Native Shrubs For Shade
Many native shrubs thrive in shaded conditions, providing beauty, wildlife value and structure to the garden. From lush foliage to seasonal blooms and berries, these native shrubs are perfect for woodland gardens, understory plantings, privacy screens and shaded borders.
Top Shade Tolerant Native Shrubs
Alternate-leaf Dogwood (Cornus alternifolia)
Growing Conditions: Sun to full shade, most soil types, average moisture. Prefers deep, rich soils. Forests, forest edges, streambanks.
Alternate-leaf Dogwood is a stunning native shrub or small tree valued for its attractive form and high wildlife value.
It grows slowly to 8-10 meters tall with dark green leaves and clusters of creamy white flowers in late spring. These flowers are a hit with a variety of butterflies and solitary native bees. An ideal structural plant for for shady understory plantings or forest edges. Tolerates full sun if soil is consistently moist. Flowers mature into vibrant dark-blue berries borne on red stems, adding standout aesthetic value to the native garden while feeding local birds. In the fall, its leaves takes on rich burgundy hues.
Easy to grow. Pruning is not generally required and can actually be harmful to its pagoda-like form. May sucker in ideal conditions. Grows well under Norway Maples.
Silky Dogwood (Cornus amomum)
Growing Conditions: Sun to part shade, moist, well-drained, organically rich soils. Lowland areas, borders of wetlands, edges of ponds & streams.
Silky Dogwood is a hardy native shrub, ideal for moist shade gardens or naturalized areas near water.
Growing 1.8m - 3.6m feet tall, its open, rounded form features dark green, silky-hairy leaves and purplish-brown twigs. Clusters of creamy-white flowers bloom in late spring and attract a variety of beneficial insects and pollinators. Flowers are followed by vibrant blue, jewel-like drupes in late summer that attract a wide variety of birds. These berries provide stunning contrast to the verdant foliage. Thriving in partial shade, this shrub is perfect for wetlands, streambanks, rain gardens or erosion control.
It tends to sucker in ideal conditions so give it some space, but is easy to grow and low maintenance otherwise.
Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida)
Growing Conditions: Sun to part shade, moist, organically rich soils. Thickets, streambanks, woodlands.
Flowering Dogwood is a small flowering tree that is renowned for its multi-season beauty and ecological value.
Growing 4.5 - 9 meters tall, this understory tree is easy to grow in partly-shaded gardens with moist, organically rich soil.
Its signature feature is its exuberant display of relatively large, creamy-white bracts surrounding tiny yellow-green flowers. They support native pollinators such as solitary bees, beetles and some flies. These are followed by bright red berries that not only look great but feed backyard birds through the fall.
Its dark green leaves turn to vivid shades of red in the fall.
Gray Dogwood (Cornus racemosa)
Growing Conditions: Sun to part shade, most well-drained soils, moist or dry. Thickets, shaded river banks, woodland edges.
Gray Dogwood is a tough and adaptable native shrub, bringing beauty and wildlife value to shaded gardens.
It reaches up to 4.5meters high and features bold, dark-green leaves. Its creamy-white flower clusters bloom in late spring and support a diversity of pollinators. By late summer, the flowers have matured into clusters of white berries borne on red stems. These berries are not only highly ornamental in the garden but they attract hungry birds who eat them up in no time. The leaves turn reddish-purple in the fall to extend seasonal interest.
Gray Dogwood is easy to grow but does like to sucker, forming dense thickets. This is a great asset for erosion control or for quickly filling in large areas quickly with habitat for birds.
American Hazelnut (Corylus americana)
Growing Conditions: Sun to shade, moist, organically rich soils. Adaptable. Thickets, woodlands and forest edges.
American Hazelnut is a wildlife superstar, thriving in a variety of soil and light conditions, making it versatile for residential landscapes and naturalized settings alike.
It is a fast-growing, multi-stemmed deciduous shrub, reaching 2.5–5 meters tall. In early spring, showy yellow-brown male catkins and inconspicuous red female flowers appear long before the bold green leaves appear. Flowers are followed by edible nuts encased in decorative husks, loved by birds, squirrels, and other wildlife.
Its dense growth makes for an excellent privacy screen while creating cover for animals. The leaves host caterpillars of over 124 moth and butterfly species. Fall foliage varies from vibrant orange and red to yellow-green, offering stunning seasonal interest.
Very easy to grow but does like to sucker so keep this in mind when choosing its location. Can be pruned to keep smaller. Takes on a more open form in the shade.
Beaked Hazelnut (Corylus cornuta)
Growing Conditions: Sun to shade, organically rich, well-drained acidic soils. Does not like clay soil. Thickets, woodlands and forest edges.
Beaked Hazelnut is a small, deciduous shrub, 1.2–2.4 meters tall, native to North America’s woodlands, thickets, and stream edges but works very well in a natural garden setting too.
Its name derives from the unique husks enclosing its edible nuts, which feature a long, beak-like extension. Blooming in early spring, it produces showy, pale yellow-gray male catkins and inconspicuous red female flowers. Nuts ripen in late summer, providing a valuable food source for squirrels and other wildlife. The leaves host caterpillars of over 124 moth and butterfly species.
