Full Shade Perennials

Full shade perennials form the backbone of gardens that get little to no direct sun. They thrive in spots that receive fewer than four hours of sunlight per day, including dappled shade under trees and areas with gentle morning light. Unlike annuals, perennials come back year after year, so your shady beds improve over time.

At Garden Crossings, we select full shade perennials for strong, reliable performance in low-light conditions. You’ll find options with colorful blooms, bold foliage, and interesting textures that keep your shade garden looking lush all season. These plants grow naturally in shade, so they stay healthy and vibrant even where other plants struggle.

Shadowland hosta with varigated leaves and purple blooms
Dressed Up® 'Ball Gown' Coral Bells (Heuchera) features tall, slender stems with clusters of small white flowers rising above broad green leaves, creating a striking centerpiece in a shady garden bed - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.

Dressed Up® 'Ball Gown' Coral Bells (Heuchera)

$27.99
$27.99
A Dressed Up® 'Evening Gown' Coral Bells (Heuchera) perennial sits on the patio, its dense, glossy ruffled leaves showing dark purple-black coloring with burgundy-edged highlights - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc. Decorative pot not included.A large Dressed Up® 'Evening Gown' Coral Bells (Heuchera) with dark, ruffled leaves grows in a gray, ribbed planter outdoors, set against green grass and a stone walkway for an elegant perennial display - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc. Decorative pot not included.

Dressed Up® 'Evening Gown' Coral Bells (Heuchera)

$18.99
$18.99

Dressed Up® 'Prom Dress' Coral Bells (Heuchera) features ruffled, broad silvery-purple leaves with dark veins and edges, creating a striking pattern. In a black pot - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc. Decorative pot not included.A large black pot displays Dressed Up® 'Prom Dress' Coral Bells (Heuchera), a shade perennial with ruffled, silvery-purple leaves veined in burgundy, outdoors on a patio surrounded by greenery - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc. Decorative pot not included.

Dressed Up® 'Prom Dress' Coral Bells (Heuchera)

$18.99
$18.99

Close-up of Feathered Friends® 'Cordial Canary' Bugleweed (Ajuga) shows vibrant foliage and flower spikes—an eye-catching, evergreen ground cover perfect for shade garden - Photo Courtesy of Chris Hansen.A close-up of Feathered Friends® 'Cordial Canary' Bugleweed (Ajuga) shows dense, glossy green and gold leaves with elongated oval shapes - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

Feathered Friends® 'Cordial Canary' Bugleweed (Ajuga)

$17.99
$17.99
Close-up of glossy, long, narrow reddish-brown leaves of Feathered Friends® 'Fancy Finch' Bugleweed (Ajuga), forming a dense, evergreen ground cover - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.A vibrant cluster of Feathered Friends® 'Fancy Finch' Bugleweed (Ajuga) blooms in a rock-bordered garden bed, surrounded by green grass and plants. The evergreen ground cover has some yellowing leaves at its base - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

Feathered Friends® 'Fancy Finch' Bugleweed (Ajuga)

$17.99
$17.99

Feathered Friends® 'Fierce Falcon' Bugleweed (Ajuga) features glossy, dark purple crinkled leaves as an attractive evergreen ground cover, with hints of green and yellow foliage - Photo Courtesy of Chris Hansen.Close-up of the dark purple, crinkled leaves of Feathered Friends® 'Fierce Falcon' Bugleweed (Ajuga), highlighting their glossy texture and prominent veins - Photo Courtesy of Chris Hansen.

Feathered Friends® 'Fierce Falcon' Bugleweed (Ajuga)

$17.99
$17.99
Feathered Friends® 'Flashy Flamingo' Bugleweed (Ajuga) features clusters of pale purple flowers and golden yellow foliage, with dense, delicate spikes—ideal as a shade ground cover. Blurred blue-purple blooms appear in the background - Photo Courtesy of Chris Hansen.

