Gardening Guides
How to Design a Meadow Garden That Loves Shade
Bring the look of the prairie to the woodland with these strategies and native plantings
It can be challenging if you long for the look of a sunny prairie or meadow in your garden but live on a shady, tree-lined piece of land. Prairie plants often require full sun, and the options for shade-loving grasses and flowers can seem limited. Additionally, woodland landscapes tend to have rich, loamy soil from fallen leaves and decaying plant material — the opposite of many dryland prairies. But some native grasses and flowers do tolerate woodland conditions and can give you the flowing look of the prairie.
Pennsylvania Sedge
(Carex pensylvanica)
Native to eastern North America from the Dakotas eastward to Maine in the north, and Arkansas eastward to Georgia in the south; in Canada it is native to Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec
Pennsylvania sedge greens up early in the spring and remains relatively short at 6 to 12 inches tall. It slowly spreads by rhizomes to form a green carpet and is best suited to sandy, loamy, dry to medium-moisture soils. Pennsylvania sedge doesn’t do well in clay soils, but it can tolerate some clay. Sprengel’s sedge (C. sprengelii) is a good option for clay soils in dry shade.
See how to grow Pennsylvania sedge
(Carex pensylvanica)
Native to eastern North America from the Dakotas eastward to Maine in the north, and Arkansas eastward to Georgia in the south; in Canada it is native to Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec
Pennsylvania sedge greens up early in the spring and remains relatively short at 6 to 12 inches tall. It slowly spreads by rhizomes to form a green carpet and is best suited to sandy, loamy, dry to medium-moisture soils. Pennsylvania sedge doesn’t do well in clay soils, but it can tolerate some clay. Sprengel’s sedge (C. sprengelii) is a good option for clay soils in dry shade.
See how to grow Pennsylvania sedge
Wild Geranium
(Geranium maculatum)
Native from Manitoba, Canada, south to Oklahoma and eastward to Quebec in the north and Georgia in the south
Wild geranium’s mounding shape provides structural interest alongside many woodland natives that tend to be more open and airier. It will self-sow in optimum conditions and is ideal for a larger naturalized setting. It is also a great source of early-season pollen for wild bees throughout the spring. This plant has proved to be quite reliable in a variety of shady to partially shady conditions. Look to red columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) for spring blooms and bright red color to light up even the darkest areas.
See how to grow wild geranium
(Geranium maculatum)
Native from Manitoba, Canada, south to Oklahoma and eastward to Quebec in the north and Georgia in the south
Wild geranium’s mounding shape provides structural interest alongside many woodland natives that tend to be more open and airier. It will self-sow in optimum conditions and is ideal for a larger naturalized setting. It is also a great source of early-season pollen for wild bees throughout the spring. This plant has proved to be quite reliable in a variety of shady to partially shady conditions. Look to red columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) for spring blooms and bright red color to light up even the darkest areas.
See how to grow wild geranium
Eastern Bottlebrush Grass
(Elymus hystrix)
Occurs in eastern North America from the eastern edge of North Dakota south to Oklahoma and from Maine to South Carolina in the east; in Canada occurs from Manitoba east to Nova Scotia; absent in Prince Edward Island
It’s rare to find such tall grasses that like shade, but eastern bottlebrush grass gets 3 to 4 feet tall. Its blue-green foliage is open and airy, with silvery bottlebrush seed heads topping it in summer. Plant it in medium to dry well-drained soil.
See how to grow eastern bottlebrush grass
(Elymus hystrix)
Occurs in eastern North America from the eastern edge of North Dakota south to Oklahoma and from Maine to South Carolina in the east; in Canada occurs from Manitoba east to Nova Scotia; absent in Prince Edward Island
It’s rare to find such tall grasses that like shade, but eastern bottlebrush grass gets 3 to 4 feet tall. Its blue-green foliage is open and airy, with silvery bottlebrush seed heads topping it in summer. Plant it in medium to dry well-drained soil.
See how to grow eastern bottlebrush grass
Photo by wplynn
Smooth Solomon’s Seal
(Polygonatum biflorum)
Native from the Dakotas south to Texas and east from Maine to Florida; occurs in pockets in Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Wyoming
Smooth solomon’s seal is great for contrast, given that its leaves are smooth and a bit shiny. The blooms are quite distinct, dangling beneath arching stems in late spring to early summer. Bumblebees can often be seen hanging from the flowers. This slow colonizer grows up to 3 feet tall, prefers medium to wet soil, and is more adaptable than many give it credit for.
