Annuals for Shade

Certain annuals can be used to add a splash of colour to the shady areas of your landscape. This can be done by planting directly in flower beds or by placing containers in shady corners of your yard.

Shade Tolerant Annuals Include:

· Impatiens –The most commonly used shade annual. Come in a wide variety of colours to compliment any colour scheme in the garden.

· Begonia –An often waxy looking plant, coming in a variety of flower colours and styles with foliage that can be equally colorful and attractive. Certain begonias are also sun tolerant.

· Coleus – An annual often grown for its colourful foliage. The colours range from red, pink, burgundy, yellow and many variegated combinations. It can be used to add a bit of height to the plant mixture.

· Lobelia – A low growing shade tolerant annual with small blooms in blue, white, or purple.

· Torenia – Also called “wishbone flower”, a low spreading annual that prefers semi shade and rich moist soil. Flowers come in blue or white.

· Fuchsia – A favorite for its drooping bell like and tubular flowers coming in a variety of colours. Also loved by hummingbirds.

· Nemesia – Another annual that can tolerate light shade. It comes in a variety of colours on a small bushy plant.

· Streptocarpella – An interesting plant that does best in the shade. It has thick succulent leaves and stems with soft airy purple flowers.

Trailing and greenery plants for the shade include lamium, ivy, asparagus fern, vinca, German ivy, and ferns.

Care for shade annuals. Shade annuals prefer 3-6 hours of sunlight per day – preferably in the morning or late afternoon. Most shade annuals require a richer soil that has above average water retention.

They will benefit from regular watering depending on the weather, as they do not like their soil drying out completely. Fertilizing should be done approximately every 2 weeks with Miracle Gro Ultra Bloom®.

In addition to the above, many other sun loving annuals also tolerate light shade. These include: alyssum, flowering tobacco, nasturtium, pansy, dianthus, and salvia.