Don’t be discouraged by your shady yard. Just plant the appropriate varieties and the shadows will come to live. Bleeding Heart is an old fashioned spring favorites. Known for it’s strings of lovely pendant flowers. It is available with white blooms as well as pink. This woodland plant is perfectly suited to growth underneath trees. It doesn’t tolerate heat and is often dormant by mid summer. Hosta is the best known shade perennial. There are literally hundreds of varieties, varying from tiny to giants three or more feet wide. With foliage in a huge range of colors and patterns. The foliage is the main feature of Hostas. But many bloom with pretty white to lavender flowers. Hardy to zone three, Hostas grow almost anywhere. Heuchera, or Coral bells, is a trendy plant. Available in a dazzling range of leaf colors. Some tolerate sun well, but most do best in some shade. Brunnera is less known, but a very worthwhile perennial for shade. The silvery gray, heart shaped leaves and delicate blooms, bring light to the shadows. It’s a low grower, so plant it near the edge of shade border. Solomon’s Seal is an upright grower, emerging from the ground, a single stalk at a time. The delicate, distinct form is a charmer in spring garden. Ferns are a staple for shade. This large group ranges from small dainty specimens to robust giants. One of our favorites is a Japanese painted fern. Ostrich fern is another staple for the landscape. Japanese Forestgrass is one of the few shaped tolerant grasses. Its chartreuse color brings light to dark areas. And lovely texture to mixed borders. [MUSIC]
SOURCE:http://www.bhg.com/gardening/flowers/perennials/top-shade-perennials/