Here are the best Plants to Grow Under Big Trees where they can bask in the shade and thrive all year round!
Trees offer a perfect canopy for shade loving plants, where they can remain protected from the harsh afternoon sun. These are some beautiful specimens you must have in your garden!
Plants to Grow Under Big Trees
1. Alpine Currant
Botanical Name: Ribes alpinum
Alpine currants are resilient and can endure even through winters. But that’s not all – they don’t need excessive sunlight and can grow under the shade of trees.
2. Rhododendrons
Botanical Name: Rhododendron
These shrubs thrive in shady areas, making them hassle-free options to plant under a tree. The only requirement is they prefer soil with a pH range of 4.4 to 6.0.
3. Hydrangeas
Botanical Name: Hydrangea
Hydrangeas thrive in shaded environments, making them a great option for planting beneath trees, away from the harsh sun!
4. Pansies
Botanical Name: Viola tricolor var. hortensis
These plants make excellent option for shades and adapt well to various conditions – not to mention, producing stunning blooms all the while!
5. Wild Ginger
Botanical Name: Asarum
Wild ginger is yet another low-maintenance plant that simply needs ample moisture to thrive. In addition, they can spread effectively in shaded areas.
6. Hosta
Botanical Name: Hosta plantaginea
If you love colorful plants, go for Hostas. They don’t need too much of direct light, and come in many shades like gold, blue, and green.
7. Vinca
Botanical Name: Vinca
Vincas are another gem to plant under trees as they can flourish in partial shade. They’ll reward you with stunning pink flowers, too!
8. Violets
Botanical Name: Viola
Violets don’t need excessive sunlight to showcase their lovely blooms. You can plant them under trees without worrying about their care much.
9. Impatiens
Botanical Name: Impatiens
This annual plant is one of the most renowned species in the world, and it can thrive beneath trees. All you need to do is provide it with regular watering.
10. Lilies
Botanical Name: Lilium
Who wouldn’t want to cultivate this stunning plant in their garden? The good news is that you can even grow it beneath a tree!
11. Bellwort
Botanical Name: Uvularia grandiflora
Bellwort is a perennial indigenous to eastern North America – it loves to thrive in a shaded place and a tree’s canopy offers just that!
12. Baltic Parsley
Botanical Name: Cenolophium denudatum
Despite its delicate appearance, Baltic Parsley is a hardy herb that produces clusters of flowers in ivory hue.
13. Barrenwort
Botanical Name: Epimedium
Barrenwort is an ideal choice for informal underplanting due to its low maintenance. The plant produces long, lustrous leaves that have a blush of rose and pale green hues.
14. Bird’s Nest Fern
Botanical Name: Asplenium nidus
The Bird’s Nest Fern is an evergreen plant, making it a favorite of many gardeners. The plant features leaves with a twilight-colored midrib.
15. Bottlebrush Buckeye
Botanical Name: Aesculus parviflora
If you’re looking for a plant that adds seasonal variety to your garden, the Bottlebrush Buckeye is a great option – it also grows large cones of snowy flowers!
16. Blue Cohosh
Botanical Name: Caulophyllum thalictroides
Its sage-like leaflets make Blue Cohosh quite charming. It will be more than happy to thrive under the canopy of the trees for a long time to come.
17. Brazilian Plume
Botanical Name: Justicia carnea
The Brazilian Plume is a lively, upright evergreen shrub that also grows charming pink flowers even in indirect light.
18. California Barberry
Botanical Name: Berberis pinnata
Wavyleaf Barberry boasts attractive holly-like evergreen leaves, giving it an enduring appeal throughout the year.
19. Christmas Rose
Botanical Name: Helleborus niger
Christmas roses are an ideal option to grow beneath trees where the sunlight does not fall much. Their creamy white flowers are a bonus!
20. Carpet Bugle
Botanical Name: Ajuga reptans
A resilient plant that can grow in harsh conditions, Carpet Bugle is perfect for lining the pathways and filling up the space around tree trunks.
21. Common Astilboides
Botanical Name: Astilboides tabularis
These large leaves can grow up to 3 feet in size and look like mini trees growing below the actual ones!
22. Coralberry
Botanical Name: Symphoricarpos orbiculatus
Its fuchsia-color berries perfectly complement its olive-green foliage. The plant doesn’t ask for much attention and thrives in shade.
23. Crevice Alumroot
Botanical Name: Heuchera micrantha
This plant is a part of the Heuchera family and remains green throughout the year. In spring, it grows lovely white flowers.
24. Dimpled Trout Lily
Botanical Name: Erythronium umbilicatum
A delicate flower with yellow petals and a slender stem, the Dimpled Trout Lily is a perennial that loves the shade.
25. Curled Plantain Lily
Botanical Name: Hosta crispula
Do you love foliage more than flowers? If so, the Curled Plantain Lily is for you. It’s a hosta variety with decorative leaves with ivory margins.
