Which shade loving plants can you grow in a UK garden?

As a beginner gardener, or even as someone more experienced. The thought of choosing appropriate plants for a shady spot can seem intimidating.

But in reality there are so many wonderful plants that will grow happily in shade in British gardens, and they come in many textures and sizes.

Fatsia japonica (Japanese Aralia)

Fatsia japonica is a large leaf shrub shown in the photo here. It's a species in the family Arailaceae and has dark green palmate shaped leaves. Added bonus, it flowers. It will tolerate a fairly dry shaded area and is easy to establish. There are many evergreen shrubs and small trees that may be grown successfully in shaded areas of the garden.

Pseudopanax is a fantastic family of plants from New Zealand with many leaf forms from the serrated foliage of Pseudopanax ferox to the duck foot shaped leaves of Pseudopanax lessonii ‘Moa’s Toes’.

Aspidistra are classic plants that have been grown since the Victorian times. They are hardy, will grow in moist shade (but not boggy ground). They are evergreen and upright, with dark green glossy leaves and interesting flowers produced at the base of the plant.

Begonia are a big love of mine and every UK garden should contain at least one variety, if not more, in my opinion. They come in such variety of colours and leaf shapes. Some are hardy enough for most British winters, like Begonia chitoensis, and some may need winter protection to stay looking their best like Begonia benitochiba (pictured below) with its beautiful purple foliage.

Begonia benitochiba

Another category of shade-loving plants which are easy to care for in the British climate are Ferns. From upright shuttlecock shapes like Matteuccia struthiopteris, which grows very well in a damp spot, to the bold bronze foliage of Dryopteris erythrosora which will tolerate a drier environment. Even the architectural Dicksonia antarctica that can be purchased at various heights up to 10ft; these create a wonderful canopy on the top of a stem made up of roots, this can take some time to generate here in the UK so I would recommend planning ahead and buying at the desired height for the look your trying to create.

There are also many plants for flowers as opposed to foliage like Lunaria annua 'chedglow' with its bright purple flowers and an interesting spotted leaf too or Tiarella pink skyrocket an Asian herbaceous plant, hardy and returning year after year with an abundance of pink upright flowers appearing in late spring.

As always, if you need any assistance with choosing the right shade-loving plants for your garden, feel free to contact me by email or through any of the Sow & Grow UK social media accounts.

Leah x