Thriving in acidic, well-drained soil with full sun to partial shade, it forms thickets if suckers are not controlled.
Ideal for naturalized settings, hedges, or wildlife gardens. Grows in shade but with a more open form compared to sun-grown plants. Extremely cold hardy.
Bush Honeysuckle (Diervilla lonicera)
Growing Conditions: Sun to shade, moist or dry, most soil types including rocky or shallow soil. Woodland edges, dry woods, sandy sites.
Bush Honeysuckle is a compact and adaptable shrub that is ideal for naturalized and formal gardens alike. It adapts readily to shady gardens.
It grows 0.9-1.2m high and has a mounding, suckering habit. Its pale yellow trumpet-shaped flowers bloom from late spring to midsummer, transitioning to orange or red, and attract pollinators like bumblebees, sweat bees, and hummingbirds. Glossy green foliage turns vibrant red, orange, and yellow in fall, adding seasonal interest.
Easy to grow and very forgiving. Low maintenance but suckering may need to be controlled occasionally.
Eastern Leatherwood (Dirca palustris)
Growing Conditions: Shade to part shade, organically rich, consistently moist, acidic soils. Forests, wooded slopes, shaded streambanks.
Leatherwood is a long-lived and slow growing understory tree with an attractive form and early blooms.
It grows about 1.2 - 1.8m tall. In early spring, leatherwood produces pale yellow, bell-shaped flowers on bare branches, among the first blooms of the season. Its smooth green foliage and interesting texture to the garden and matures to a pleasant yellow in fall. Small green drupes follow the flowers in summer and are eaten by birds.
Easy to grow in the right conditions but often hard to source. Slow-growing so be patient.
Witchhazel (Hamamelis virginiana)
Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade, moist, acidic, organically rich, well-drained soils. Woodlands, forest margins, and along stream banks
Witch hazel is a deciduous shrub or small tree, noted for its unique bloom time and dense canopy which offers privacy screening and wildlife habitat.
Typically growing 4.5 to 6 meters tall, witch hazel is prized for its bright yellow, crinkly flowers that bloom in fall, usually after leaf drop, and can last from October to December. The plant is known for its unique ability to display both flowers and fruits simultaneously, with its seed capsules splitting open the following fall to launch seeds up to 9 meters away.
In fall, witch hazel's medium to dark green leaves turn vibrant yellow, adding seasonal interest. The best flowering occurring in sun. Witch hazel serves as a host plant for the Witch hazel dagger moth larvae.
Spicebush (Lindera benzoin)
Growing Conditions: Shade to part sun, organically rich, consistently moist soils. Tolerates rocky soil and dry conditions. Forests and forest edges.
Spicebush is valued in wild and cultivated landscapes alike for its ability to feed humans and wildlife while looking good.
It reaches about 3.6 meters high, even in shade, making it a great architectural plant. Occasional flooding or drought is tolerated.
In early spring, small greenish-yellow, aromatic flowers bloom along the branches before the leaves appear. Female flowers give way to bright red drupes, which mature in fall and are highly attractive to birds due to their high fat content. Note that they require a male pollinator for fruit set.
The leaves release a spicy fragrance when crushed and turn a striking yellow in autumn. It is the host plant for the spicebush swallowtail butterfly caterpillar.
Overall, an easy to grow, low maintenance shrub for shady gardens. It may sucker in ideal conditions but typically doesn’t require pruning otherwise.
Fly Honeysuckle (Lonicera canadensis)
Growing Conditions: Sun to shade, most soil types. Prefers organically rich soils. Needs moist but well-drained soil. Forests, forest edges.
Fly Honeysuckle is a compact, multi-stemmed shrub, typically reaching no more than 1.8meters tall. It is valued for effortlessly bringing beauty of the wild to woodland gardens.
produces bell-shaped, tubular yellow flowers, which sometimes have a hint of purple, attracting hummingbirds and bees with their nectar in late spring. These flowers are followed by bright red, paired berries that ripen in late summer, providing an important food source for songbirds.
Although it is a multi-stemmed shrub, it can also take on a vine-like appearance in some settings.
Grows well in the understory of conifers such as cedars. Ideal for formal or naturalized gardens.
Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana)
Growing Conditions: Sun to shade, easily grown in most well-drained soils in dry to medium conditions.
Chokecherry is a fast-growing, thicket-forming shrub with high wildlife value, growing to about 6-9m tall.
In spring it produces highly ornamental, fragrant clusters of white flowers that attract pollinators from far and wide. These flowers mature into clusters of dark purple, pea-sized berries that ripen by late summer. Though the fruits are astringent and unpleasant to eat raw, they can be processed into jellies, jams, and sauces, and are highly attractive to birds and other wildlife.
The leaves of Chokecherry is a host plant for 416 species of butterfly and moth.
Grows well in shade but might not fruit very well. Suckering may be a problem in ideal conditions but this is a low maintenance and highly adaptable shrub otherwise.
Black Currant (Ribes americanum)
Growing Conditions: Part sun to shade, consistently moist, organically rich soils. Woodlands, woodland edges, swamps, streambanks.
