20 Colorful Shade-Loving Shrubs to Transform Your Garden

[@elizabethberent9069]

The bad thing Bout your programs is that you describe so many plants sooo beautifully ..I cannot decide which, of my huge selection, to buy!

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

So many options! My course does help you narrow down based on design principles and color theory if you're interested in that sort of thing 😊

[@adz5bneweng589]

For those who like yellow...try kerria japonica. Not a native but covered in yellow double blossoms in spring. Lemon yellow flowers in sun, golden yellow flowers in part shade. Arching form.

[@2wheelsforever174]

Great suggestion! I have one in my part shade garden, it’s absolutely covered in yellow pompom blooms

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

Thanks for the suggestion. Will look this one up 😊

[@leslieh3785]

Great video. Arrived right on time😁

[@tiffanyclark-grove1989]

It even comes variegated

[@colleenanderson2485]

@@2wheelsforever174what is its hardiness zone. I’m in 4b.

[@VintageJ129]

Thank you for including the sweet shrub. Love my sweet shrub. Smells like a cherry strawberry to me.

[@Mr-Mr66]

I live in the uk, bought an azalea about 5 months ago and planted it in the front garden, it just bloomed today and by golly it's stunning.

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

They are beautiful

[@catherineslavin7324]

Another great evergreen for shade is Leucothoe. Lovely drooping habit, white flowers in spring and some have variegated foliage.

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

Thanks for the suggestion!

[@donnas3148]

All the native viburnums are great. I also grow Blackhaw, Nannyberry, Maple leaf and Trilobum. They have great fall color and berries and don't need pollinators.

[@theweirdospfan.28]

Spicebush will grow in full shade. I have some growing wild in the woods in my yard. They are shade lovers

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

Does it still get vibrant fall color? I've read that in the shade it doesn't get as bright in the fall.

[@theweirdospfan.28]

@@PrettyPurpleDoor It still gets nice yellow fall color

[@fransummerlin]

I think the oakleaf hydrangea is a great deeper shade plant. Deciduous in winter, but huge white long conical blooms (12-15 inches)in summer. Very easy to propagate by seeds or cuttings. Can grow wide and tall, but easily trimmed.

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

Thanks for sharing!

[@pamelamckeever2183]

Thank you, for including plant zones, I am in a Northwest area and need zone 4 tolerant!

[@debbauer5634]

The "Kodiak Orange" diervilla is spectacular! It has so many color changes through the seasons along with beautiful flowers. I think it is time to add a " Kodiak Black" to my garden.

[@joaniestraw5075]

New subscriber here - I really like the way you provide concise but thorough info in just a few minutes. Simple, and doesn't waste time!

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

Awesome, thank you!

[@carefreedelight2355]

Thank you so much. This is one of the best sites that I have found which has thrown up some beautiful and unusual plants and somehow you manage to tell us all the important information about each [pant which is so massively helpful when having to make decisions, and to try to imagine these having a place in the average garden. How did you know that my next watch was going to be slim trees for screening!

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

Haha thanks for your kind words! I'm getting better at knowing what you'll want to watch next 😂

[@tylerk.7947]

Love the selection of natives. One more I would add which is one of my all time favorite plants is bottlebrush buckeye, Aesculus parviflora. It is truly amazing

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

That's a nice addition to the list. Thanks!

[@SteveL2012]

Great content, not the usual suspects that all gardeners really know about. I am looking for second layer shrubs for a filtered shade area, and the timing of this was perfect. Sweetspire was on the list but now I have others to seek out too. Thank you!

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

Glad it was helpful!

[@rinavdberg2483]

Excellent video, I appreciate the format of the plant Info. Find it sorely lacking in most videos, thank you.

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

Glad it was helpful!

[@pintsizestories196]

Good selection of shade tolerant shrubs. I have a peegee hydrangea that does quite well in part shade.

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

Nice! Great suggestion thanks

[@philisbramlett6890]

🏡. Excellent comprehensive video ❤ You are a gem 💫

[@akrossmann1631]

A very well done presentation especially with display photos of the blooms, foliage and fruits of the shrubs! If I may, share one important factor for unaware viewers pertaining to the yew plant. Any "yew" cultivar is toxic to humans, domestic and wild animals alike when ingested. Unfortunately, the toxic nature of the "yew" isn't as widely known in current times as it once was known in ancient times. Thank you~

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

Thank you. And thanks for sharing the info

[@jenniferparmelee5041]

I love your channel and appreciate all your hard work of sharing information. I’m a dog lover and wish that you could also note if the plants are poisonous if consumed by dogs. Or maybe videos that are specifically geared to dog friendly plants, trees and shrubs. Thanks for all you do!

