11 Shade-Loving Annuals For A Burst Of Color
Gardeners usually plant annuals for a burst of color in their flower beds or containers. However, most annuals need at least 6 hours of sun to flower well. Before you rush to the garden center, think about your planting location and soil type. If you’re looking to fill a shady spot, we’ve rounded our favorite annuals that will tolerate dappled shade, especially if they get some time in the morning sun.
Caladium
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You can understand why the common name is angel wings when you see the arrowhead-shaped leaves that come in a rainbow of colors like white, pink, red, green, and bicolor. Caladiums grow from a tender summer flowering bulbs usually considered an annual in beds and containers. The bulbs (tubers) are planted in early spring and require lots of water and regular fertilization while growing. They can then be dug up and stored over winter.
- Botanical Name: Caladium bicolor
- Sun Exposure: Dappled shade
- Soil Type: Organic loam
- Soil pH: Acidic
Coleus
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Coleus are low-maintenance plants that thrive in warm temperatures and high humidity, and make a statement with their colorful foliage even in the shade. You can find a coleus variety with muted foliage in bronze and burgundy to neon green to variegated yellow, pink, and white. While some cultivars have been bred to withstand full sun, check the care label for varieties that prefer more shade like Pinata, Trusty Rusty, Versa Lime, Versa Watermelon, and Indian Summer.
- Botanical Name: Coleus scutellarioides
- Sun Exposure: Deep to partial shade
- Soil Type: Loam
- Soil pH: Neutral
Edging Lobelia
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If you love blue, Lobelia is the perfect choice because there are so many cultivars available in every shade of blue. ‘Blue Moon’ has dark blue flowers; ‘Cambridge Blue’ has clear, soft blue flowers, and ‘Crystal Palace’ offers bronze-green leaves and dark blue flowers. If you prefer other colors, ‘Paper Moon’ has white flowers; ‘Rosamunde’ has carmine red flowers with a white eye; and ‘Sapphire’ is a trailing lobelia with purple flowers with a white eye. Plant once the danger of frost has passed and cut back after each flush of flowering to encourage new blossoms.
- Botanical Name: Lobelia erinus
- Sun Exposure: Dappled shade
- Soil Type: Organic loam
- Soil pH: Slightly acidic
Forget-Me-Not
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An old-fashioned flower featured on Victorian valentines, the forget-me-not is a spring-flowering plant usually grown as an annual. The species is often found in cooler growing zones in woodlands. It grows about 12 inches high with small light blue flowers with yellow or white eyes. Cultivars can now be found with pink, white, or dark blue flowers. Start from seed indoors about 8 to 10 weeks before the last spring frost date for bloom the same year. If you’re lucky, it will self-seed and take a stand.
- Botanical Name: Myosotis sylvatica
- Sun Exposure: Partial shade
- Soil Type: Clay, loam
- Soil pH: Slightly acidic to neutral
Hardy Begonia
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Hardy begonias are one of the most often seen shade-loving flowering plants. From summer through early fall hardy begonia displays loose floppy clusters of pink fragrant blooms visited by pollinators. Plant in mass, along borders, or in containers. The blooms and foliage add pops of color to shade-loving perennials such as ferns and hostas.
- Botanical Name: Begonia grandis
- Sun Exposure: Full to partial shade
- Soil Type: Clay, loam, sand
- Soil pH: Acidic to neutral
Impatiens
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While there are now SunPatiens that withstand blazing Southern sun, old-fashioned garden impatiens prefer part to full shade. Prolific bloomers in white, peach, apricot, pink, and red, the plants perform from late spring until the first frost of fall. They require moist, well-drained soils, supplemented with organic material, and a slightly acidic pH. Impatiens tolerate humidity, but wilt in hot, dry spells and will require extra watering. If the plants become leggy in late summer, trim off the top one-third of each plant to encourage new growth and blooms.
- Botanical Name: Impatiens walleriana
- Sun Exposure: Part to deep shade
- Soil Type: Organic loam
- Soil pH: Acidic
Johnny-Jump-Up
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Johnny-jump-ups bring color to winter gardens. They are part of the violet family and the plant parent to modern pansy hybrids. The flowers all have three colors per bloom in a combination of blue, purple, white, or yellow. Blooming in cooler weather, if planted in a flower bed, they will self-seed and reappear in all but the hottest climates.
- Botanical Name: Viola tricolor
- Sun Exposure: Partial shade
- Soil Type: Loam, sand
- Soil pH: Acidic to neutral
Larkspur
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Another short-lived perennial, most larkspur is grown from seed as an annual. Delphinium carolinianum performs better in warm Southern gardens than hybrid Delphiniums. They prefer partial shade from afternoon sun and fertile, moist, well-drained soils. Taller varieties require staking for protection from strong winds. Cut back spent flower stalks for additional late summer and fall blooms.
- Botanical Name: Delphinium carolinianum
- Sun Exposure: Partial shade
- Soil Type: Organic loam
- Soil pH: Alkaline
Monkey Flower
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Although technically a short-lived perennial, Monkey flowers are grown as annuals. In the warmest Southern climates, it is considered a cool-season flower. A low-growing, mound-forming plant, the showy, velvety, funnel-shaped flowers can be yellow, white, and pink colors.
- Botanical Name: Mimulus x hybridus
- Sun Exposure: Partial shade
- Soil Type: Clay, loam, sand
- Soil pH: Neutral
White Tobacco
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White tobacco has large, dramatic leaves and showy, fragrant clusters of pendent white flowers that look like a burst of shooting stars. While it can be grown as a perennial in zones 10 and above, most gardeners consider it an annual. A tall plant reaching a height of 3-5 feet, it is perfect for the back row of a flower bed that receives partial shade in the late afternoon.
- Botanical Name: Nicotiana sylvestris
- Sun Exposure: Dappled shade
- Soil Type: Organic loam
- Soil pH: Slightly acidic
Wishbone Flower
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Wishbone flower is a low-growing annual with lovely two-toned, two-lipped, tubular purple or pink flowers. Plant in rich moist soils in a shade border and mulch to help keep the roots cool. Some cultivars work well in hanging baskets.
- Botanical Name: Torenia fourienieri
- Sun Exposure: Deep to partial shade
- Soil Type: Organic loam
- Soil pH: Neutral
