Annuals for Light Shade

• Lightly shaded sites receive five to six hours of direct sunlight each day. Northern exposures tend to be lightly shaded. Tiny-blossomed annuals that thrive in light shade include Mexican heather (Cuphea hyssopifolia), which grows from 6 to 24 inches tall and produces tiny pink, purple and white flowers on long, arching branches. Mexican heather blooms from spring through summer and grows well in light shade. Verbena (Verbena x hybrida) blooms with blue, white, red and pink flowers from late spring to early autumn. This 12-inch-tall annual grows well in light shade and tolerates some drought.
  
  

Perennials for Light Shade

• Sites that experience a light pattern of shade and light through the day are also considered lightly shaded. Such areas are often found under young or open tree canopies. Astilbes (Astilbe x arendsii) grow well in lightly shaded sites. These 1- to 4-foot-tall perennials produce tiny red, pink and white flowers on panicles. They bloom in early to mid-summer and prefer rich, moist soil. Epimedium (Epimedium spp.) grows in a prostrate, spreading form to 10 inches tall. It produces small white, pink and red flowers in late spring and grows well in light shade.
  
  

Annuals for Partial Shade

• Partially shaded sites receive three to four hours of direct sunlight each day.
  Annuals that prefer partially ahded sites include sweet William (Dianthus barbatus), which flowers in late spring. This 4- to 18-inch-tall annual produces fragrant clusters of tiny red, pink, lavender and white blooms. It thrives in partial shade and requires regular irrigation. Pinks (Dianthus chinensis) also grow well in partial shade and moist soil. These annuals grow from 6 to 18 inches tall and bloom with small pink, red and white flowers from spring to fall.
  
  

Perennials for Partial Shade

• Sites that experience a changing pattern of equal shade and sun, such as sites under heavier tree canopies, are also classified as partially shaded. This type of exposure is also known as dappled shade. Yellow archangel (Lamium galeobdolon) grows well in partial shade and blooms with tiny, bright-yellow flowers in late spring. This prostrate, spreading perennial has fragrant, hairy foliage. It prefers fertile, acidic soil. Coral bells (Heuchera sanguinea) also grow well in partial shade and require rich, well-drained soil. This perennial grows from 12 to 18 inches tall and blooms in late spring with tiny, bright-red blossoms held on upright panicles. Another low-growing perennial, Siberian bugloss (Brunnera macrophylla) grows from 12 to 18 inches tall and prefers moist, well-drained soils. It produces tiny, deep-blue flowers. Meadowsweet (Filipendula palmate) requires partial shade and moist, alkaline sites. It grows to 4 feet tall and produces tiny pink flowers atop panicles through early summer.