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

Thanks for the suggestion. I'm also a dog lover and foster dogs regularly.

[@cindygaudet1390]

I was thinking same thing,will have to check first.

[@vbachman6742]

I always check the ASPCA web site but they don't have every single plant listed. I judge by plant family if I can't find a specific plant. Unfortunately many of our beloved Southern plants are toxic to pets. I have never had to be concerned but have a rescue dog who chews on plants, so that is necessary to know.

[@nancyeverly5325]

This was incredibly helpful. Thank you so much for sharing.

[@tiffanyclark-grove1989]

Rose of Sharon blooms in the shade as well. I planted a hedgerow for utilitarian purposes but it blooms nicely in full shade. Another shade evergreen would be a Hemlock.

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

Thanks for the suggestions!

[@executivesteps]

Few (any?) nurseries in my area in southern NJ carry hemlocks. The Woolly Adelgid parasite runs havoc on them. Nurseries don’t want the customers coming back complaining.

[@tiffanyclark-grove1989]

@@executivesteps oh, I am in Illinois 😊 I suppose you could use yews in shade. there are some nice columnar yews, like Hicks Yews; or boxwood

[@executivesteps]

@@tiffanyclark-grove1989 Thanks for the reply. My bigger problem is the shade is caused by black walnut trees! You likely know the problem (juglone) with them being poisonous to many plants. The problem is most plant descriptions don’t mention susceptibility because many haven’t been tested. Yews have been successful here but I’ve put them in large cedar planters I’ve made with soil brought in from elsewhere. As I said there are a lot of wholesale nurseries in my area and they all stopped selling hemlocks years ago. Other shrubs would work (I have witch hazels, viburnums etc) but I was really looking for evergreens (privacy). I’ll probably go the deciduous route. I could go on and on. Anyway thanks again, I enjoyed the video.

[@margaretchiodo-keller4495]

This was the perfect video to help me select a shrub for my zone 7, part to full shade garden area, where I am looking to add a plant. The Bush Honeysuckle and Sweet Spire Scentlandia are the 2 choices that I am most interested in. Excellent information, answered all of my questions, and it helped me to choose the most appropriate plant for the area in question. Thanks for a great video!

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

Awesome to hear. So glad it helped you narrow things down!

[@cindypatrick785]

Agreed, I have a ranch style house with a long and narrow bed out in front that faces East. It gets very little morning sun so the bush honeysuckle that grows 3-4 high should work without covering up the windows( I’ll measure to make sure). Thank you for sharing your knowledge 🙂 6:37

[@argosaha9318]

Aurelia Sun King (Fatsia) and Euonymous (various kinds) are also shade lovers. Euonymous never drops leaves in zone 6a here in NE Illinois

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

Thanks. Fatsia japonica has beautiful leaves as well. I didn't include euonymus because it's invasive in most of the eastern US

[@theweirdospfan.28]

@@PrettyPurpleDoorthere are different types of euonymus out there

[@evasilvalayton758]

By far THE BEST INFORMATION My yard will not look like everybody’s in the cul de sac 💃🏻

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

Thank you. Glad it's helpful 😊

[@ariamason9324]

Hi 👋 neighbor

[@hremaddox]

You make me want them all!!! ❤

[@evefavorse5939]

Wow I so needed this video! TFS

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

You're very welcome so glad it helped

[@pamelap.123]

I have 3 "nightglow " Diervilla on the north side of my house. They've formed a nice hedge.and had no problems with disease or insects. I've been able to propagate by division.(Zone 6)

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

Been trying to get my hands on these locally for awhile now. I bet they're beautiful

[@hycinth5371]

Wow, I can grow all of these, nice. Thank you.

[@LINativePlantConservation]

I love your work, you inspire me

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

Wow, thank you. I appreciate that 😊

[@Nickelini]

One that you didn't mention is sarcococca. Evergreen and has tiny white flowers that smell amazing in the early spring. I learned about it after I had to give up on rhodos due to my soil

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

Sweet box is nice. Just look out for boxwood blight, I think they are affected by this.

