
Native Perennials: Shade Tolerant
The plants on this page are perennials or self-seeding annuals native to Western Washington, and can tolerate at least some shade. We grow our plants on our Vashon forest property. So we specialize in plants that can handle the shade. Take a look.
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Brewer's Mitrewort
Brewer’s Mitrewort (Mitella breweri) Low growing mat-forming groundcover with sweet flowers in spring. Shade. https://www.pnwflowers.com/flower/mitella-breweri
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Coltsfoot
Coltsfoot (Petasites frigidus var. palmatus) Deer resistant. Deep shade or full sun as long as there is sufficient moisture. The flat-topped white to pink flowers are quite attractive to people and beneficials insects and pollinators. https://www.pnwflowers.com/flower/petasites-frigidus
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Dagger Leaf Rush
Dagger-Leaf Rush (Juncus ensifolius) Grows in large upright clumps. Full sun to partial shade, moist to wet soil (do not plant in standing water). https://www.wnps.org/native-plant-directory/400:juncus-ensifolius
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Deer Fern
Deer Fern (Blechnum spicant). 8-30 inches tall. Smaller and more compact than a sword fern, great for smaller spaces. http://nativeplantspnw.com/deer-fern-blechnum-spicant/
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False Lily of the Valley
False lily of the valley (Maianthemum dilatatum) (aka snakeberry, two-leaved Solomon's seal) – Fabulous low growing groundcover for shady areas. https://www.pnwflowers.com/flower/maianthemum-dilatatum
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Foamflower
Foamflower, aka Three-Leaved Foamflower (Tiarella trifoliata) https://www.pnwflowers.com/flower/tiarella-trifoliata Blooms all summer.
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Fringe Cup
Fringe Cup (Tellima grandiflora) Full to part shade, evergreen in mild winters, interesting small flowers on 1-2 ft stalks. Forms lovely clumps of green foliage. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tellima
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Goatsbeard
Goatsbeard (Aruncus dioicus) Beautiful in spring, and in summer tall, feathery plumes composed of tiny, creamy-white flowers rise above the foliage. Flowers are very attractive to insects. https://realgardensgrownatives.com/?p=2100
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Great False Solomon’s Seal
Great False Solomon’s Seal (Maianthemum racemosum) 2-3 ft tall , with starry flowers followed by berries. The arching leaves look good all summer. Likes moist woods, streambanks, and open rocky hillsides. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maianthemum_racemosum
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Inside-Out Flower
Inside-out flower (Vancouveria hexandra). 6-16 inches tall. Beautiful delicate foliage, unusual flowers beloved of bumblebees. Shade and drought tolerant. Can spread to form a groundcover. http://biology.burke.washington.edu/herbarium/imagecollection/taxon.php?Taxon=Vancouveria%20hexandra
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Lady Fern
Lady Fern (Athyrium filix-femina) Especially beautiful in spring, because all its leaves are new every year. Shade and moisture. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athyrium_filix-femina
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Littleleaf Miner's Lettuce
Littleleaf Miner’s Lettuce (Montia parviflora) Edible. Grows in West Side forest, in wet mosses along streams, in wet rocks from beach to alpine areas, sometimes in large patches. White or Pink flowers. https://www.pnwflowers.com/flower/montia-parvifolia
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Maidenhair Fern
Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum aleuticum) Considered by many the most beautiful fern. Shade and moist soil. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adiantum_aleuticum
A similar fern is Adiantum pedatum. But that one is native to the Eastern US. -
Miner's Lettuce
Miner’s Lettuce , Elegant Miner’s Lettuce (Claytonia perfoliata) The more beautiful of the miner’s lettuce we can grow. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claytonia_perfoliata
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Native Mint
Native Mint (Mentha arvensis). One of the few native mints. Likes sun to part shade and moist soil. Has red stems when grown in more sun. This is our beautifully fragrant native wild mint, a plant that naturally occurs in ever-damp soils, such as mountain streambanks, poorly drained meadows, and even around coastal wetlands.
