Let’s bring balance to the botanical force with a partly shaded border plant list. These are for those “not too sunny, not too shady” spots — maybe east-facing, dappled under light tree canopy, or where sunlight filters through for just a few hours a day.

Often woodland-inspired but still vibrant and textural choose your favourites from ours.

Let’s go!

Climbers (for part shade: softening walls, fences and pergolas)

  1. Clematis ‘Nelly Moser’ – prefers its head in shade for colour retention
  2. Clematis montana ‘Elizabeth’ – pale pink, soft scent
  3. Lonicera periclymenum ‘Halliana’ – scented and shade tolerant
  4. Hydrangea anomala subsp. petiolaris – great for a cool, dappled spot
  5. Hedera colchica ‘Sulphur Heart’ – bold leaves for visual punch
  6. Rosa ‘The Pilgrim’ – pale yellow rose, likes some sun
  7. Trachelospermum jasminoides – will flower in bright partial shade
  8. Akebia quinata – exotic climber, unusual flowers
  9. Parthenocissus tricuspidata – self-clinging, great autumn colour
  10. Passiflora caerulea – copes surprisingly well in partial shade
  11. Solanum crispum ‘Glasnevin’ – purple flowers, semi-evergreen
  12. Fallopia baldschuanica – fast-growing and shade adaptable
  13. Clematis alpina ‘Frances Rivis’ – elegant and airy
  14. Rosa ‘New Dawn’ – delicate blush pink and shade tolerant
  15. Jasminum officinale ‘Clotted Cream’ – fragrant and soft in style

Shrubs (shrubs with form and presence in part shade)

  1. Skimmia japonica ‘Rubella’ – red buds, fragrant flowers
  2. Sarcococca confusa – evergreen, powerful winter scent
  3. Camellia sasanqua – early flowering, glossy leaves
  4. Choisya ternata ‘Aztec Pearl’ – more shade-tolerant than you’d think
  5. Aucuba japonica ‘Crotonifolia’ – bold leaves, takes urban shade
  6. Mahonia eurybracteata ‘Soft Caress’ – refined texture
  7. Fatsia japonica – architectural and jungle-esque
  8. Euonymus fortunei ‘Emerald Gaiety’ – climber/shrub crossover
  9. Daphne x transatlantica ‘Eternal Fragrance’ – scent and repeat flowers
  10. Ilex crenata ‘Dark Green’ – box substitute, neat and formal
  11. Cornus alba ‘Kesselringii’ – purple stems for winter zing
  12. Ribes sanguineum ‘King Edward VII’ – spring flowers, vibrant
  13. Viburnum davidii – compact and architectural
  14. Hydrangea macrophylla – colour in late summer, loves dappled light
  15. Hebe ‘Heartbreaker’ – variegated, easy and tidy

Herbaceous Perennials (for that lush, shade-dappled glow)

  1. Brunnera macrophylla ‘Jack Frost’ – that foliage though
  2. Pulmonaria ‘Opal’ – early pollinator pleaser
  3. Geranium ‘Rozanne’ – flowering machine in part shade
  4. Tiarella ‘Spring Symphony’ – frothy and textural
  5. Epimedium × perralchicum ‘Frohnleiten’ – drought-tolerant once settled
  6. Hosta ‘Halcyon’ – that cool blue tone, reliable in part sun
  7. Astrantia major ‘Roma’ – romantic and shade-flexible
  8. Alchemilla mollis – hardworking and self-sufficient
  9. Anemone x hybrida ‘Honorine Jobert’ – elegant white, autumn interest
  10. Digitalis ‘Illumination Pink’ – long flowering and sterile hybrid
  11. Heuchera ‘Marmalade’ – zingy foliage, thrives with dappled light
  12. Helleborus × hybridus ‘Double Ellen Purple’ – gothic glamour
  13. Campanula lactiflora ‘Prichard’s Variety’ – tall, airy, purple tones
  14. Ligularia ‘The Rocket’ – bold foliage, spire flowers
  15. Symphyotrichum ‘Little Carlow’ – late season lift

Bulbs (bulbs that handle a mix of sun and shade beautifully)

  1. Galanthus elwesii – early snowdrop variety
  2. Eranthis hyemalis – sunshine yellow under trees
  3. Narcissus ‘Thalia’ – delicate and shade-adaptable
  4. Scilla siberica – blue carpet potential
  5. Chionodoxa forbesii – starry spring bulbs
  6. Leucojum vernum – snowflake bulbs, soft and subtle
  7. Cyclamen coum – winter magic
  8. Cyclamen hederifolium – autumn flowerer
  9. Fritillaria meleagris – iconic checkerboard bloom
  10. Allium ‘Purple Sensation’ – still flowers well in bright partial shade
  11. Camassia quamash – tolerant of wetter, shadier sites
  12. Hyacinthoides non-scripta – classic bluebell magic
  13. Anemone nemorosa – low woodland carpet
  14. Muscari armeniacum – versatile and charming
  15. Tulipa tarda – low, multi-headed, works well under shrubs

Grasses (that glow in partial shade and add elegance)

  1. Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’ – steals the show
  2. Luzula nivea – soft evergreen
  3. Carex morrowii ‘Ice Dance’ – bright variegation
  4. Deschampsia cespitosa ‘Goldtau’ – graceful seed heads
  5. Anemanthele lessoniana – multi-tonal and softly arching
  6. Sesleria nitida – neat mound and silvery tones
  7. Millium effusum ‘Aureum’ – zingy spring colour
  8. Ophiopogon planiscapus ‘Nigrescens’ – great contrast plant
  9. Briza media ‘Limouzi’ – subtle movement
  10. Melica uniflora f. albida – woodland feel
  11. Panicum virgatum ‘Rotstrahlbusch’ – does well with some sun
  12. Carex elata ‘Aurea’ – sunny yellow for shade
  13. Festuca mairei – upright form, glows in low light
  14. Calamagrostis brachytricha – more shade-tolerant than most
  15. Stipa arundinacea (now Anemanthele) – warm hues and graceful movement

Ferns (ferns made for the dappled, dreamy border)

This is their natural home, so let’s go wild.

  1. Dryopteris wallichiana – dramatic and statuesque
  2. Athyrium niponicum var. pictum – painted fern, colour contrast
  3. Asplenium trichomanes – dainty but tough
  4. Dryopteris affinis ‘Cristata The King’ – upright and noble
  5. Polystichum setiferum – classic texture
  6. Blechnum spicant – dark green and neat
  7. Polypodium vulgare – native, adaptable
  8. Onoclea sensibilis – elegant and lacy
  9. Matteuccia struthiopteris – big, bold, and prehistoric
  10. Cyrtomium fortunei – holly fern, a structural gem
  11. Thelypteris palustris – loves moist soils
  12. Woodwardia radicans – dramatic fronds
  13. Osmunda regalis ‘Purpurascens’ – stately and a little showy
  14. Adiantum venustum – delicate but surprisingly resilient
  15. Athyrium filix-femina – the reliable lady fern