Black Currant is a densely branched understory shrub that thrives in moist shady gardens.
It will grow to about 2m in height and has a spreading form with attractive maple-like leaves. It features clusters of bell-shaped, creamy white to yellow flowers in early summer which are popular with bumblebees and other pollinators. The flowers are followed by small, round, dark purple berries that are edible and often used for jams, jellies, and wine-making. They are also a popular food source for wildlife such as birds.
The deeply veined, maple-like leaves add great texture and take on rich hues of burgundy and red in the fall.
This shrub maintains a clumping form and will not sucker. Responds well to pruning and is very low maintenance overall.
Flowering Raspberry (Rubus odoratus)
Growing Conditions: Sun to part shade, average to dry soils, most soil types except clay. Tolerates shallow, rocky soil. Forests, forest edges and glades.
Flowering Raspberry is a care-free, suckering shrub with high wildlife and ornamental value.
It tops out at around 2m tall and about 4m wide, making it a good choice for filling in large areas. Its showy, rose-purple, fragrant flowers, bloom throughout summer and attract pollinators, especially bumblebees. The medium green, maple-like leaves grow quite large, adding a bold texture to the garden.
This shrub has hairy, cane-like stems and virtually no prickles, making it more user-friendly than many other brambles. The flowers give way to flattened red raspberries, about 2 centimeters in diameter. They are edible for humans and wildlife alike.
The hollow stems provide nesting opportunities for solitary bees. This shrub is highly adaptable to both sun and shade although it will have a slightly more leggy or open form in shade, but will still flower well. It is best pruned in late winter but this isn’t always necessary.
Red Elderberry (Sambucus racemosa)
Growing Conditions: Sun to part shade, moist to average, well-draining soils. Prefers abundant organic matter but also tolerates rocky soil. Forests, forest edges, shaded bottomlands.
Red Elderberry livens up shady gardens with its creamy white flowers and bright red berries. It grows to about 3.5m tall with an open form.
One of the earliest shrubs to bloom, Red Elderberry shows off with dome-shaped clusters of tiny, fragrant, white flowers that support a diversity of native pollinators. Flowers mature into clusters of bright red berries that mature from late summer into fall. The shrub provides fair to good food and cover for various birds and insects. Hummingbirds and butterflies collect nectar, while birds such as Red-eyed Vireos, Ruffed Grouse, Song Sparrows, Gray Catbirds, and Brown Thrashers consume the fruits.
The leaves provide wonderful greenery and textural contrast through the summer months but don’t provide noteworthy fall colour.
This shade-loving shrub is very easy to grow but may sucker in ideal conditions. remove as necessary or let them grow to naturalize the landscape.
The hollow stems are beneficial for cavity nesting native bees.
American Bladdernut (Staphylea trifolia)
Growing Conditions: Part to full shade, moist, well-drained sandy or silty loams. tolerates clay and dry soils. Forests, thickets, woodland edges.
American Bladdernut is a desirable small tree for shade gardens with its showy spring flowers and unique bladder-like seed pods.
Typically growing to about 4.5m tall, it boasts compound, trifoliate leaves and an attractive form. White, bell-shaped flowers hang from the branches in spring and support a diversity of pollinators. Flowers are followed by inflated, bladder-like seed capsules in late summer and often persist into early winter, providing visual interest.
This small tree works well in both formal and more natural garden designs. It is care-free and doesn’t typically require pruning.
Canada Yew (Taxus canadensis)
Growing Conditions: Part sun to shade, organically rich, moist soils. Tolerates rocky soils. Found in mature forests and the outskirts of bogs.
Canada Yew is an evergreen, shade tolerant native shrub, making it highly desirable in the native plant garden.
It has a low, sprawling habit and rarely exceeds 1.5m tall. It is valued for its deep-green, needle-like foliage and small, red, berry-like cones that are produced in the summer. These fruits are visually appealing but inedible.
Canada Yew thrives in partial to deep shade, making it an excellent choice for shaded woodland gardens. It prefers moist, cool, well-drained soils and can be used in rain gardens or other shady areas that experience seasonal wetness.
It will spread slowly to form colonies by rooting where its stems touch the ground. It is slow growing, so be patient. Don’t allow it to dry out.
Mapleleaf Viburnum (Viburnum acerifolium)
Growing Conditions: Sun to shade, moist to dry conditions, adaptable to soil type including dry rocky soils. Thickets, forests, ravines.
Mapleleaf Viburnum is a small, densely-branched shrub that brings multi-season interest to shady gardens. It grows to 1.8m tall and is valued for its fall foliage, showy blooms, and wildlife-attracting berries.
Small clusters of white flowers appear in late spring and call in pollinators from far and wide. They develop into clusters of bluish-black drupes by late summer and are consumed by birds.
The leaves are medium green during the growing season but take on vivid shades of reddish-purple to magenta in the fall.
This shrub grows best in partial shade and moist, acidic, well-drained soils, although it tolerates drought conditions once established. Mapleleaf viburnum is ideal for use in hedges, borders, and foundation plantings or for naturalizing in woodland gardens. It may sucker in ideal conditions.
