Plants for partial shade with autumn interest

Plenty of plants, of a variety of shapes, sizes and colours, thrive in shade, and it’s perfectly possible to create a full and attractive border even in these sometimes challenging conditions

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<i>Viburnum opulus</i> autumn colour
Viburnum opulus autumn colour

Quick facts

  • There are many plants that can provide autumn interest in shade
  • Some shade plants can also provide late season wildlife value
  • Providing some autumn interest helps to extend a border’s impact through seasons

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The planting plan

James Lawrence, RHS Principal Horticultural Advisor, has designed this simple, attractive, and most importantly, sustainable border design for you to try at home with plants that are easy to grow, widely available and look good together.

This planting scheme provides a range of plants that will thrive in shady locations, with extra interest in the autumn. A simple planting plan helps to create depth, interest and good coverage in a border.

Plants for autumn interest in shade

© James Lawrence

Choosing shade plants for autumn interest

Fatsia provides year-round structural interest with its large evergreen leaves. Berries on the Viburnum and Podocarpus brighten up autumn. The Bistorta and Podocarpus provide some groundcover, which will help prevent erosion of bare soil. Keeping the ground covered with plants can also help to reduce moisture evaporation from the soil surface and suppress weed growth. 

While waiting for the plants to fill out, an organic mulch, preferably homemade compost, will help in the same way. Mulches should be spread when the soil is already moist to help trap some of that moisture before it dries out in summer. 

Some of these plants will also attract vital pollinators to your garden.

1 - Hydrangea paniculata ‘Limelight’
2 - Fatsia japonica
3 - Viburnum opulus ‘Compactum’ 
4 - Anemone x hybrida ‘September Charm’ 
5 - Podocarpus chilinus ‘Country Park Fire’ 
6 - Bistorta affinis ‘Donald Lowndes’ 
1 - Hydrangea paniculata ‘Limelight’ is a deciduous shrub with flowers that open entirely green at first, turning pale lime green and later fading to white. A slight pink flush in places gradually deepens to give a pink and green colour mix at maturity.

2 - Fatsia japonica is an open, spreading evergreen shrub, with large, glossy, lobed leaves and small white flowers held in round clusters in autumn, followed by small black berries. 

3 - Viburnum opulus ‘Compactum’ is a deciduous shrub with green leaves turning purple-pink in autumn. In early summer, flat heads of small fertile flowers are surrounded by cream-white sterile ones, and are followed by bright red berries in autumn.

4 - Anemone x hybrida ‘September Charm’ is a semi-evergreen herbaceous perennial with divided leaves. It has slightly cupped, light rose-pink flowers, held on strong upright stems in late summer and autumn.

5 - Podocarpus ‘County Park Fire’ is a low-growing conifer with year-round interest. Creamy-yellow leaves appear from red shoots in the spring. These change to pink, green then bronze as the year progresses. Inconspicuous flowers in the summer are followed by bright red fruit.

6 - Bistorta affinis ‘Donald Lowndes’ is a semi-evergreen perennial, forming a dark green carpet of leaves with spikes of small pink flowers rising above the foliage in summer and autumn, which darken with age, finally turning orange-brown. 

About partial shade

Partial shade can be common near mature trees, garden structures such as sheds, or buildings or walls. Choosing plants that are adapted to partial shade will keep your border looking good and growing well. Once the plants are established, this will will reduce the need for additional resources such as watering and fertilisers.

A simple planting plan helps create depth, interest and good coverage in a border.
 

The challenge of growing in partial shade

Low light levels make it harder for plants to grow and develop, unless those plants are naturally adapted to reduced light. Plants that are not adapted to shade can be paler, stunted, lacking in flower or fruit and more prone to failure. Even plants that naturally prefer shade may need careful monitoring and watering during their first spring and summer to get them well established. 
 

Why choose a sustainable planting combination?

Using the ethos of ‘right plant, right place’ to create a sustainable planting combination is great for the environment. It helps to avoid waste and the use of products and practices needed to try and help ailing plants, such as applying fertiliser. It also creates robust, long-lived planting that benefits soil health and garden biodiversity.

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