Plants are naturally adaptable; many grow in various lighting conditions with degrees of overlapping sun and shade exposure. Some strictly require sun, while others need shade for best growth. Those that fall in between, from full sun to partial shade, are numerous and flexible in the landscape as surrounding plants mature and conditions change.
Finding selections that grow in full sun (six or more hours of sunlight daily) and full shade (four hours or less of daily sunlight) is a bit more limiting. Depending on your microclimate and plant variety, some grow across both exposures. Special attention to species and cultivars helps tailor the selection to specific site conditions.
Sun exposure depends on variables like how the sun moves through the space in a day and shade from surrounding trees and buildings. It also relates to your growing area and distance from the equator, being more direct in hot, southern climes. It changes seasonally as the sun’s angle and daylight hours vary.
Whether designing garden transition zones with varying degrees of light or searching for plants to bridge sun and shade exposures, consider varieties cultivated specifically for your corresponding conditions. Some may bloom better with increased sunlight but grow healthy foliage in the shade, and vice versa. Try dividing successful plants in your specific garden situation, like moving daylilies and irises around – they’ll often perform across light conditions.
A little trial and error is part of gardening that brings surprises, as long as we don’t ask too much of a plant outside its best-growing conditions, jeopardizing health. Our list includes plants that thrive across full sun and partial shade exposures, depending on the specific selection’s light preferences and your growing area.
Abelia
Abelia is a dynamic evergreen shrub with glossy, pointed leaves and delicate blooms. Depending on the cultivar, foliage is solid green, variegated, or color-shifting from summer to fall. Dainty tubular pink or white flowers cluster on the tips of stems from summer until frost, drawing pollinators.
‘Rose Creek’ is a favorite cultivar with a low-growing, mounding, three-foot-tall habit. Leaves emerge with a pink blush and mature to dark green. A profusion of fragrant light pink flowers is long-lasting. The dwarf ‘Kaleidoscope’ brings color-shifting foliage from green and golden yellow in spring to red-orange in fall.
Abelia is disease, pest, and deer-resistant. The durable shrubs withstand heat, humidity, and drought.
Coral Bells
Heuchera, or coral bells, is a versatile border and accent plant with attractive foliage and delicate bloom sprays in summer. The striking leaves appear mottled with heavy patterning and venation in hues from berry purple to silver to fiery orange.
These tough perennials of native parentage grow in sun to full shade. In the sun, provide plenty of water and evenly moist soils, keeping an eye out for curling or crisping leaves. In the shade, growth may be slower, and pigment may not be as rich as coverage increases.
Coral bells love the morning sun and dappled light. They need organically rich, well-draining soils to thrive.
Turk’s Cap
Turk’s cap is a native perennial wildflower from Mexico and Texas to the Carolinas. This plant spans various soil and light conditions, from full sun to shade. It offers effortless beauty and flowering from mid-summer until frost. A member of the mallow family, its blooms resemble a small hibiscus about to unfurl in rich red, pink, or white.
Turk’s cap flowers are a favorite of hummingbirds. Bright red berries emerge post-bloom for birds to forage.
The natives tolerate heat, drought, and coastal exposures and are deer-resistant. They grow well as container specimens and overwinter in a cool, dark space. Cut plants back to six to eight inches in late winter before new growth emerges in the spring.
Spigelia
Pinkroot is a native perennial found naturally in the middle and southwestern United States. Carmine buds form in the spring and flush into scarlet and yellow-petaled starry upright flowers. Free-flowering occurs until frost.
The striking tubular blooms draw pollinators in droves. Mounding, clumping foliage remains compact and dense in sunny locations and looser in more shade.
For the best vigor, Spigelia prefers fertile, acidic soils. Thee plants tolerate full sun and partial shade. To increase organic richness, amend native soils with compost at the time of planting.
Pieris
Pieris is unique in flower and foliage. Its pendulous blooms hang gracefully from stems with leafy rosettes. The flower buds develop in late summer and suspend like beads through winter. In late winter and early spring, the beads open to delicate bell blossoms that resemble lily-of-the-valley.
Mature leaves are narrow and pointed and deep, glossy green. New growth emerges bronzey-red. Dwarf varieties reach only two to three feet tall and are easy to use as accents and foundation plantings.
Pieris thrives in acidic, well-drained soils suited to companion plants like azalea and camellia, with the same light conditions. Prune pieris as blooms fade before buds set for the following season.
Acanthus
Acanthus has strong architectural foliage. Its long, broad leaves are dark, glossy green, deeply cut with soft spines and textural interest. The leaves unfurl and arch, representing their Roman-era fame, adorning the tops of Corinthian columns.
In addition to its structural foliage, it produces tall spikes of pinky-white flowers with deep purple bracts. These spikes emerge in summer and last for weeks.
Acanthus grows with little maintenance in dry or moist soils as long as they’re well-draining. It makes a beautiful grouped planting for impact. Where I garden in the southeast, plants prefer dappled light. Cooler climates have success with more sun.
