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Top 8 Shade Loving Perennial Plants in North Texas

Perennials are an exciting part of any landscape. They bring variety, bloom, and longevity as they cycle through winter dormancy to return again each spring. However, the majority of perennial plants thrive in sunlight, making shady areas of your landscape beds a real challenge. The list below is 8 shade-loving perennial plants for North Texas that we focus on in this article.

Hellebores

One of the very few perennials that bloom during the winter season months when most other plants are dormant, Hellebores (or Lenten Rose) thrive in full to partial sun. Blooming in a variety of colors during the months of January, February, and March, Hellebores is a clumping plant that grows to an average height of 24 inches. During the summer months, Hellebores will experience its dormancy cycle. While dormant, Hellabores remain green and intact but do not grow and will require less frequent watering.

Oxalis

The purple-leafed Oxalis, often referred to as Shamrock, is a wonderful example of a shade-loving everlasting plant with lots of visual impact. The foliage on the purple-leafed Oxalis is triangular and a deep eggplant color, which stays low to the ground with a mature height of up to 12 inches. Blooming small white or pink flowers between March and October, purple-leafed Oxalis is one of the longest blooming perennials.

Ajuga

Ajuga, or bugleweed, is planted most often as a groundcover plant in areas with little sunlight. While technically a perennial plant, Ajuga does not experience dormancy through most of Texas. This means that Ajuga remains evergreen and can be enjoyed in your flower beds throughout the year. Ajuga offers several varieties but is most commonly seen with grayish-green foliage and tall, purple, spiky flowers that bloom during the spring. The Ajuga plant stays very low to the ground, maturing up to 6 inches tall and wide.

Phlox

If you have a shady or partially shady area of your landscape, garden Phlox would be a wonderful border plant to include when planning a design for your landscape. Phlox grows as a clumping plant and matures to a height of up to 3 ft. This variety of Phlox is also called summer Phlox because it blooms white, pink, or purple primarily in the month of August only.

Columbine “Texas Gold”

As a Texas native perennial plant, the “Texas Gold” variety of Columbine has proven to be the most reliable variety to be grown in Texas. Blooming throughout the spring months of March, April, and May, Columbine grows in a compact and rounded habit, reaching approximately 1.5 feet in height with yellow, bell-shaped flowers. While the Columbine prefers dense shade, the “Texas Gold” variety can tolerate areas with partial light.

Autumn Fern

Like all ferns, the Autumn fern is definitely a shade-loving perennial. While the Autumn fern can tolerate a bit of indirect sunlight, it will do best in landscaping areas with less natural light. The Autumn fern can be identified easily by its new growth, which comes in with a bronze foliage. Remaining evergreen throughout the year, the Autumn Fern will mature to a height and width of up to 2 feet.

Four O’clocks

With small blooms opening only in the late afternoon of the summer and early fall months, Four O’clocks bring a spark of color to any shady spot of your garden. Available in a variety of bloom colors, Four O’clocks grow in a shrubby fashion and mature to a height and width of around 2-2.5 feet.

Sweet Violet

Sweet Violet is an herbaceous perennial that loves the shade. The highly fragrant blooms of a Sweet Violet can be enjoyed in the winter and early spring months of January, February, and March. Sweet Violet is most commonly found with blue and purple blooming flowers, but pink and white are also available. Sweet Violet is best suited for areas with landscape edging around flower beds or in containers, as they grow in small clumps no larger than 6-10 inches.