Best Plants for Baskets In The Shade

Have you ever bought plants and wondered why they didn't do so well? You watered when required, and you gave them fertilizer, but still, the leaves turned brown or the plants didn’t grow.

When people place sun-loving plants into the shade the result is a green plant with no blooms. When people place shade-loving plants into the full sun the result is a plant that looks scorched.

Plants have specific light requirements for optimal growth. Some plants love and thrive in direct sunlight (such as petunias). Plants such as ferns prefer lower light levels. Shade-loving plants become damaged from stress if given too much sunlight.

It is important to know the light requirements of a plant before deciding where to place it in your garden.

When shopping for plants, you can find a tag that shows the name of the plant and a little bit of information on the plant. On this tag, there is also a picture of a sun or a cloud or a sun peaking out of a cloud. This indicates how much sun the plant requires.

The sun – the plant needs at least three hours of sunlight but can handle sun all-day

Half sun – the plant can handle morning sun, not hot afternoon sun. If it is in the afternoon sun it should only be for a few hours

The clouds or a black sun – the plant should be in the shade or morning sun till about 11 am. Then shade for the rest of the day.

Here is a list of some great plants that do well in the shade. Also, they are perfect for mixed combination hanging baskets for shade.

Deep Shade

Ferns:

Ferns in hanging baskets are a necessary accessory for that full-shade porch. They are easy to care for, needing only fertilizer once a week and water when dry. If placed in the afternoon sun, most ferns will scorch and suffer burning on their fronds.

Bridal Veil

Bridal veil is a beautiful selection for shady front porches as well. They have small glossy leaves that mass together making a tight ball of greenery. This plant produces tiny white flowers above the dark green foliage. This is one of the few full-shade plants that will produce a flower. Easy to care for.

Ivy

vy is also a great choice for the full-shade basket. Being a foliage plant, it comes in a variety of leaf colors such as white and green, yellow and green, or green. It grows and is easy to care for. Water and fertilizer and it is a happy plant.

Medium Shade

Plectranthus / Tradescantia / Setcresea

There are many other foliage plants that make for great shade-loving baskets. The family of Plectranthus, Tradescantia, or Setcresea offer different colors of foliage. They are easy to care for and can tolerate shade or full sun. I put these three families together as they are all very similar in care. They all grow as houseplants. They all go outside in the summertime with part sun or full sun.

They all mix in with other plants to give a beautiful combination hanging basket.

Lamium

Lamium is a perennial that also does well in hanging baskets that do not get a lot of sun. The foliage is a silvery green and shimmers. Small purple flowers appear on this trailing plant and

when rubbed have a herbal smell. Great as a filler in a shaded basket or standing alone.

Streptocarpella

This is one of my favorite shade-loving plants. The leaves have a soft green texture. The purple flowers rise above the foliage with a long thin stem. This plant does not tolerate the afternoon sun but does need lots of light or morning sun. Standing alone or in mixed combinations, this is a plant that you would enjoy. Easy to care for and does not need a lot of water.

Fuschia

The Fuschia is a plant that has large single or double flowers that hang below the glossy green foliage. This plant is common at garden centers in the spring. It is a favorite plant for hummingbirds. Many people put this plant in the sun quite often, although it does not love the sun. It prefers morning sun and afternoon shade. It needs water often and fertilized weekly. A real eye-catcher when blooming. Great on its own or in a mixed container or hanging basket.

Torenia

This plant enjoys the afternoon shade and will have a leaf scorch if it is in the afternoon sun. Snap dragon-like flowers in different colors sit above tight shiny green foliage. This plant comes in trailing or upright varieties. It is great as a stand-alone plant or in mixed combinations in hanging baskets.

Begonias

Now, this is a family of plants worth mentioning here. Many people think that begonias are only for shade. And this is correct, but there are also some begonias that love the full sun. Here is a breakdown of begonias and what they prefer

Rex Begonia

Known for its unique leaf colors, this begonia is shade all the way. It does like light but can handle very low light levels.

Tuberous Begonia - Non Stop or Illumination Begonias

Shade – not deep shade or they will rot. They can tolerate the morning sun. These shade-loving begonias have large bright flowers with many different colors. The leaf color can be a green or chocolate color. They are usually grown as an annual. Store the tubers inside for winter and start indoors in early spring.

Hiemalis Begonia - Solenia Begonia, Rieger Begonia

This begonia has the large double flowers of the nonstop tuberous series to handle the full sun. Very easy to care for, it needs fertilizer once a week and water before it wilts, but not overwatered. A showy plant that does well as a stand-alone plant or in mixed combinations with other flowers.

Semperflorens Begonia

This is the begonia that you see in flower beds. It is available as a bedding plant. It has either green or brown foliage and comes with white, red, or pink flowers. It can withstand part shade to full sun and is a wonderful easy care plant for any location. It can handle a lot of droughts.

Interspecific begonia hybrida - Dragon Wing Begonia

This is one of the newest breeds of begonias. It is like the Semperflorens begonia. The difference is that it grows faster and much larger. It has an amazing show of flowers all season long with minimal care. This is one that you can leave at the cottage, come back in a week and it is still alive. Although, I wouldn’t leave it in the sun when gone. This begonia can handle part shade to full hot all-day sun. Mixed with a Setcreasea purple heart it is an easy-care hanging basket that will impress.