Some of the following plants tolerate shade well, while others actually prefer it. For most shade lovers, filtered shade is ideal. Those marked with an asterisk (*) tolerate deeper shade. No plant will survive long in darkness.
| Common Name | Botanical Name |
| Anemone | Anemone |
| Bear’s breech | Acanthus |
| Bee balm | Monarda |
| Bellflower | Campanula |
| Bergenia | Bergenia |
| Bleeding heart | Dicentra |
| Bugbane | Cimicifuga |
| Cardinal flower | Lobelia cardinalis |
| Christmas rose | Helleborus |
| Columbine | Aquilegia |
| Coralbells | Heuchera |
| Daylily | Hemerocallis |
| Dwarf plumbago | Ceratostigma |
| Foxglove | Digitalis |
| Globeflower | Trollius |
| Goatsbeard | Aruncus |
| Goldenstar | Chrysogonum |
| Groundsel | Ligularia |
| Lady’s mantle | Alchemilla |
| Leopard’s bane | Doronicum |
| Loosestrife | Lysimachia |
| Lungwort* | Pulmonaria |
| Meadowrue | Thalictrum |
| Meadowsweet | Astilbe |
| Plantain lily* | Hosta |
| Primrose | Primula |
| Queen-of-the-prairie | Filipendula |
| Siberian bugloss* | Brunnera |
| Siberian iris | Iris sibirica |
| Solomon’s seal* | Polygonatum |
| Spurge | Euphorbia |
| Virginia bluebells | Mertensia |
| Wake robin | Trillium grandiflorum |