The Best Plants for Sun and Shade in Your Garden
If you feel as though you cannot make your garden grow, your gardening skills may not be the issue. Many people struggle to make their flowers bloom and create a thriving landscape because of the location of the plants, not because they are doing anything wrong in their garden maintenance.
Matching plants to the specific light conditions of your garden is the secret to a thriving outdoor space. Correct placement significantly reduces the need for garden maintenance, watering, and general hassle, giving you more time to simply enjoy your garden. Whether you are looking to brighten a dark corner with shade-loving hostas or create a Mediterranean haven with sun-worshipping lavender, understanding light is key.
At Beautiful Spaces, we believe every corner of your garden holds potential. From the sun-drenched patio to the cool shade of a garden wall, there is a perfect plant waiting to take root in your outdoor space, and we are here to help with the best plants for sun and shade.
Understanding Garden Light Conditions
Before you run out to buy plants for your garden, you need to understand what you’re working with. Take a moment to observe how the sun moves across your property. Light changes throughout the day and across seasons, and knowing your garden’s specific conditions will save you time and money in the long run.
This is why the first stage of our garden design process begins with a site assessment, where our landscape gardeners will visit your home to inspect the landscape and its unique conditions. As well as assessing the soil conditions and measurements of your garden, we will also pay attention to sunlight exposure patterns and how your garden performs throughout the day, as this determines what plants will work best.
For example, full sun spots, which are those basking in at least six hours of sunlight, are perfect for sun-loving varieties that thrive in bright, open spaces. These areas receive much sun, making them ideal for Mediterranean and fruiting plants.
Alternatively, zones that experience a lot of shade require a different approach to garden design.
- Full Sun Gardens: When gardening experts talk about full sun, they typically mean areas that receive at least six hours of direct sunlight daily. Some areas may receive part sun, defined as 3 to 6 hours of direct sunlight, and certain plants are well-suited to these conditions. These are usually south or west-facing aspects that get the hottest, most intense light. Plants here need to be tough, often drought-tolerant, and ready to bask in the warmth.
- Shaded Gardens: Shade can be tricky to define, but generally, these are spots with little to no direct sunlight. Shade conditions can range from dappled shade, where sunlight filters through leaves, to deep or partial shade, and these differences influence which plants will thrive in each area. This might be under the canopy of large trees, or areas cast in shadow by fences, walls, or your home itself.
- Partial Shade/ Dappled Sun Gardens: Partial shade or dappled sun occurs where sunlight filters through tree branches or a pergola, or where an area receives sun for only part of the day, such as the gentler morning sun. These areas are also referred to as ‘part shade’ and are ideal for many adaptable plants.
Best Plants for Shady Spots
With a combination of plants for sun and shade, shady corners in your garden can be transformed into cool, calming retreats full of lush textures and subtle colours. Many of these plants can provide year-round interest and structure to your garden, as we explore in our post Year-Round Colour in Your Garden: Planting for Every Season.
Here are some of our favourite plants for lower-light areas:
Hostas
Thriving in deep shade, these low-maintenance perennials are grown primarily for their stunning foliage. Available in a vast array of sizes and colours, from deep, waxy blue-greens to vibrant chartreuse and variegated white-and-green patterns, hostas bring immediate structure and lushness to dark corners.
Ferns
Ferns add elegance and intricate texture to shaded beds. Many ferns, such as Polypodium interjectum ‘Cornubiense’, make excellent ground cover due to their vigorous growth and spreading habit.
These plants, for sun and shade, love the cool, damp conditions often found in shady spots. They pair beautifully with broad-leafed plants, creating a lovely visual contrast with the rich green colour, which is ideal for contemporary garden designs.
Astilbe
These shade-tolerant perennials send up feathery, plume-like flowers in shades of soft pink, deep red, violet, and white. They love moisture and look spectacular when planted in groups, adding interest to the darker corners of the garden with their fern-like foliage and tall blooms.
Astilbe prefers moist soil, making it ideal for damp, shaded areas.
Heuchera (Coral Bells)
These plants for sun and shade are prized for their spectacular leaves, which come in shades ranging from deep purple and almost black to caramel, lime green, and silver. They also produce delicate spikes of tiny bell-shaped flowers, which add a new layer of visual interest to shaded planting spaces, borders, and garden corners.
Lily of the Valley
This low-growing ground cover produces dainty, bell-shaped white flowers with an unmistakable, sweet fragrance. It spreads via rhizomes to create a lush green carpet, suppressing weeds and filling empty spaces with ease.
Best Plants for Sunny Spots
For those areas of your garden that bake in the sun, you need plants that can handle the heat. These plants for sun and shade often reward you with spectacular floral displays and are generally quite hardy.