[@user-xi7gz6sz4w]

I've never seen azaleas grow well and bloom well in dappled shade, even though they're supposed to.

[@kristineobrien8878]

Your picks are magical❤

[@lydvincecruz8395]

Thanks for sharing 👍 Very much appreciated. 👍

[@Gardenhappy-k2x]

great video!

[@fingerfeller]

excellent, thank you

[@cindygaudet1390]

Thanks!

[@christineribone9351]

Thank you. Lots of good info. Would have appreciated if you list evergreen or dicedious.

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

Glad it was helpful. Most are deciduous

[@ericjorgensen8028]

Arnold's Promise is an x intermedia variety... It's a great plant, but I don't think it's a native variety. I think virginiana and vernal varieties are native Witch Hazels. Also I like Pieris and Kalmia for shade evergreens 👍

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

Thanks for the info!

[@tylerk.7947]

you're right arnold's promise is bred from european witch hazel.

[@mariatzianabos4163]

Wow, I needed this video so badly. Up here near Portland Maine, new gardener learning about shrubs with lots of Fall color and that lives in the cold climate because Summer arrives late here. Not sure what zone I am yet so I have more research to do. I have an entire side of my house that is part shade and then a section which I believe gets very little sun if at all. I would love to plant some type of tree or shrub in those areas. Do you have an email or place I can post photos for help?

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

I do have an online course where you can get support: prettypurpledoor.com/course PS: I also have a video about plants & shrubs for fall.

[@MBB9394]

Not a shrub but Sweet Woodruff is amazing.

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

Yes it's a great groundcover for shade

[@rethablair6902]

New subscriber here😁

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

Hello, thanks 😊

[@rev.margieosborn3447]

Deer haven eaten my Dieravilla Kodak the last 2 winters in N MI

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

Yes unfortunately no plant is 100% deer resistant. Sorry to hear that. I'm just going off what the growers have said about it.

[@susanmarsico9873]

Agree. Deer have eaten my orange and firefly dieravilla the last two years. Moved it to a location that they might not get to as easily.

[@bettybelenky-ht9ur]

And again, hungry deer will eat anything. Even iris

[@janetsplanet100]

Are the berries on some of these shrubs you describe edible to the birds that over-winter here?

[@tylerk.7947]

Yes!! Most of the shrubs mentioned don't form berries, but many are host species for larval stage of caterpillars as well as excellent pollinator plants

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

Yes absolutely birds can enjoy them

[@executivesteps]

Are there any berries that are known to be poisonous to birds? Fruits are for propagating. It doesn’t seem like a good strategy to kill the host. 🧐

[@marke4640]

You don't, but should, mention fragrance.

[@brendasiron6350]

Looking for a nandina “flirt” 2’x1 1/2’ wide. It is an evergreen does anyone have experience with this shade shrub?

[@patriciacompton7721]

So where is the list to purchase?can’t find it.

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

In the video description

[@carolmartin3028]

I never have any luck with hydrangias...they always die.

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

Fertile, rich moist soil. Hydra = water. Lots of water. Fertilize regularly. Or just pick something that grows well for you instead. That's what I'd do

[@audreyhamilton1338]

Can you recommend a tall (12-15 feet+) skinny, shrub or tree that does really well in the shade?? Zone 3/4

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/n4itcmSlo9BrfpI

[@mayaportland8805]

All those are more of a border or screen shrubs, not really something beautiful enough to be a center of attention. Beside azaleas but the majority flower only a short period in spring. The rest of the year is just an ordinary looking bush.

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

What would you put on the list then?

[@GoAwayNow-iz3du]

I have the opposite problem - needing bushes that will survive scorching, full sun summers in 105-115 degree heat & drought during the summer, but a lot of rainy every other time of the year. =/

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

Ah yes. Many different conditions to deal with. So glad you watched even though you didn't need to. Thank you 😊 .

[@aneye4aneye977]

no thanks to the bush honeysuckle. second google result mentioned invasive so as someone who is currently dealing with invasive bamboo, im running from this. the glitters and gold sounds perfect for my need though. thanks for putting this video together.

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

Tthe native type of bush honeysuckle is not invasive. However, a look-alike plant, Asian bush honeysuckle (Lonicera spp.) is invasive. Many cultivars are bred to be sterile, meaning they don't spread seed.

[@rhondapelletier2141]

I have invasive bamboo, too!