There are plenty of sun lovers, but shade-tolerant flowers are rare. Your local nursery will probably recommend hostas and ferns. But what about flowers?

Most shade-tolerant flowers actually prefer part shade. Very few plants can survive in full shade. A few hours of morning sun is ideal. Sunlight filtering through the leaves of deciduous trees is fine.

Other factors to consider are soil quality and water. Most shade-tolerant flowers enjoy rich, moist soil. Only a few will survive in poor, dry soil. You may have to experiment to see which plants will work in your garden. Here's a list of the best shade-tolerant flowers from seed.

Shade-Tolerant Annual Seeds

Balsam 'Camellia Flowered Mix' - Wonderful, self-sowing annual for shade.

Blue Woodruff - Tufts of lavender-blue flowers in spring. Self-sowing annual.

Chinese Forget-Me-Not - Chinese Forget-Me-Not. Indigo-blue or lavender flowers.

Lavatera - Bushy annual with saucer-shaped flowers in shades of pink and white.

Monarda citriodora - Lavender-pink flowers for hummingbirds and butterflies.

Nemophila - Self-sowing, annual wildflower that tolerates shade. Makes a great bulb cover. Easy to grow from seed.

Nicotiana - Trumpet-shaped flowers in shades of pink, purple, lavender, crimson and white. Some varieties are fragrant. Lovely in the shade.

Phlox - Pink, red, rose, magenta, white and bicolor flowers. Easy to grow from seed.

Viola - One of my favorite flowers for shade. It starts blooming very early in spring and continues long into summer. Annual or short-lived perennial.

Shade-Tolerant Perennial Seeds

Aquilegia (Columbine) - Spring-blooming perennial in a wide range of colors.

Campanula (Bellflower) - Blue, pink or white bell-shaped flowers. Perennials and biennials for part shade to full sun.

Centranthus ruber - Long-blooming perennial with reddish-pink or white flowers that attract hummingbirds and butterflies.

Cheiranthus allionii - Bright orange flowers in late spring. Nice with tulips. Easy to grow from seed.

Digitalis (Foxglove) - Shade-tolerant flowers in a range of colors and heights.

Dracocephalum ruyschiana - Rare, shade-tolerant perennial with blue flowers.

Echinacea (Purple Coneflower) - Mauve or white flowers with drooping petals.

Feverfew - Small, white, daisy-like flowers. Shade-tolerant filler.

Forget-Me-Not - Spring-blooming groundcover with blue flowers. Perfect for shade.

Hesperis matronalis - Violet or white flowers on tall stems in early summer.

Lilium - Lilies are the showiest shade-tolerant flowers that I know of. Did you know that you can grow your own species and trumpet lilies from seed?

Lunaria - Fragrant, purple or white flowers followed by ornamental seed pods.

Lupine - Dense spikes of flowers in a wide range of colors.

Lychnis - Scarlet-red, salmon-pink, bright pink or white flowers on tall stems. Some varieties attract hummingbirds.

Penstemon calycosus - Light purple flowers that tolerate part shade, which is unusual for a penstemon.

Platycodon grandiflorus - Blue, pink or white balloon flowers in late summer. Long-lived perennial.

Rudbeckia - Native perennial. Daisy-like flowers with dark centers. Blooms in shades of yellow, gold, orange and mahogany-red.

Ruta graveolens - Blue-green foliage and greenish-yellow flowers for shade.

Sidalcea malviflora - Small, pink, hollyhock-like flowers on tall stems.

Verbena bonariensis - Clusters of rosy-purple flowers that bloom the first year from seed.

Recommended Books

The Complete Flower Gardener by Karan Davis Cutler