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The quiet tranquility of a shade garden offers a distinct contrast to gardens growing in full sun. Some plants won’t thrive in all-day sunshine, so consider how much sun each area of your garden receives throughout the day, then choose plants based on their sun/shade requirements. Here are five of the best plants and shrubs to add pizzazz to those not-so-sunny areas.

Hosta ‘Big Daddy’

The ‘Big Daddy’ hosta has huge, heart-shaped, blue-green foliage. In early summer, it will regale you with clusters of lightly fragrant, white bell-shaped flowers. This tough, elephantine hosta will keep coming back year after year, and easily tolerates drought, sand, or clay. ‘Big Daddy’ hostas are perfect for edgings, beds and borders. They also make dramatic specimen plants.

Ajuga ‘Chocolate Chip’

‘Chocolate Chip’ ajuga is a pretty ground cover that’s tougher than it looks – you can walk on it when it’s not flowering. Ajuga will grow almost anywhere, and will snuff out weeds as it grows. ‘Chocolate Chip’ ajuga gets its name from its purplish brown foliage. It grows three inches high, and sends up blue flower spikes in spring, a lovely contrast to the dark leaves.

Boston Ivy

Boston Ivy is a great vine for shade. The leaves start out bronze in the spring, turn a deep green through the summer, then blaze red and orange in the fall. Boston Ivy will grow quickly just about anywhere, and loves to climb up fences and walls, or crawl along the ground. In order to keep Boston Ivy happy, you will have to do… nothing.

Clematis ‘Jackmanii’

The ‘Jackmanii’ clematis covers itself in velvety purple flowers in early summer, and will continue flowering on and off until fall. It is not fussy about soil, and likes to have its roots in the shade. As it grows, tendrils will grasp at anything they can reach to keep it upright. ‘Jackmanii’ clematis also makes a colorful groundcover in flowerbeds and perennial gardens.

Hydrangea ‘Endless Summer’

Unlike traditional hydrangeas, ‘Endless Summer’ blooms continuously from early summer until frost, on both old and new wood, and also enjoys some shade. The flowers range in color from pink to blue depending on the acidity of the soil. There’s nothing quite as lovely as an ‘Endless Summer’ hedge, or a single specimen shrub basking in its full glory.

Learn more about Brighter Blooms Nursery here.  Brighter Blooms has recently partnered with TreesForTheFuture.org, and now plants a tree in a third-world country for each one it sells on its website.