Begonia
Begonias are old-fashioned favorites due to their hardy performance, showy leaves, continual blooms, and versatility in outdoor and indoor gardens. These durable annuals bloom despite hot, dry, and humid conditions across varying exposures.
Depending on the variety, many thrive in partial to full shade, while others handle more sun. For sunny garden locations, look to bronze leaf wax begonias. The dark leaves of Begonia semperflorens add rich interest to the red, pink, or white flowers.
Grow begonias as warm-season annuals or in containers to overwinter indoors for year-round interest. They grow best with consistent moisture, though they tolerate periods of drought with their thick, waxy leaves that conserve moisture.
Sweet Alyssum
Sweet alyssum is a tough annual with a delicate appearance. In spring and fall, little white blooms cover mounding foliage. Its sweet fragrance and numerous flowers attract pollinators. The blanket of blossoms makes it an ideal container accent or front-of-the-border arrangement.
Sweet alyssum is an easy-care annual in well-drained soils. In the heat of summer, plants may turn yellow and fade but resume blooming with cooler temperatures.
In hot climates, grow it as a cool-season annual. Sweet alyssum reseeds, and seedlings may pop up the following spring.
Fragrant Tea Olive
Fragrant tea olive is a broadleaf evergreen shrub with deep green leaves and a dense, upright form. Diminutive white or orange blooms appear in fall through spring and have an unmatched fragrance—an intensely sweet perfume that permeates the cool-season garden.
Osmanthus fragrans makes a handsome specimen shrub among foundation plantings and mixed evergreen hedges and screens. Plants seldom need pruning but take shaping well. Place them where you can experience their fragrance drifting in the vicinity.
Fragrant tea olive is a staple in Southern gardens, growing in well-drained soils. Osmanthus is a rugged, easy grower and withstands clay soils and periods of drought. In cold winter climates, grow fragrant tea olive in a container to enjoy its fragrance and form, keeping it indoors in a cool, bright spot over the winter.
Viburnum
Viburnum provides fragrant blooms and colorful interest throughout the seasons, including winter. Although the species’ foliage, form, and flower shape vary widely, they usually include textural leaves and clusters of pink or white blossoms.
Viburnum bodnantense ‘Dawn’ is an exceptionally fragrant winter-flowering variety that blooms from fall to spring in mild climates and late winter/early spring in colder climates. Tubular white to deep pink flowers appear on branches before leaves. New foliage emerges with a bronze blush and turns burnished red in the fall.
Viburnum x burkwoodii bears a profusion of spicy-scented white bloom clusters in early spring. Look for ‘Mohawk’ for improved disease resistance and handsome form. Viburnum carlesii, or Koreanspice viburnum, is showy with small snowball clusters of pink blossoms that mature to white with a vanilla spice aroma. Leaves turn burgundy-red in the fall.
Viburnums are low-maintenance, easy-care shrubs that prefer average soils. They’ll often perform in less-than-ideal conditions. Place winter-blooming viburnum in a protected spot to preserve blooms during freezing periods.
Coleus
Coleus is among the most versatile annual foliage plants in colorful patterning and planting locations. Varieties for full sun bring as much color as those for full shade to brighten and enliven the display.
When choosing coleus for your particular light exposure, variety is key. The Kong series has huge leaves in full shade. The ColorBlaze collection brings bright hues that withstand full sun, as do varieties like ‘Inferno,’ ‘Wasabi,’ and ‘Redhead.’
Coleus needs regular water to thrive, especially those growing in more sunlight. Lilac purple bloom spikes accent coleus in late summer; pinch blooms and trim leafy stems if plants get too tall or sparse to promote lush foliage and a tidy appearance.
Summersweet Clethra
Clethra is a flowering shrub native to eastern North America that fills the garden with all-season interest. It produces pinky-white racemes with a spicy, peppery scent that draws hummingbirds and other pollinators. Showy seed pods appear in the fall.
Summersweet blooms when other plants take a break—during the high summer heat from July to August. Flowers create high-quality pollen and nectar sources.
Clethra plants grow best in consistently moist, well-draining soils in partial shade, or with afternoon protection from full sun. Once established, the native adapts to various soil conditions, from damp and occasionally wet to periods of drought.
American Wisteria
American wisteria is a native, high-climbing vine that grows robustly in its hardy range. Though vigorous, American selections grow less aggressively than the invasive Chinese and Japanese species. They bear the same beautiful draping blooms and loose foliage. Graceful, pendulous purple blossoms and pinnate leaves intertwine on long, woody stems.
Blooms emerge prolifically in spring with sporadic flowering in the summer, and their sweet, light fragrance drifts through the landscape. Drooping blooms reach up to eight inches long in lavender blue, pink, burgundy, and white. Numerous cultivars exist for bloom color and size.
Blooms appear on new growth, and regular pruning helps maintain size and encourage flowering. Seed pods are long and showy, ripening mid-to-late summer. If ingested, seeds are toxic to humans and animals.
Train wisteria on walls, pillars, and arbors. The native grows in canopy cover, woodland settings, and open edges. Well-drained soils rich in organic matter are best, though the vine withstands some periods of flooding and drought. It attracts numerous pollinators and plays host to several butterfly and moth species.
