Browse Plants

Ferns are perfect plants for providing light, airy texture to shady areas. Many ferns are grown and loved in our gardens, but one of the best is the southern maidenhair fern. This beautiful fern has fluffy, airy, elegant foliage, which works equally well in containers or in open ground.

The glossy, deep green leaves and brilliant symmetry of Japanese camellias earn these shrubs their status as queens of the winter garden. The red, pink, and white flowers range from solid colors to crazy stripes and from single cups of petals to tight double blooms. Supply extra water during dry summers, and apply horticultural oil spray after flowering to prevent scale and other insects.

Lily of the valley's bell-shaped, sweetly scented flowers bloom in early spring. It likes partial to full shade and is perfect for a woodland garden. It may not be the best choice for your beds and borders because it tends to spread, but it is a perfect ground cover if you have a large shady spot under some trees.

Originating in mountainous woodland and stony habitats from Europe to western Asia, yellow foxglove is tolerant of dry shade but flourishes with moisture. Arising in midsummer from neat clumps of fine-toothed foliage, a mass of soft yellow open bells, speckled brown inside, blooms along one side of a 3-foot-tall stem. Usually described as a perennial, it is more accurate to call it a biennial or short-lived perennial. If the flowering stalk is cut down after blooms have faded, it may rebloom in the fall. When a few flower stalks are left, the plant self-seeds. 

From late fall through winter, when much of the midwestern landscape is brown and dreary, the leathery leaves of hellebores remain shiny, cheerful, and green. Remove the previous season’s leaves in late winter before new growth appears. The flowers emerge in February or March, and are attractive for weeks—or even months, if the weather stays cool.

These hybrids of H. orientalis and other species have a clump-forming habit and leathery leaves. They begin blooming in mid-winter in a range of colors, adding much needed color very early in the season.

Hellebores begin blooming in mid-winter in a range of colors, adding much needed color very early in the season. They bloom when the temperature is below freezing, even amidst the snow. Protect from cold winter winds, especially when not insulated by snow, to avoid damaged foliage. Avoid ingestion of all plant parts and contact with the sap.

This heuchera has burgundy leaves splashed with silver and grows up to 16 inches tall and 18 inches wide. Pink flowers emerge in spring and rise to 26 inches tall. This plant performs well in both garden beds and in containers, where it makes a wonderful filler plant.

This heuchera, sold as Dolce® Blackcurrant in the U.S., has purple and silver leaves veined with black and grows up to 16 inches tall and 20 inches wide. While it flowers in early summer, it is grown primarily for its dramatic foliage and performs well in both garden beds and containers.

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Heuchera 'Caramel' has H. villosa parentage, so it's more tolerant of heat and humidity that other heacheras. It has glowing, apricot-hued foliage that grows up to 12 inches tall and 20 inches wide. Pink flowers appear in spring. This plant performs well in both garden beds and containers, or as a groundcover when planted en masse. It may be evergreen on warmer climates.

This compact heuchera has dark greenish silver leaves with crimson undersides. The plant grows up to 8 inches tall and 16 inches wide and sports soft red flowers in spring.

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This heuchera cultivar has peachy-bronze leaves and spires of red flowers in late spring and early summer. It grows up to 16 inches tall and 20 inches wide. 'Crème Brûlée' performs well in both garden beds and in containers, where it mingles well with a multitude of plants. This cultivar is very tolerant of heat and sun.

This heuchera has dusky purple leaves with charcoal veins, overlaid with silver between the veins. The plant grows up to 16 inches tall and wide. Pale pink flowers appear in spring. Great in garden beds and in container plantings.

Heucheras make excellent foliage plants for sun to part shade gardens. Most flowers are not as impressive as the foliage, but they do add a second level of interest. 'Silver Scrolls' heuchera's leaves are burgundy overlaid with silver and withstand even hot summers, unlike many other silver plants. It grows up to 2 feet tall and 1 foot wide.

This heuchera cultivar has very dark (almost black) plum or purplish leaves and greenish white, bell-shaped flowers in late spring and early summer.

This purple to almost black heuchera adds drama to the shade. The plant grows to 16 inches tall and wide with coralcolored blooms in spring. Grow it in garden beds or containers.

This hybrid heuchera has lobed, dark-green leaves and big panicles of large white flowers in late spring and early summer. It grows up to 30 inches tall and 18 inches wide. The flowers are suitable for cutting and the foliage is somewhat evergreen.

Hostas are the first plants to come to mind when shade tolerance is required, but not all of them can take the heat in our region. ‘Patriot’ has proven to be one of the toughest, and its white margins and relatively large leaves make it a beacon of brightness in the shade. As a bonus, it will flower in midsummer with lavender trumpets on tall spikes.

‘Halycon’ is a wonderful blue hosta. Unlike some others, ‘Halcyon’ retains its strong leaf color all season. Its textured, blue-green leaves are thick enough to be slug resistant. The bell-shaped, pale lilac-blue flowers are attractive, and the resulting seed heads are visited by birds late in the season. This cultivar is fairly slow growing but can be used as a ground cover as well as a specimen.

It’s small, yes, but this plant is nothing if not bold. The high contrast between the silvery body of the leaves and their green veins makes ‘Hermann’s Pride’ stand out even among bright flowers. Blooming in late spring, the pure yellow of the small flowers makes it even more eye-catching. While some have trouble controlling this cultivar, it behaves meekly in harsh climates.

Unlike the rampantly creeping variegated yellow lamium (Lamium galeobdolon 'Variegatum'), the lamium cultivar ‘Hermann’s Pride’ is a slow-growing, clump-forming treasure that grows like a small bush, beautiful in foliage and flower. Ever-fresh leaves are jagged edged and etched with silver. Masses of bright, yellow-lipped flowers complement the foliage in late spring to early summer.