Shady spots in our garden often become dreary sites where little grows, but there is another way! Choose your plants carefully and you can bring year round colour and interest to the darker corners of your plot.

Here are some suggestions for such as location in your garden, specifically looking at plants which will thrive in damp shade:

This large, architectural shrub will bring a hint of the tropics to the shadiest spots. Its large, palmate leaves look like they should be gracing an exotic scene, but actually this glossy specimen is happy in full shade and is fully hardy. In the autumn it lights up with clusters of small, cream-coloured flowers, followed by black berry fruits.

The flowers of Fatsia japonica are shown here.

 

 

Paeonia delavayi is happy in both sunny and shady spots and, growing to 2m tall, it's well sized for making a statement in a shady location without overpowering other plants. The species bears dark red flowers in early summer. Opt for varieties P. d. var. lutea or var. ludlowii for yellow blooms.

These dense, evergreen shrubs bring winter interest to a shady spot with their sweetly scented, white flowers which are followed by dark, glossy fruits. There are various forms of sweet box which will work in a damp, shady spot, including Sarcococca hookeriana, Sarcococca confusa and Sarcococca ruscifolia.

These naturally woodland flowers will, on the whole, cope well with a shady site and are happy with damper conditions. Aquilegia fragrans provides the added benefit of scent, but cultivars of A. flabellate or A. vulgaris would be equally suitable and provide a wide range of colours from soft blues, through to pinks and whites.

The foxglove (Digitalis species), another woodland flower, will provide spikes of brightly coloured flowers in late spring and early summer. They will tolerate both damp and dry shade and provide a great source of nectar for garden insects such as bees. They are biennial, so will only flower in their second year. Most will self-seed each year, meaning you should have a constant supply of plants in flower.

Whether you choose Helleborus orientalis, H. foetidus or H. niger varieties, not only will you have a plant which is happy in the shade (preferring damp but tolerating dry shade) you will also have a floral display in the depths of winter. Hellebores have graceful, nodding flowerheads in shades of pinks, whites and greens. Cut back the foliage before flowering to really appreciate the blooms.

Helleborus orientalis is shown here.

Persicaria forms clumps of attractively long leaves. In summer and autumn it blooms with spears of red or pink flowers. It's happy in damp, shady positions and is excellent for clay soils. Try Persicaria milletii for crimson-red flowers or Persicaria affinis cultivars for a slightly shorter plant, available in a variety of shades.

Known as the 'globeflower' Trollius x cultorum thrives in damp shade, including beside ponds or streams. The ball-shaped flowers appear from spring into summer in varying shades of yellow, from the pale cream of Trollius x cultorum 'Alabaster', to the vibrant yellow of T. x c. 'Superbus' and the golden-orange of T. x c. 'Orange Princess'.