Shade Garden Kit: We often get questions about pollinator-friendly plants that can thrive in the shade, and this kit offers a nice variety for a shady corner. Together, these plants will support a large variety of butterflies and other pollinators. The plants in this kit are deer-resistant or not preferred by deer.
This kit contains several flowering shade plants of various colors and heights. The plants offer a range of bloom times from April to October, so there will be something popping from spring through fall. A few of these plants are considered premium species and come in a slightly bigger pot.
Design and Planting Tips:
- Prepare your garden site (follow the link for details as well as information about plant spacing)
- A location with full to partial shade and moderate soil moisture is ideal for this grouping
- Group plants of the same species together
- Consider the height of each plant. Position taller plants at the back and shorter plants at the front
- Allow 1 to 1.5 sq foot per plant (ex: 3' x 5' plot)
Kit Contents:
6 varieties, with 2 or 3 of each (14 total plants), all listed below with details. An image of each plant can be found to the left, pictured in the order listed:
3 - Big Leaf Aster (2")
2 - Blue Lobelia (2")
2 - Heart Leaf Foamflower (2. 5")
3 - Wild Petunia (2")
2 - Woodland Phlox (2.5")
2 - Zigzag Goldenrod (2")
Plant Details:
Big Leaf Aster (Eurybia macrophylla)
Sun Exposure: Full Sun, Part Shade, Shade
Soil Moisture: Dry, Moist
Height: 1-3ft
Bloom Time: July-Oct
Bloom Color: White, Blue, Purple
Resistant to: Drought
Attracts: butterflies
Pollinator benefit: Larval Host Plant for Pearl Crescent Butterfly; late season nectar producer for all nectaring insects
Keystone plant for 133 different species!!
Blue Lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica)
Native Perennial
Sun Exposure: Full, Partial (in moist conditions), Shade (in drier conditions)
Soil Moisture: Wet, Medium-Wet, Medium
Height: 3'
Bloom Time: July-September
Bloom Color: Blue
Resistant: Deer
Attracts: Butterflies, Hummingbirds, Native Bees
Pollinator Benefits: Xerces Society notes Special Value to Native Bees, Bumblebees
Heart Leaf Foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia)
Sun Exposure: Shade
Soil Moisture: Moist, well-drained, humus-rich soils
Height: up to 16"
Bloom Time: April - July
Bloom Color: White, Pink, Purple
Resistant to: Deer, Rabbit
Attracts: Bees, Butterflies
Pollinator benefit: Early nectar source
Wild Petunia (Ruellia humilis)
Sun Exposure: Partial Sun, Shade
Soil Moisture: Dry, Medium
Height: Up to 2'
Bloom Time: June - August
Bloom Color: Purple
Deer: Resistant
Drought: Somewhat tolerant
Attracts: Butterflies
Pollinator benefits: Excellent nectar source for butterflies and native bees; Larval Host: Common Buckeye butterfly
Woodland Phlox (Phlox divaricata)
Sun Exposure: Shade, Partial Shade
Soil Moisture: Medium-Wet, Medium, Medium-Dry
Height: 12 inch
Bloom Time: April-June
Bloom Color: Blue, purple, lavender
Tolerance: Deer are uninterested and Drought
Attracts: butterflies, including swallowtails, gray hairstreaks, and western pygmy blues.
Pollinator Benefit: good spring nectar source
Zigzag Goldenrod (Solidago flexicaulis)
Native Perennial
Sun Exposure: Full Sun, Part Shade, Shade
Soil Moisture: Wet, Moist
Soil Type: Various rich, mesic, acid soils. Tolerates lime.
Height: 2'-4'
Bloom Time: July-October
Bloom Color: Yellow
Deer: Resistant
Attracts: Butterflies, native bees, birds
Pollinator Benefit: Late season nectar source; value to native bees for pollen and nesting materials; migrating Monarchs; Xerces Society identifies as Special Value for Native Bees and Honey Bees; Keystone plant supporting 177 different species