Part-Shade Plants

Partial-shade plants thrive in areas that get about 4 to 6 hours of sun each day, usually morning light or dappled shade under trees. This makes these plants ideal for borders, gardens under tree canopies, spaces along fence lines, hanging baskets, and even containers.

At Garden Crossings, we have a wide selection of perennials, annuals, edibles, and garden shrubs that’ll perform beautifully in your shady spot, each selected for exceptional quality and customer success. Explore our plants.

White part shade flowers with variegated green foliage
A close-up of vibrant Laguna® Dark Blue Lobelia flowers surrounded by pink and yellow petunias, perfect for hanging baskets and adding lush color to your garden - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.Laguna® Dark Blue Lobelia bursts with vibrant blooms and green stems, ideal for hanging baskets. Among the open flowers, some buds remain closed, adding fresh charm - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.

Laguna® Dark Blue Lobelia

$10.99
$10.99

A cluster of Laguna® Royale Azure Lobelia displays vibrant blue annual blooms with small, delicate petals and white-yellow centers, densely packed amid lush green foliage - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.Laguna® Royale Azure Lobelia is a lush potted annual with many small, delicate blue flowers and green foliage, presented in a shiny dark blue ceramic pot with lighter blue accents - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc. Decorative pot not included.

Laguna® Royale Azure Lobelia

$10.99
$10.99
A cluster of Laguna® Royale Lilac Lobelia displays light purple flowers with slender petals and green stems and leaves in the background - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.A dark gray decorative pot holds a lush mound of Laguna® Royale Lilac Lobelia, featuring small light purple flowers and green foliage from Proven Winners, set against a white background - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc. Decorative pot not included.

Laguna® Royale Lilac Lobelia

$10.99
$10.99
A vibrant cluster of small, star-shaped pink flowers and slender green leaves from Laguna® Royale Pink Lobelia fills the image, showcasing this annual's colorful and lively floral display - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.A large ceramic pot filled with dense, pink blooming Laguna® Royale Pink Lobelia, isolated on a white background - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc. Decorative pot not included.

Laguna® Royale Pink Lobelia

$10.99
$10.99
A vibrant cluster of low-maintenance Laguna® Sky Blue Lobelia grows in the foreground, paired with pale pink hydrangea blooms and lush green foliage - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.Laguna® Sky Blue Lobelia features dense clusters of small, delicate blue flowers with green stems and leaves - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.

Laguna® Sky Blue Lobelia

$10.99
$10.99

Close-up of a dense cluster of vibrant electric purple Laguna® Ultraviolet™ Lobelia flowers with green stems and leaves fills the image with bright, cheerful color - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.A cluster of vibrant electric purple Laguna® Ultraviolet™ Lobelia flowers with delicate petals and green stems, densely packed and blooming outdoors - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

Laguna® Ultraviolet™ Lobelia

$10.99
$10.99

Lavender Bubbles' Allium, an ornamental onion with round, vivid purple blooms, creates a striking display against green grass, adding bold color and interest with blurred grass in the background - Photo Courtesy of Walters Gardens, Inc.A dense cluster of Lavender Bubbles' Allium, a late-season perennial with round purple blooms on tall green stems, creates a vibrant and lush ornamental onion display in the garden - Photo Courtesy of Walters Gardens, Inc.

Lavender Bubbles' Allium

$11.39
$18.99 $11.39

Close-up of vibrant red and orange autumn leaves on the deer-resistant Legend of the Fall® Bottlebush (Fothergilla), highlighting their textured surfaces, with softly blurred colorful fall foliage in the background - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.Legend of the Fall® Bottlebush (Fothergilla) featuring dense foliage with vibrant red, orange, and yellow leaves - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.

Legend of the Fall® Bottlebush (Fothergilla)

$22.99
$22.99

The compact Legend of the Small® Bottlebush (Fothergilla) features clusters of small, round white flowers. Deer resistant and ideal for mulched beds, it brings charm to any landscape with its lush green backdrop - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.Legend of the Small® Bottlebush (Fothergilla) is a compact native shrub with vibrant red, orange, and yellow autumn foliage, shown in a garden bed with black fabric, mulch, and surrounding greenery - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.

