s also a house up the road with enormous azaleas that are currently flowering their heads off.

OP, if you want to try viburnum tinus, check your local supermarket. It’s one of those plants that’s sold year round as a cheap tiny shrub (£2/plant).

My mahonia never sees sunlight and thrives like a triffid.
I love it - it smells so lovely in the depths of winter when it’s yellow flowers shine bright.
If it gets leggy you can saw it back (or prune it with shears/loppers if it’s not too thick) and the wood is bright yellow! The bright yellow sawdust looks like glitter on the floor.
The downside is the leaves are very sharp and even when they are a few years old and dried they will prick you through thick gardening gloves.
I have ferns planted under it and one bleeding heart. Woodruff goes well too.

Garrya elliptica James Roof.. happy in full shade..

Hydrangeas

There is a mahonia that does not have spines:Mahonia eurybracteata subsp. ganpinensis 'Soft Caress'.

Pieirus. Very commonly planted shrub. You see it everywhere. I have one in my garden north facing and it's been going strong for years. I love how they change colour, bright red around April, then gradually fades to green again.