Many sun-loving perennials are also low-maintenance and cost-effective, returning year after year and reducing the need for frequent replanting. For more low-maintenance planting ideas, see our post Top Tips For Low-Maintenance Gardens.
Some of the best plants for sunny gardens include:
Lavender
No sunny garden is complete without lavender. This Mediterranean native thrives in full sun and loves well-drained soil. Beyond its iconic purple spikes and silvery-green foliage, lavender fills your garden with a soothing fragrance and acts as a magnet for bees and butterflies.
It is drought-tolerant once established, making it a perfect low-maintenance choice for busy homeowners.
Roses
Roses are a classic choice for sunny spots, offering a timeless elegance that elevates any landscape. With endless varieties available, from climbing roses that adorn trellises to shrub roses perfect for borders, there is a rose for every garden style, especially cottage gardens, as we explore in our post How to Design a Cottage Garden That’s Timeless.
These plants for sun and shade generally crave at least six hours of sun to produce their best blooms and remain disease-free.
Salvia
For a long-lasting splash of colour, Salvia is a long-flowering perennial that provides sustained visual interest throughout the season. These hardy plants produce tall spikes of flowers in intense shades of blue, purple, red, and pink.
These plants for sun and shade are incredibly resilient, tolerating full sun and heat with ease. Like lavender, Salvia is fantastic for attracting pollinators, bringing life and movement to your flower beds.
Sedum (Stonecrop)
These succulent-like plants store water in their leaves, making them exceptionally drought-tolerant. Some Sedum varieties feature golden yellow foliage or flowers, adding bright contrast to sunny borders.
These plants for sun and shade are perfect for hot, sunny borders or rock gardens. In late summer and autumn, they produce flat flower heads in shades of pink and rust, providing vital late-season food for pollinators.
Sunflowers
For a cheerful, vertical accent, sunflowers are unmatched. As their name suggests, they demand full sun to grow tall and strong. These plants for sun and shade are incredibly easy to grow, making them a fun project for families, and their seeds provide a great food source for birds in the autumn.
Plants for Partial Shade / Mixed Sun Gardens
Sometimes your garden isn’t strictly sunny or shaded. For those transitional zones, you need versatile plants.
By selecting plants with bloom periods in early spring, late spring, and early summer, you can ensure continuous colour in mixed light areas.
Some of the best plants for sun and shade include:
- Hostas (Sun-tolerant varieties): While most love shade, some hosta varieties, particularly those with yellow or fragrant foliage, can handle a bit of morning sun. Many hostas emerge in early spring, providing fresh foliage early in the season.
- Hydrangeas: These showstoppers generally prefer morning sun and afternoon shade, which protects their large blooms from scorching. Hydrangeas often begin to bloom in late spring and continue into early summer, offering long-lasting colour.
- Camellias: Perfect for adding structure, these evergreen shrubs offer beautiful winter and spring blooms and thrive in sheltered spots with dappled light. Some camellias start flowering in late winter and continue into early spring.
- Solomon’s Seal: An elegant arching plant that creates a beautiful architectural shape in dappled shade. Its delicate flowers typically appear in late spring, adding interest as the season transitions toward early summer.
Conclusion
Transforming your garden doesn’t have to be overwhelming. By understanding your light conditions and choosing plants that naturally thrive in them, you are halfway to a stunning, low-maintenance outdoor space.
Whether you are filling a sunny border with fragrant lavender or brightening a shady nook with elegant ferns, nature does most of the hard work for you when you plant in the right place. Shady gardens can be just as vibrant and rewarding as sunny ones when you select the right plants for those low-light conditions.
If you are ready to elevate your garden but aren’t sure where to start, Beautiful Spaces is here to guide you. From design inspiration to practical planting tips, we help you create a garden that adds value to your home and joy to your life.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can hostas survive in the sun?
It depends on the variety. While hostas are true shade-lovers, some varieties, usually those with thicker leaves or that are yellow or gold in colour, can tolerate some morning sun. However, intense afternoon sun will likely scorch their leaves, turning the edges brown and crispy.
How do I keep lavender healthy in my garden?
The secret to healthy lavender is to give it full sun and, most importantly, free-draining soil. If your soil is heavy clay, mix in grit to improve drainage. Avoid overwatering and never bury the stems too deep in mulch, as this can cause root rot.
What are low-maintenance options for shady spots?
For a shade garden that looks great with minimal effort, rely on foliage plants. There are many excellent plants for shade, including both foliage and flowering varieties, to suit every garden style. Hostas, Ferns, and Heuchera are incredibly low-maintenance once established. They provide colour and texture from spring through autumn without the need for deadheading or constant attention.