Legend of the Small® Bottlebush (Fothergilla)

$22.99
$40.99 $22.99

Close-up of tall, green Lemon Grass Cymbopogon blades, sunlight streaming through and highlighting leaf textures - Photo Courtesy of Pixabay

Lemon Grass Cymbopogon

$12.79
$15.99 $12.79

The Lemonade Stand Annual Combo Kit features a rectangular wicker basket overflowing with vibrant yellow and white Supertunia Saffron Finch, Superbells Yellow, and yellow Luscious Citron flowers - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners. Container not included.

Lemonade Stand - DIY Annual Combo Kit

$31.32
$32.97 $31.32
Bright yellow-green, finely divided leaves of the Lemony Lace® Elderberry (Sambucus) shrub fill the image with dense, lacy foliage and delicate pointed tips. The plant’s overlapping leaves largely obscure the background. - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLCThe bright green, finely textured foliage of a Lemony Lace® Elderberry (Sambucus) shrub fills most of the image, with clusters of pink hydrangea flowers in the lower right corner. A white-framed window is partially visible at the top. - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC

Lemony Lace® Elderberry (Sambucus)

$22.99
$22.99

A close-up of a Let's Dance Arriba!® Bigleaf Hydrangea flower cluster, a striking reblooming variety, set among lush green leaves in the garden. - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLCA large Let's Dance Arriba!® Bigleaf Hydrangea bush blooms with vibrant pink flowers among green foliage and mulch in a sunny garden. - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC

Let's Dance Arriba!® Bigleaf Hydrangea

$22.99
$22.99

A close-up of a vibrant pink Let's Dance Big Band® Bigleaf Hydrangea bloom with delicate petals, set among lush green leaves - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.A close-up of vibrant purple Let's Dance Big Band® Bigleaf Hydrangea blooms with delicate petals and blue centers, set among green leaves - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

Let's Dance Big Band® Bigleaf Hydrangea

$22.99
$22.99
A cluster of vibrant pink Let's Dance Can Do!® Bigleaf Hydrangea flowers with star-shaped petals and green leaves in the background; some central buds remain closed on this reblooming hydrangea. - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLCA close-up of a Let's Dance Can Do!® Bigleaf Hydrangea shows pink lace-cap clusters with central buds, framed by green leaves. In the background, a blurred purple hydrangea appears. - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.

Let's Dance Can Do!® Bigleaf Hydrangea

$22.99
$22.99

Let’s Dance Hot Stepper™ Bigleaf Hydrangea is a compact shrub with clusters of pink and light green flowers amid dark green leaves - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc. A close-up of vibrant pink blooms on the Let's Dance Hot Stepper™ Bigleaf Hydrangea, featuring delicate petals around clusters of central buds and dark green leaves in the background. - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.

Let's Dance Hot Stepper™ Bigleaf Hydrangea

$22.99
$22.99
A cluster of vibrant pink Let's Dance Lovable® Bigleaf Hydrangea flowers, a reblooming variety, is surrounded by large, dark green leaves with pale green buds visible in the background - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.A lush Let's Dance Lovable® Bigleaf Hydrangea blooms by the lawn, displaying clusters of purple, pink, magenta red, and blue flowers among green leaves - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

Let's Dance Lovable® Bigleaf Hydrangea

$22.99
$22.99

Close-up of Let's Dance Sky View® Bigleaf Hydrangea, a blue-flowering shrub featuring blooms in pink, purple, and light blue amid lush green leaves - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.A close-up of a vibrant Let's Dance Sky View® Bigleaf Hydrangea in full bloom, framed by lush green leaves, with other reblooming hydrangeas and foliage softly blurred in the background - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