Feathered Friends® 'Flashy Flamingo' Bugleweed (Ajuga)

$17.99
$17.99
Feathered Friends® 'Noble Nightingale' Bugleweed features dense clusters of narrow, glossy dark green and purplish leaves - Photo Courtesy of Chris Hansen.A close-up of Feathered Friends® 'Noble Nightingale' Bugleweed (Ajuga) in a tray, its dense glossy dark green and purple-tinged evergreen leaves highlighted by sunlight, showcasing unique foliage textures - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

Feathered Friends® 'Noble Nightingale' Bugleweed (Ajuga)

$17.99
$17.99

Close-up of Feathered Friends® 'Parrot Paradise' Bugleweed (Ajuga) ground cover, displaying textured, veined green and reddish-brown leaves with natural color variations - Photo Courtesy of Chris Hansen.Feathered Friends® 'Parrot Paradise' Bugleweed (Ajuga) features dense clusters of yellow-green leaves with reddish-brown veins and tips, forming a rounded, evergreen foliage plant - Photo Courtesy of Chris Hansen.

Feathered Friends® 'Parrot Paradise' Bugleweed (Ajuga)

$17.99
$17.99
Feathered Friends® 'Petite Parakeet' Bugleweed (Ajuga) features gold small leaves that contrast beautifully with bright yellow-green and dark purple foliage, dark greenish-purple foliage is seen in the top of the image - Photo Courtesy of Chris Hansen.A dense cluster of small, yellow-green leaves with light brown edges, typical of Feathered Friends® 'Petite Parakeet' Bugleweed (Ajuga), grows closely together in a tray against a white background - Photo Courtesy of Chris Hansen.

Feathered Friends® 'Petite Parakeet' Bugleweed (Ajuga)

$17.99
$17.99
A potted Feathered Friends® 'Pink Pelican' Bugleweed (Ajuga), a ground cover perennial with dense clusters of small light purple flowers and green-red leaves, is set against a plain white background - Photo Courtesy of Garden Solutions. Decorative pot not included.

Feathered Friends® 'Pink Pelican' Bugleweed (Ajuga)

$17.99
$17.99

Close-up of vibrant purple Feathered Friends® 'Pleasant Pheasant' Bugleweed (Ajuga) flower spikes with green and yellowish-brown leaves. Densely packed blooms give a soft look, making this ajuga an excellent choice for shade gardens - Photo Courtesy of Chris Hansen.Feathered Friends® 'Pleasant Pheasant' Bugleweed (Ajuga) features a dense cluster of small, oval leaves in yellow, orange, and reddish-brown, providing vibrant textured foliage for striking shade garden displays - Photo Courtesy of Chris Hansen.

Feathered Friends® 'Pleasant Pheasant' Bugleweed (Ajuga)

$17.99
$17.99

Close-up of Feathered Friends® 'Rosy Robin' Bugleweed (Ajuga) flower spikes with densely packed blooms above green and bronze foliage - Photo Courtesy of Garden Solutions. A potted Feathered Friends® 'Rosy Robin' Bugleweed (Ajuga), a hardy perennial with dense spikes of pale purple flowers and reddish-green leaves, is shown against a white background - Photo Courtesy of Garden Solutions. Decorative pot not included.

Feathered Friends® 'Rosy Robin' Bugleweed (Ajuga)

$17.99
$17.99
Close-up of Fun and Games® 'Capture the Flag' Foamy Bells (Heucherella) features yellow-green, star-shaped leaves with dark red veins. Its serrated, textured foliage adds vibrant detail - Photo Courtesy of Walters Gardens, Inc.Densely clustered yellow-green leaves with red veins form the foreground, while small blue flowers and green foliage highlight Fun and Games® 'Capture the Flag' Foamy Bells (Heucherella), a striking shade perennial, in the background - Photo Courtesy of Walters Gardens, Inc.

Fun and Games® 'Capture the Flag' Foamy Bells (Heucherella)

$18.99
$18.99
Close-up of rusty red leaves of Fun and Games® 'Red Rover' Foamy Bells (Heucherella) with a cluster of pink and white buds surround the perennial amid lush green foliage - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.Close-up of a cluster of Fun and Games® 'Red Rover' Foamy Bells (Heucherella) leaves, resembling coral bells, display rich burgundy-red hues grow densely above dark soil - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.