Smooth Solomon’s Seal
(Polygonatum biflorum)
Native from the Dakotas south to Texas and east from Maine to Florida; occurs in pockets in Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Wyoming
Smooth solomon’s seal is great for contrast, given that its leaves are smooth and a bit shiny. The blooms are quite distinct, dangling beneath arching stems in late spring to early summer. Bumblebees can often be seen hanging from the flowers. This slow colonizer grows up to 3 feet tall, prefers medium to wet soil, and is more adaptable than many give it credit for.
Poke Milkweed
(Asclepias exaltata)
Native from Minnesota south to Missouri, east into Alabama and Georgia, and north to Maine and Michigan
There’s a monarch host plant for every site condition, and this is one of them. While poke milkweed grows in shade, it appreciates a little bit of dappled sunlight for at least part of the day. Reaching 3 to 5 feet tall, it is also one of the taller woodland plants. Poke milkweed is pretty well-behaved, unlike the more aggressive showy and common milkweeds (A. speciosa and A. syriaca). It blooms in midsummer.
(Asclepias exaltata)
Native from Minnesota south to Missouri, east into Alabama and Georgia, and north to Maine and Michigan
There’s a monarch host plant for every site condition, and this is one of them. While poke milkweed grows in shade, it appreciates a little bit of dappled sunlight for at least part of the day. Reaching 3 to 5 feet tall, it is also one of the taller woodland plants. Poke milkweed is pretty well-behaved, unlike the more aggressive showy and common milkweeds (A. speciosa and A. syriaca). It blooms in midsummer.
Asters
(Symphyotrichum spp.)
Native to many parts of the world, including North America
Asters are incredible for their wildlife value and dependable blooms. There are several native asters that thrive in deep shade, dappled sun and partially shady conditions. If you live in Appalachia, look to white wood aster (Eurybia divaricatus), with its lovely mounding habit, to grow in dry shade. Short’s aster (Symphyotrichum shortii), native from Arkansas north to Minnesota and east from Pennsylvania to Florida, has blue-violet flowers and appreciates more moisture as the sunlight increases. Calico aster (Symphyotrichum lateriflorum) has mounds of tiny white blooms atop wiry, small-leaved stems that reach 2 to 3 feet tall and wide. It’s native from the eastern Dakotas south to eastern Texas, and east from Maine to Florida. It does well in dry clay in my gardens.
See how to grow more beautiful and resilient asters
(Symphyotrichum spp.)
Native to many parts of the world, including North America
Asters are incredible for their wildlife value and dependable blooms. There are several native asters that thrive in deep shade, dappled sun and partially shady conditions. If you live in Appalachia, look to white wood aster (Eurybia divaricatus), with its lovely mounding habit, to grow in dry shade. Short’s aster (Symphyotrichum shortii), native from Arkansas north to Minnesota and east from Pennsylvania to Florida, has blue-violet flowers and appreciates more moisture as the sunlight increases. Calico aster (Symphyotrichum lateriflorum) has mounds of tiny white blooms atop wiry, small-leaved stems that reach 2 to 3 feet tall and wide. It’s native from the eastern Dakotas south to eastern Texas, and east from Maine to Florida. It does well in dry clay in my gardens.
See how to grow more beautiful and resilient asters
Zigzag Goldenrod
(Solidago flexicaulis)
Native to eastern North America
A reliable standby for any sun-deficient garden, zigzag goldenrod moderately spreads to form bright colonies that pollinators adore. Every fall it smells heavenly while in bloom. It delivers on foliage too, with long, pointed leaves that work well against the foliage of sedges. Zigzag goldenrod thrives in dry to moist, sandy loam to clay loam (even full clay) soil, reaching 2 feet tall in dry sites and 3 feet tall in wetter ones.
See how to grow zigzag goldenrod
(Solidago flexicaulis)
Native to eastern North America
A reliable standby for any sun-deficient garden, zigzag goldenrod moderately spreads to form bright colonies that pollinators adore. Every fall it smells heavenly while in bloom. It delivers on foliage too, with long, pointed leaves that work well against the foliage of sedges. Zigzag goldenrod thrives in dry to moist, sandy loam to clay loam (even full clay) soil, reaching 2 feet tall in dry sites and 3 feet tall in wetter ones.
See how to grow zigzag goldenrod
When planning a woodland meadow, always consider how plants look individually and together in shape and texture, as well as how they compete with one another. Almost all of the plants I’ve included here are colonizers to one degree or another, spreading by seed or rhizome. Over time they will, for the most part, keep one another in check.
More
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More
What Prairies Teach Us About Garden Design
How to Design a Meadow Garden Everyone Will Love
Discover more Great Design Plants for your garden
All that being said, plenty of native plants do well in shady, dry woodland conditions, both covering the ground and contributing a bit of a wilder meadow look full of grasses and flowers. Let’s look at several plants that don’t need a lot of pampering to achieve this look.