Gardening in the shade to attract wildlife

It is true that you simply do not get the density of wildlife in a shade garden. With less sunshine, there is less food production and that affects all the animals up the food chain. However, beautiful and floriferous shade gardens are easily achieved and you can still attract a decent amount of wildlife. I would also say that if aesthetics are important to you, then you should place greater emphasis on leaf textures in shade gardens because the leaves in shady areas do not get burnt by the sun and look better.

A great way to landscape a shady area is to replicate a woodland garden. Many plants in our native woodlands have, in addition to great foliage, stunning flowers and berries. They include a lot of ephemeral plants, which will completely disappear on you by July. Unless you really enjoy looking at bare patches for most of the summer, it is best to mix ephemerals that flower early with plants that remain in leaf over the whole growing season.

	Blue Cohosh is one of the most beautiful emerging plants.

With less emphasis of flowering perennials in a shade garden, more thought can be given to a diversity of plants that includes small trees, shrubs, ferns and sedges. Most grasses cannot handle shade, so take a look at sedges instead as these plants often have excellent value for wildlife.

The seasons to focus on in a shady garden are spring and fall. In the spring, you have shrubs that flower as well as woodland flowers. In the fall there are the asters and goldenrods that can add some flower power. By the fall, many woodland plants form berries that can add colour to this landscape.

Here is list of plants that can be grown for wildlife in the shade or in part-shade.

Name	Notes
Actaea rubra (Red baneberry)	Both Red Baneberry and the closely related Doll's Eyes produce pollen that may be used by bees to some extent. The fruit are eaten by various birds.
Agastache nepetoides and Agastache scrophularia	Yellow Giant Hyssop can easily grow with just a couple of hours of sun each day while Agastache scrophularia requires part-sun. There are not too many woodland plants that flower in August that are so attractive to bees.
Aquilegia (Columbine)	It does well in a range of conditions. Canadian Columbine is pollinated by hummingbirds.
For some plants, such as Red Baneberry, it is the berries that provide the most notable attraction.
Asarum canadense	A plant that is grown only for its foliage. It needs drainage.
Aster sp.	Aster cordifolius, divaricatus and macrophylus all do well in dry shady conditions.
Blephilia ciliata (Downy wood mint)	Does well in dry part shade conditions and attracts bees.
Caltha palustris	Needs rich moist soils. Has noticeable flowers.
Carex sp.	There are lots of sedges that grow quite well in shade and they support a lot of wildlife.
Chelone glabra	Does well in moist soils and attracts bumblebees. It is a host plant of the Baltimore checkerspot.
Although the wildlife value is low, ferns are a great addition to the shady wildlife garden. Here is the stunning foliage of the Maidenhair fern. They really help to fill in spaces left by ephemerals.
Cimifuga sp.	Does well in moist soils and takes a few years to get going. It is attractive to bees. Part-shade needed to flower. These plants are now included in the genus Actaea.
Clethra alnifolia (Summersweet)	Grows well in part shade with moist soil. The flowers are quite fragrant and attract bees.
Cornus canadensis	Does well in moist acid soils. Grows in full shade. They attract birds with their berries.
Dicentra sp.	These species generally need moist soils and will grow in full shade. They attract hummingbirds.
Eupatorium sp.	Most species tolerate part-shade and do well in moist soils. Eupatorium rugosum tolerates dry shade and is one of the last plants to flower. They attract bees and butterflies.
Fragaria sp.	Wild strawberries are fantastic wildlife plants. They will tolerate full shade and feed both insects and birds. They spread rampantly and are good ground covers.
The foliage of Hydrastis
Gaultheria procumbens (Wintergreen)	This plant will handle dry shade and feed the birds with its berries.
Geranium maculatum	A spring plant that can handle quite a bit of shade and drier conditions.
Heucheura sp.	The species commonly available in nurseries is not native to Canada. It tolerates dry shade and attracts hummingbirds.
Helianthus sp. (Sunflower)	Helianthus strumosus and Helianthus divaricatus are both perennials that grow well in part-shade or on the north side of buildings.
Heliopsis sp.	Grows well in part-shade and has a long bloom. It attracts bees and butterflies.
The beautiful patterned leaves of Hepatica acutiloba
Hepatica acutiloba	The leaves are almost evergreen and make a great groundcover; has bright flowers as well.
Hydrangea quercifolia	This native hydrangea grows 6 feet high in dappled shade and moist soil. Its inflorescences attract native bees in late spring.
Impatiens capensis	Jewel weed grows in moist soils in lightly shaded areas. It is pollinated by hummingbirds. The seed pods are fun for kids.
Lobelia sp.	They flower well in part-shade and in moist soils. They attract hummingbirds.
Mertensia virginica	Prefer moist soils and tolerate drier soils while dormant. They attract bees and hummingbirds. They grow in full shade.
Mitchella repens	Partridgeberries grow in dry shade and attract birds.
Monarda didyma	Prefers moist soils and grows well in part-shade.
Parthenocissus quinquefolia	Virginia Creeper is a vine that grows quite well in the shade and provides fruit for birds. It is also a host plant for several species of sphinx moths. Do not plant Boston Ivy which is a member of the same genus.
Phlox divaricata	Woodland phlox flowers in late spring and grows in moist well drained soil. It provides nectar to insects with long tongues. These include butterflies and some of the larger bees.
Rubus odoratus (Flowering Raspberry)	This shrub grows up to 9 feet. The foliage is quite dense so it provides good cover for birds and also food.
Bloodroot has distinctive leaves and a fantastic flower.
Sanguinaria canadensis	An excellent woodland garden species that will surprise with their magnificent flowers.
Scrophularia marilandica (Late figwort)	There are not too many mid-summer shade plants that can attract pollinators. Here is one.
Smilacina sp.	A woodland plant that grows in full shade and moist soils. It attracts birds with its fruit.
Solidago sp.	Solidago caesia (Blue-stemmed goldenrod) grows well in dry shade and Solidago flexicaulis (Zig-Zag goldenrod) grows well in moist soils with some dryness tolerated. They both attract a wide variety of insects.
Spigelia marilandica	Grows in full shade in medium moisture. It attracts hummingbirds.
Woodland poppy has large spring flowers
Stylophorum diphyllum	A stunning spring and woodland plant.
Symphoricarpos albus	The snowberry is an adaptable small shrub with distinctive white berries that feed birds and show off in winter.
Trillium sp.	Does well with some sunlight coming through the trees and it grows well in more open shady places. Likes well drained soil that is fairly moist.
Viola sp.	Woodland violets tolerate part shade and are host plants for fritillaries.
Great White Trillium, a spring ephemeral, is the provincial flower of Ontario