Fun and Games® 'Red Rover' Foamy Bells (Heucherella)

$18.99
$18.99

Fun and Games® 'Shadow Tag' Foamy Bells (Heucherella) displays light green, ruffled leaves with dark veins - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.A cluster of scalloped, green-and-silver veined Heucherella leaves fills the frame, showcasing lush texture - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.

Fun and Games® 'Shadow Tag' Foamy Bells (Heucherella)

$18.99
$18.99

A close-up of Noble Native' Sedge (Carex)—with dense, long, narrow green leaves edged in white—emerges from the ground amid brown mulch and other shade groundcovers - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.Noble Native' Sedge (Carex) features clusters of green, strappy leaves and grass-like foliage in mulched soil, forming a lush shade groundcover with dark purple and green leafy plants providing a striking background - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.

Noble Native Sedge (Carex)

$19.99
$19.99
Close-up of two Heuchera types: the top shows vivid pink leaves, while below are ruffled, nearly black Primo® 'Black Pearl' Coral Bells - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.Primo® 'Black Pearl' Coral Bells (Heuchera) features dark leaves and tall stems topped with pinkish-white flowers along the garden bed edge, creating striking contrast beside green grass - Photo Courtesy of Walters Gardens, Inc.

Primo® 'Black Pearl' Coral Bells (Heuchera)

$18.99
$18.99

A vibrant outdoor garden showcases Primo® 'Pistachio Ambrosia' Coral Bells (Heuchera), its lush light green foliage in soil and surrounded by diverse plants with varied leaf shapes and colors - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.Primo® 'Pistachio Ambrosia' Coral Bells (Heuchera) features clusters of bright yellow-green, rounded leaves that grow close to the soil, contrasting with surrounding darker foliage - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.

Primo® 'Pistachio Ambrosia' Coral Bells (Heuchera)

$18.99
$18.99

A close-up of 'Shade Fanfare' Sedge (Carex) shows long, narrow leaves with yellow-ish variegation and brown tips, growing in soil outdoors. Blurred greenery in the background highlights this striking groundcover - Photo Courtesy of Walters Gardens, Inc.Close-up of Shade Fanfare' Sedge (Carex) with dense, green pointed leaves featuring light yellow stripes - Photo Courtesy of Walters Gardens, Inc.

Shade Fanfare' Sedge (Carex)

$19.99
$19.99
Close-up of a Shadowland® 'Affair to Remember' Hosta's cluster of pale purple and white flowers with water droplets, blooming amid bold green foliage - Photo Courtesy of Walters Gardens, Inc.Close-up of Shadowland® 'Affair to Remember' Hosta with large, slightly glossy leaves with bold green edges, bright yellow centers, striking variegation, and dramatic foliage - Photo Courtesy of Walters Gardens, Inc.

Shadowland® 'Affair to Remember' Hosta

$18.99
$18.99
Shadowland® 'Chance Encounter' Hosta features broad, two-tone green leaves with yellow edges and thrives among other leafy plants and pinkish blooms - Photo Courtesy of Walters Gardens, Inc.Shadowland® 'Chance Encounter' Hosta features large, broad leaves with yellow edges and green centers, striking veins, and a lush overlapping pattern - Photo Courtesy of Walters Gardens, Inc.

Shadowland® 'Chance Encounter' Hosta

$19.99
$19.99
Shadowland® 'Echo the Sun' Hosta features vibrant yellow foliage, growing in dense clusters within mulch and stone borders - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.A close-up of a large, yellowing leaf with pronounced veins and wavy edges, showing stress typical of yellow foliage hostas like Shadowland® 'Echo the Sun' Hosta. Similar leaves are seen in the background - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.

Shadowland® 'Echo the Sun' Hosta

$21.99
$21.99

Close-up of Shadowland® 'Etched Glass' Hosta features large leaves with vibrant yellow centers and dark green edges. This shade perennial has healthy, lush foliage that stands out beautifully amid brown pine needles - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.A cluster of Shadowland® 'Etched Glass' Hosta, a shade perennial with large heart-shaped leaves boasting vibrant green edges and bright yellow centers, is surrounded by other leafy foliage - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

Shadowland® 'Etched Glass' Hosta

$21.99
$21.99