This mint spreads by underground rhizomes, but not aggressively like its exotic relatives, never becoming a weedy menace. The long-lasting nectar-rich flowers, make it a great little bee plant, and the strong/sweet smell of the foliage make it a neat addition to herb gardens. https://www.pnwflowers.com/flower/mentha-arvensis
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Pacific Oak Fern
Pacific Oak Fern (Gymnocarpium disjunctum) shady, moist woods, streambanks and wet cliffs. Stays small. http://nativeplantspnw.com/pacific-oak-fern-gymnocarpium-disjunctum/
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Pacific Bleeding Heart
Pacific Bleeding Heart (Dicentra formosa) (Pain relief medicinal) Wonderful groundcover for shady areas. Can bloom all summer if kept moist. Or will die back and return in the spring if dry. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dicentra_formosa
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Piggy-back Plant
Piggy-back Plant (Tolmiea menziesii). Can be grown as a house plant. https://biology.burke.washington.edu/herbarium/imagecollection/taxon.php?Taxon=Tolmiea%20menziesii
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Pink Fawn Lily
Pink Fawn Lily (Erythronium revolutum) https://biology.burke.washington.edu/herbarium/imagecollection/taxon.php?Taxon=Erythronium%20revolutum
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Redwood Sorrel
Redwood Sorrel (Oxalis oregana) 2 to 6 inches tall. Dry or moist part or full shade. Both white and pink-flowered varieties. Grows surprisingly well under evergreen trees, especially cedar trees. Lovely solid groundcover for shade. Edible leaves and flowers – great for salads. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxalis_oregana
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Scouler's Corydalis
Scouler's Corydalis (Corydalis scouleri) Foliage like our native bleeding heart, but taller, the light pink flowers are more like long skinny snapdragons with long spurs pointing upward held on a flower spike. Part shade. https://www.pnwflowers.com/flower/corydalis-scouleri
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Self-Heal
Self-Heal (Prunella vulgaris). If you love bumblebees, you’ll love self-heal. Sun or part shade, a groundcover you can walk on, wet or dry soil. https://www.pnwflowers.com/flower/prunella-vulgaris https://sparrowhawknativeplants.com/products/common-self-heal
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Silverweed
Silverweed (Potentilla anserina is correct Latin name.) Groundcover that likes moist areas and sun. The roots were used as food by nearly all of the coastal Native American tribes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argentina_pacifica
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Small-Flowered Alumroot
Small-Flowered Alumroot (Heuchera micrantha) This ornamental perennial is perfect for the shade garden. It has leaves that persist all year. When blooming, the tiny white flowers form a mist of flowers that brighten any woodland garden. https://www.pnwflowers.com/flower/heuchera-micrantha
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Smith’s Fairy Bells
Smith’s Fairy Bells (Prosartes smithii, aka Disporum smithii) Late in summer large conspicuous bright orange-red berries dangle from the tips. 1 ft tall, part shade, drought tolerant once established. https://www.greatplantpicks.org/plantlists/view/538
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Spreading Wood Fern
Spreading Wood Fern (Dryopteris expansa). To 3 ft. Grows in moist forests, streambanks, easy to grow. https://nativeplantspnw.com/spreading-wood-fern-dryopteris-expansa/
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Starflower
Starflower (Lysimachia latifolia , formerly Trientalis borealis) Delicate forest perennial 4 to 6 inches tall. Flowers April to July. Both the leaves and the flowers are star-shaped, which adds to its charm. Drought tolerant once established. Partial shade.
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Star-flowered Solomon’s Seal
Star-flowered Solomon’s Seal (Maianthemum stellatum) Mostly sunny to full shade. 8-24 inches tall. https://www.wnps.org/native-plant-directory/162:maianthemum-stellatum
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Sword Fern
Sword Fern (Polystichum munitum) 2 ft to 5ft tall. Classic Pacific Northwest fern. Moist sun to dry shade. Holds slopes. Evergreen. What’s not to like? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polystichum_munitum
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Trillium albidum ssp. Parviflorum
Trillium albidum ssp. Parviflorum. Synonyms: Trillium chloropetalum, Trillium parviflorum, Small-flowered Trillium. Rare. Part to full shade. Spring ephemeral (comes up early, dies down by mid summer) https://garden.org/plants/view/206497/Smallflower-Wakerobin-Trillium-albidum-subsp-parviflorum/
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Vanilla Leaf
Vanilla Leaf (Achlys triphylla) Around 8 inches tall, its dried leaves smell like vanilla. Vanilla Leaf prefers shaded, moist sites with high soil organic matter. Once established it is considered drought tolerant. Can form dense ground cover in a shady garden. https://biology.burke.washington.edu/herbarium/imagecollection/taxon.php?Taxon=Achlys%20triphylla
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Viola adunca
Viola adunca - Early Blue Violet. Pale to deep violet flowers with a white patch, purple veins at the base of lower 3 petals. Sun to shade. Fragrant. Edible. Great for pollinators. Moist to dry soil. https://sparrowhawknativeplants.com/products/early-blue-violet
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Viola palustris
Viola palustris – Marsh or Blue Runner Violet. Forms runners to next plants. Flowers lilac to white. Likes cold damp areas in understory. https://woodbrooknativeplantnursery.com/plant/viola-palustris/
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Western Columbine
Western Columbine (Aquilegia Formosa) Stunning red and yellow flowers, favored of hummingbirds. It grows in sun to shade, rocky to woodland, moist to dry.
https://biology.burke.washington.edu/herbarium/imagecollection/taxon.php?Taxon=Aquilegia%20formosa
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Western Trillium
Western Trillium (Trillium ovatum) Height: Around 12 inches. Sun: shade to partly shaded. Moisture: moist woodland gardens, or even just moist (but well drained) areas on the north or east side of houses. Soil: rich in organic matter and slightly acidic (pH 5.0 to 6.5). Often dies down in mid summer, unless it is given extra water. https://realgardensgrownatives.com/?p=2735
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Wild ginger
Wild ginger (Asarum caudatum) This evergreen native groundcover (around 4-6 inches tall) with lovely heart-shaped leaves loves shade, and spreads via rhizomes to make a solid carpet of loveliness. https://www.pnwflowers.com/flower/asarum-caudatum
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Woodland Strawberry
Woodland Strawberry (Fragaria vesca ). Grows in partly shaded woods. Edible berries. 2-4 inches tall. Drought tolerant once established. https://www.pnwflowers.com/flower/fragaria-vesca
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Yellow Glacier Lily
Yellow Glacier Lily (Erythronium grandiflorum) Incredibly beautiful, early spring bloomer, then it dies down until next year. Deer might eat the flowers. Part or full sun. https://biology.burke.washington.edu/herbarium/imagecollection/taxon.php?Taxon=Erythronium%20grandiflorum
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Yellow Stream Violet
Yellow Stream Violet (Viola glabella) Early spring bloomer, bright yellow flowers. It prefers moist, well-drained soil and can grow in part shade. Dies down in summer, and returns the following spring. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viola_glabella
