30 of the best shade-loving plants From brightly coloured roses to glimmers of green fern, we count the best plants to liven up a dark corner of the garden 18 July 2021 • 6:00am If you use the right plants, there’s still plenty of scope for those of them that prefer a leafy overhead canopy Credit: Alamy Images / Gap Gardens Most gardeners grow spring woodlanders aplenty, including hellebores, wood anemones and primroses. These delightful opportunists flower before the leafy overhead canopy unfurls, but enjoy the benign protective presence of shrubs and trees. Once the shade is cast, however, the question of what will thrive under those trees and shrubs becomes more complicated. Fortunately, if you use the right plants, there’s still plenty of scope for later shade lovers.