26. Douglas Mugwort
Botanical Name: Artemisia douglasiana
Douglas Mugwort is a quick grower that will form a fragrant mat of stems and cover up the space under the trees in no time.
27. Dutchman’s Breeches
Botanical Name: Dicentra cucullaria
A unique and fleeting perennial, this plant bears white flowers that resemble miniature upside-down pairs of puffy-legged pants!
28. Dwarf Scouring Rush
Botanical Name: Equisetum scirpoides
Dwarf Scouring Rush will most definitely stand out in your lawn or garden with its dense mat of tall, slender stems of light green.
29. Eastern Hay-Scented Fern
Botanical Name: Dennstaedtia punctilobula
Eastern Hay-Scented Fern is a deciduous plant that can thrive under trees. It forms beautiful mounds of delicate, airy fronds.
30. Evening Bells
Botanical Name: Bergenia ‘Abendglocken’
Festive Evening Bells produce clusters of waxy blooms that have burgundy undertones. The flowers are a rich pink color and peek over the top of the foliage.
31. Florida Hobblebush
Botanical Name: Agarista populifolia
Florida Hobblebush is easy to care for and has arching branches with long, lance-like leaves and clusters of orange buds.
32. Italian Arum
Botanical Name: Arum italicum
For those who appreciate the aesthetic of large, decorative leaves, Italian Arum’s broad and shapely foliage is sure to capture attention!
33. Jack in the Pulpit
Botanical Name: Arisaema triphyllum
This “Bog Onion” may not be to everyone’s taste, but for budding botanists, its unique leaves can be a great addition beneath trees!
34. Japanese Spurge
Botanical Name: Pachysandra terminalis
Japanese Spurge is a shrubby perennial that forms dense foliage and spreading runners, making it ideal for adding subtle volume below trees.
35. Ocean Spray
Botanical Name: Holodiscus discolor
The Ocean Spray shrub lives up to its name with cream-airy flowers that cover its green foliage from late spring to summer.
36. Partridge Berry
Botanical Name: Mitchella repens
Partridge Berry spreads horizontally instead of vertically. The creeping woody stems root at every point of contact with the ground, creating a robust cover.
37. Queen Cup
Botanical Name: Clintonia uniflora
With its unique combination of flowers and arching leaves, Queen Cup is a must have to any open space that you might have in the garden.
38. Pocketbook Plant
Botanical Name: Calceolaria herbeohybrida group
The Pocketbook Plant boasts slipper-like blossoms in eye-catching citrusy colors. Imagine the tree getting covered with it all around!
39. Red Osier Dogwood
Botanical Name: Cornus sericea
The Red Osier Dogwood is a fast-growing deciduous shrub that can thrive in a variety of soil and sun conditions, making it great for shady areas.
40. English Bluebells
Botanical Name: Hyacinthoides non-scripta
The plant features arching leaves and a charming inflorescence of bell-like, vivid indigo blooms that make for a vibrant display.
41. Elk Clover
Botanical Name: Aralia californica
Elk Clover has beautiful heart-shaped leaves and delicate flowers that attract pollinators to the garden.
42. Sand Myrtle
Botanical Name: Kalmia buxifolia
This one’s a beautiful shrub with small cream-white flowers that bloom without much maintenance and sunlight.
43. Shooting Star
Botanical Name: Primula sect. dodecatheon
These white flowers have pale green foliage that spreads close to the ground. It’s a great choice to cover open spaces.
44. Shallon
Botanical Name: Gaultheria shallon
Shallons have glossy leaves that grow well under the trees, covering their lower trunks. They also grow cup-shaped pink flowers.
45. Siberian Spring Beauty
Botanical Name: Claytonia sibirica
This is the perfect flowering ground cover to have under a tree, as it will form a dense mat. These flowers are also rich in vitamin C.
46. Small-Flowered Foxglove
Botanical Name: Digitalis parviflora
The chocolate brown flowers with subtle hints of mahogany can add a lot of flair beneath the trees. A great choice for shaded spaces!
47. Spicebush
Botanical Name: Lindera benzoin
The Spicebush is a low-maintenance shrub, similar to Virginia Witch Hazel. It produces clusters of soft yellow flowers.
48. Spotted Wintergreen
Botanical Name: Chimaphila maculata
The Spotted Wintergreen is a woodland native with slender stems that blooms from underground rhizomes.
49. Squirrel Corn
Botanical Name: Dicentra canadensis
With its delicate, finger-like foliage, Tuberous Squirrel Corn adds texture to shaded areas, forming an elegant backdrop.
50. Strawberry Begonia
Botanical Name: Saxifraga stolonifera
The Strawberry Begonia boasts broad leaves and delicate orchid-like blooms. It can make the tree look like it has a dreamy carpet underneath!
