Got shade? Consider yourself fortunate. After all, when you garden in the shade you not only stay cooler -- you get to enjoy some truly great plants as well. Here’s a look at some of my favorites -- primarily perennials -- all of which can handle a few hours of morning sun but need shade beyond that, or dappled light throughout the day, such as you’d find beneath large trees. 

They also need (or at least prefer) rich soil that drains well but retains moisture. In other words, try not to let the soil dry out for more than a couple of days.

If you’ve got a really wet area in the shade, Acorus is ideal. It’ll even grow in standing water up to 4” deep. Its grasslike leaves form dense clumps, and it’s semi-evergreen in all but the worst winters. It’s also fast growing -- to just under 12” -- and tough as can be.

This is one cool plant. With a little morning sun its leaves will be yellow, whereas in deep shade they’ll be chartreuse to lime green. It’ll get roughly 3’ tall and wide. White flowers appear in summer, followed by dark purple berries.

I wrote about Astilbe a few weeks ago when highlighting long-lived perennials, and it’s back on this list because it’s fantastic for the shade garden. Its colorful, feathery plumes (available in several colors) rise above its fern-like foliage.

Hostas are the quintessential perennial for shade, and the incredibly vast number of sizes, shapes, and colors makes them a must-have plant. And while they’re prized for their foliage, their sweetly scented flowers are prized by hummingbirds.

Ferns define shade gardening, and no shade garden would be complete without them. There are several to choose from, but the Autumn fern has always been my go-to. In the right conditions it can grow to just over 2’ tall, and in mild winters it’s actually evergreen.

Better known as Coral Bells, they too come in a variety of colors, from dark purple to lime green, and they produce elongated stems topped by beautiful, dainty, bell-shaped flowers. But what I like most about them are the leaves, whether patterned, ruffled, wavy, or smooth.

I’ve praised Hellebores a number of times in the past, and they deserve mention again here for their beauty, toughness, and ability to flower even when covered in snow. I’ve recommended this shade lover to lots of folks over the years, and they’ve praised them too.

Here’s another great grass for shade, one that’s solid green, grows to about two-feet tall in a very upright, narrow form and produces seed heads that look just like oats. It’s a fast grower and birds love the seeds, which they may “deposit” elsewhere in your garden.

My favorite grass for shade, you’ll love the softness of its gracefully arching leaves that sway in the gentlest breeze. It can spread ever so slowly over the years but it’s not even remotely invasive. Needs consistent moisture to prevent leaves from scorching.

This is hands down one of my favorite perennials for shade, in large part because it flowers in the fall when many of its neighbors have begun to wind down. And speaking of flowers, its common name is Japanese Toad Lily, and one look at its unusual blooms makes it apparent why.

If you need to cover a lot of ground in the shade, choose from among these go-to groundcovers, most of which are available by the flat. The closer you space them, the faster you’ll achieve coverage. And by the way, a few hours of morning sun is okay.

There are plenty of great annuals for shade, and they stand up well to heat and humidity. I particularly like Caladiums and Coleus, but in recent years I’ve been extremely impressed by the many hybrids of Torenia, whose flowers are awesome and available in several colors. 

I know lots of folks who believe gardening basically stops in the heat of summer. But that’s simply not the case. It may slow down a bit (as I do), but there’s still plenty of important stuff to do and even plant.