Full Shade Shrubs

Full shade shrubs bring lasting structure and year-round beauty to the darkest corners of your yard. These low-maintenance shrubs thrive in spots that get fewer than four hours of direct sun per day. That includes dappled shade under tree canopies and cool north-facing beds. Unlike perennials, shrubs grow larger each season, so they build a framework your whole shade garden can grow around.

At Garden Crossings, we hand-pick our full shade shrubs for reliable performance in low-light conditions. You'll find varieties with colorful foliage, fragrant blooms, and interesting textures. They keep your shade garden looking its best from spring through fall. Because these shrubs are built for shade, they stay lush and healthy even in spots where other plants struggle.

Little Henry Sweetspire bush with green leaves and numerous stalks covered in small, white flowers
Close-up of Sweet & Lo™ Sweet Box (Sarcococca), an evergreen shrub with clusters of small, white star-shaped flowers with pink tips amid glossy green leaves. Dense blooms adorn this shade-loving plant’s vibrant foliage. - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc. Top-down view of the The Sweet & Lo™ Sweet Box (Sarcococca) with dense, pointed green leaves in a white container, set outdoors on concrete with other plants in the background. - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC

Sweet & Lo™ Sweet Box (Sarcococca)

$21.99
$21.99

Red and orange autumn leaves densely cover the drought-tolerant Kodiak® Red 2.0 Diervilla, revealing hints of yellow and green beneath for a vibrant, colorful foliage display - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.Top-down view of the Kodiak® Red 2.0 Diervilla shrub, with reddish-brown narrow leaves, grows in a sunlit mulched bed alongside other plants and mulch in the background - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

Kodiak® Red 2.0 Diervilla

$22.99
$22.99

Two spikes of small, white flowers bloom among lush green leaves on the Scentlandia® Sweetspire (Itea), their dense clusters standing out beautifully against the broad, veined foliage. - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLCDense green foliage and clusters of elongated, cream-colored, bottlebrush-like flower spikes emerge from the stems of the Scentlandia® Sweetspire (Itea), with small flowers densely packed along each spike. - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC

Scentlandia® Sweetspire (Itea)

$22.99
$22.99
A tall, narrow Stonehenge Skinny® Yew (Taxus), an evergreen shrub with dense, dark green needles, grows in a tidy garden bed bordered by mulch and grass, with other shrubs and trees visible in the background. - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLCA Stonehenge Skinny® Yew (Taxus), an upright, columnar yew with dense needle-like foliage, stands in a mulched garden bed, sunlight illuminating its vibrant green branches. Other plants are softly blurred in the background. - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC

Stonehenge Skinny® Yew (Taxus)

$22.99
$22.99

A neatly trimmed, round Sprinter® Boxwood (Buxus) with dense foliage grows in a landscaped garden bed, surrounded by mulch and other similar evergreen shrubs in the background - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.A dense, round Sprinter® Boxwood (Buxus) with glossy green leaves grows in a square metal planter near light-colored siding and another potted plant in the background - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc. Decorative pot not included.

Sprinter® Boxwood (Buxus)

$22.99
$22.99

A close-up of a neatly trimmed Neatball® Boxwood (Buxus) with dense, round form and small, glossy leaves. This evergreen shrub sits in an outdoor garden, surrounded by other greenery - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.Top-down view of a small Neatball® Boxwood (Buxus), a compact, evergreen shrub with oval leaves, thriving in sunny, mulched beds - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

Neatball® Boxwood (Buxus)

$40.99
$40.99

Clusters of fragrant, bottlebrush-shaped white blooms grow on green leafy stems of the shade-tolerant Fizzy Mizzy® Sweetspire (Itea), surrounded by broad, textured green leaves. - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLCClusters of fragrant white blooms rise above green leaves in a dense, sunlit garden. Fizzy Mizzy® Sweetspire (Itea)’s small flowers are packed tightly along upright stems, creating texture in these shade-tolerant shrubs. - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.

Fizzy Mizzy® Sweetspire (Itea)

$22.99
$22.99
A North Star® Boxwood (Buxus) with small leaves forms a dense, neat globe in a mulched garden bed, standing out against a grassy backdrop - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.North Star® Boxwood (Buxus) forms a dense, rounded shrub with small, bright green leaves - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.