Let's Dance Sky View® Bigleaf Hydrangea

$22.99
$22.99

Close-up of vibrant Let's Dance® Blue Jangles® Bigleaf Hydrangea flowers in blue and purple hues, set against dark green leaves, with a softly blurred background of soil and foliage on this striking flowering shrub. - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLCClose-up of Let’s Dance® Blue Jangles® Bigleaf Hydrangea in full bloom, showcasing vivid purple and blue petals framed by lush green leaves, set against a softly blurred background of flowers and foliage. - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC

Let's Dance® Blue Jangles® Bigleaf Hydrangea

$22.99
$22.99

Close-up of Let's Dance® Rhythmic Blue® Bigleaf Hydrangea in full bloom, with large clusters of purple and pink flowers surrounded by lush green leaves. - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLCA close-up of a vibrant Let's Dance® Rhythmic Blue® Bigleaf Hydrangea cluster, surrounded by lush green leaves and hints of additional hydrangea blooms in the background. - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC

Let's Dance® Rhythmic Blue® Bigleaf Hydrangea

$22.99
$22.99

Close-up of dense, soft, round leaves with a silvery-green hue and velvety texture—hallmarks of the Licorice Splash Licorice Plant (Helichrysum) - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.Close-up of densely packed, fuzzy green leaves with creamy white edges on the Licorice Splash Licorice Plant (Helichrysum), an ornamental known for its variegated foliage and drought tolerance - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

Licorice Splash Licorice Plant (Helichrysum)

$10.99
$10.99

Close-up of a Limelight Prime® Panicle Hydrangea cluster with pink and white blooms and green leaves, set against a backdrop of blurred flowering shrubs. - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc. Tall, cone-shaped clusters of pale green Limelight Prime® Panicle Hydrangea flowers bloom among lush leaves in a sunlit garden, making this hardy shrub a standout feature amid trees and other shrubs. - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC

Limelight Prime® Panicle Hydrangea

$22.99
$22.99

Close-up of several cone-shaped clusters of pale green and cream 'Limelight' Panicle Hydrangea flowers, with soft green leaves and a background of blurred greenery - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.A dense row of 'Limelight' Panicle Hydrangea shrubs showcases large, cone-shaped white flower clusters against a blue sky, with green leaves and mulch at the base - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

Limelight' Panicle Hydrangea

$22.99
$40.99 $22.99

Close-up of Lindsay™ Clematis, a vibrant purple large-flowered variety with ruffled petals and a spiky white-maroon center, surrounded by green leaves - Photo Courtesy of Donahue's Clematis

Lindsay™ Clematis

$20.99
$20.99
Part-shade abelia shrub with flowers.

Enjoy Beautiful Blooms and Foliage with Less Shade

Many of the most beautiful flowers and plants thrive in sunny gardens. Others prefer deep shade and will easily burn or scorch in the afternoon sun. But there are also plants that don’t fall comfortably in either category: part-shade plants.

These plants do best in morning sun and afternoon shade, which protects from the harsh midday heat. This gentle sun helps bring out their most vibrant blooms and leaf colors. However, you’ll find that some varieties, like bugleweeds, are very adaptable and grow well in full shade too.

Chokeberry plants for part shade.

Shop Part-Shade Plants and Flowers for Your Growing Conditions

Growing since 2004, Garden Crossings understands first-hand how growing conditions and hardiness zones can influence your plant’s growth. To support your gardening success, we’ve selected partial-shade plants for zones 2 through 9. You’ll also find varieties that meet your growing conditions, from drought-tolerant shrubs to pollinator-friendly perennials. 

Order online for pickup or get your plants delivered.

FAQs

Part shade means your spot gets 4 to 6 hours of sun every day. These plants specifically prefer gentle morning sun and shade in the afternoon for protection from intense midday rays.

Many plants thrive in morning sun and afternoon shade, including begonias, fuchsias, and mums. Flowering shrubs like hydrangeas also often love cool morning light.

Not necessarily. Regional variations can also influence how plants respond to sunlight. For example, afternoon sun in southern states is often much stronger than in northern states like Minnesota. Consider your climate and hardiness zone before planting.