Shasta Daisy
Shasta daisies are old-fashioned beauties with cheerful white ray blooms and yellow centers. They hit their peak bloom in midsummer to brighten the perennial border in single and double-flowered varieties. Deep, glossy green basal foliage contrasts the clear blooms.
Shasta daisies are a good fit for pollinator gardens, cutting gardens, cottage gardens, and small spaces. They lend a wildflower look but with a tidy habit. These pretty flowers bloom best with some sun exposure but prefer protection from scorching rays in hot climates. They adapt well to some shading.
Shastas thrive in average soils with good drainage. In humid climates, ‘Becky’ is a larger variety boasting improved disease resistance to fungal rot and leaf spot.
Hardy Geraniums
Hardy geraniums, or cranesbill, are tough, billowy perennials with handsome foliage and delicate flowers in rich colors. They include native woodland species (Geranium maculatum), which form soft mounds highlighted with spring and early summer flowers. Attractive leaves are palmately lobed in a fresh, true green.
Geranium ‘Rozanne’ is a top-performing hybrid with bright purple-blue flowers from spring until frost. For its long bloom time and vigor, ‘Rozanne’ won the Perennial Plant Association’s Perennial Plant of the Year award.
G. sylvaticum ‘Mayflower’ is a wood cranesbill ideal for shady spots. This Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit recipient has abundant violet flowers.
Hardy geraniums grow best in organically rich soils with even moisture. They naturalize under optimal conditions but aren’t aggressive or invasive. The plants are low-maintenance and don’t require deadheading.
Salvia
The Salvia genus includes over 400 species and varieties in various bloom colors and growing requirements. Its vibrant, tubular blooms attract pollinators and bring a long-lasting floral display in the warm season. Depending on the cultivar, they beautifully bridge transitional zones.
Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’ is a favorite native salvia, with tall, deep blue tubular flowers and dark calyxes that bloom from summer through fall. S. elegans, or pineapple sage, brings flare with scarlet flowers in late summer and fall. The leaves and flowers are edible with a fruity flavor reminiscent of mint and pineapple.
These plants thrive in both shade and sun. They prefer moist, well-drained soils but tolerate moderate drought. Salvia are easy-care plants with low maintenance requirements and need little gardener intervention. They appreciate supplemental water during dry spells.
Black-Eyed Susan
Rudbeckia is a native wildflower that is adaptable by nature. It thrives across growing zones in hot, humid, and dry situations. It grows naturally in meadows and prairies, flowering continually from summer through frost. Its showy golden daisy flowers have chocolate button centers.
Unfussy rudbeckia grows best in moist, well-drained soils without added fertilizers. This long-blooming perennial makes an impact in group plantings and along borders.
Rudbeckia self-seeds freely for successional blooms. They’re ideal for pollinator gardens and naturalized plantings among ornamental grasses and other flowering perennials. Deadhead flowers to prolong blooming. Clip leaves that become brown or worn late in the season, or let them persist for winter protection.
‘PeeGee’ Hydrangea
Hydrangeas perform well in varying light and heat situations, depending on the climate and the specific cultivar. Hydrangea paniculata is a particularly adaptable species across varying growing zones.
Look to ‘PeeGee’ hydrangeas for tightly packed conical blooms that emerge in late summer to early fall. The pyramidal panicles begin as pinkish-red buds and open to lime-green florets and star-shaped flowers in creamy white. As the season progresses, the flowers transition to vintage pinks. Showy autumn foliage turns tones of yellow and purple-red before dropping.
‘Limelight’ is an award-winning, favorite panicle hydrangea that brings a big show to the mid-summer garden with lasting interest into fall. Massive pyramidal blooms in creamy white and chartreuse age to pink and dusky rose as the season progresses.
Opt for classic bigleaf hydrangeas (H. macrophylla) and mountain hydrangeas (H. serrata) for deeper shade situations. These bring large mophead or lacecap blooms beneath canopy cover or shadowed areas.
These stately growers make excellent hedges, screens, or specimen plantings. They’re reliable bloomers and durable garden performers. These plants are cold hardy and thrive in summer heat and humidity with full sun or partial shade. Provide well-draining soils for plants to thrive.
Caladiums
Caladiums are another variety-dependent plant that meets an array of specific garden situations, from partial sun to shade. Their arrow-shaped leaves feature dynamic mottling, venation, and blotching in greens, whites, reds, and pinks. Heights vary from low-growing to tall, in fancy and lance-leaved shapes. Fancy-leaved varieties are heart-shaped, with lance-leaved selections slightly strappier and elongated.
Caladiums grow quickly and easily from small tubers. Plant them a few inches in the ground and water them regularly for fast growth. With consistent water, the tapestry of foliage lasts until cool temperatures arrive.
Caladiums thrive in partial shade or full shade, with some varieties—especially red lance-leaved—suited to full sun. They develop an ivory spathe flower that is less showy than the foliage. Remove the bloom to direct energy to the leaves.