North Star® Boxwood (Buxus)

$22.99
$22.99

Close-up of vibrant Kodiak® Orange Diervilla leaves in red, pink, and pale yellow shades. This shrub features pointed tips and prominent veins, creating striking and colorful foliage - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.A drought-tolerant shrub with slender branches and pink, yellow, and light green leaves, Kodiak® Orange Diervilla adds early autumn color to garden beds mulched beside logs - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

Kodiak® Orange Diervilla

$22.99
$22.99

A tall Stonehenge® Yew (Taxus) evergreen shrubs stands amidst smaller shrubs, landscape fabric visible around its base - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.

Stonehenge® Yew (Taxus)

$22.99
$22.99

A close-up of a neatly trimmed, upright Glow Stick® Japanese Holly (Ilex) shrub with small leaves, surrounded by mulch and similar compact evergreen shrubs in the background - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.A single Glow Stick® Japanese Holly (Ilex), an upright compact evergreen with golden foliage, grows through black weed-control fabric amid grass, with other evenly spaced shrubs visible in the background - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.

Glow Stick® Japanese Holly (Ilex)

$22.99
$22.99

Close-up of White Album® Wintercreeper (Euonymus), with dark green leaves the fade to white around the edges fills the frame - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLCTop-down view of White Album® Wintercreeper (Euonymus) with dense dark green and white leaves - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC

White Album® Wintercreeper (Euonymus)

$21.99
$21.99
A close-up of Stonehenge Dark Druid® Yew (Taxus) shows lush, soft needle-like leaves. The lighter green new growth contrasts with the dark, mature foliage of this evergreen shrub that thrives in sun or shade - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.A close-up shows the Stonehenge Dark Druid® Yew (Taxus), a potted evergreen with dense, needle-like green foliage and lighter new growth - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

Stonehenge Dark Druid® Yew (Taxus)

$22.99
$22.99
Clusters of small, star-shaped white flowers with yellow centers bloom among green leaves and buds on the Yuki Snowflake® Deutzia - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLCYuki Snowflake® Deutzia is a dense shrub with clusters of small, star-shaped white flowers and green leaves, shown outdoors in bright light - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.

Yuki Snowflake® Deutzia

$22.99
$22.99

Long, slender spikes of small white flowers extend from leafy green stems as the dense Little Henry® Sweetspire (Itea) grows over a stone border in the garden - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.Close-up of overlapping reddish-brown, pink, and green leaves with prominent veins and glossy texture on the compact Little Henry® Sweetspire (Itea) shrub. Leaves grow from the central stem - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

Little Henry® Sweetspire (Itea)

$21.99
$21.99

Rounded, blight-resistant Newgen Independence® Boxwood shrubs and white hydrangea flowers thrive in a mulched garden bed bordered by a white wooden fence - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.A neatly trimmed Newgen Independence® Boxwood (Buxus) with dense leaves grows in a garden bed, surrounded by other greenery and white flowers near a building - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.

Newgen Independence® Boxwood (Buxus)

$22.99
$22.99
Close-up of dense, vibrant green foliage on Glow Pop® Japanese Holly (Ilex). This compact shrub features healthy, oval-shaped broadleaf evergreen leaves in a striking mix of light and dark green shades. - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLCGlow Pop® Japanese Holly (Ilex) is a dense, compact shrub with bright yellow-green leaves, thriving on black landscaping fabric amid green grass and plants; this broadleaf evergreen offers year-round garden interest. - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.

Glow Pop® Japanese Holly (Ilex)

$22.99
$22.99
Gold Splash® Wintercreeper (Euonymus) features dense clusters of oval green leaves with yellow edges, creating vibrant texture. This low-maintenance ground cover boasts healthy, overlapping foliage and bright variegation - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.A close-up of the Gold Splash® Wintercreeper (Euonymus), a low maintenance variegated evergreen shrub with dense foliage and striking yellow-edged green leaves - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

Gold Splash® Wintercreeper (Euonymus)

$21.99
$21.99

A Newgen Freedom® Boxwood (Buxus), neatly trimmed and round with dense foliage, grows in a mulched garden bed outdoors, serving as an attractive evergreen foundation plant against greenery and a house - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.A Newgen Freedom® Boxwood (Buxus), with dense green leaves, is planted in mulch in front of a light blue house with a screened porch, serving as an attractive evergreen foundation shrub - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.

Newgen Freedom® Boxwood (Buxus)

$22.99
$22.99