Woodland Plants

This list of woodland plants is by no means complete but represents what is commonly available in garden shops and nurseries. All of these plants thrive in the dappled shade and rich soils (well drained) of the forest understory.

Note that because I have multiple pages of plant lists, individual plant descriptions can be found either under “sun” plants or “shade” plants

* Aconitum
* Actaea
* Actinidia
* Adenophora
* Adiantum
* Aegopodium
* Ajuga
* Alchemilla
* Allium
* Ampelopsis
* Anemone
* Anemonella
* Angelica
* Aquilegia
* Arachniodes
* Arum
* Aruncus
* Asarum
* Asplenium
* Aster
* Astilbe
* Astilboides
* Astrantia
* Athyrium
* Begonia
* Bergenia
* Blechnum
* Bletilla
* Brunnera
* Calamagrostis
* Calamintha
* Calceolaria
* Campanula
* Cardiocrinum
* Carex
* Chasmanthium
* Cheilanthes
* Chelonopsis
* Chiastophyllum
* Chrysogonum
* Cimicifuga
* Clematis
* Codonopsis
* Convallaria
* Cornus
* Corydalis
* Cryptotaenia
* Cyclamen
* Cymbalaria
* Cypripedium
* Cyrtomium
* Dactylorhiza
* Deinanthe
* Dennstaedtia
* Deschampsia
* Dicentra
* Digitalis
* Dodecatheon
* Doronicum
* Dryopteris
* Duchesnea
* Epimedium
* Euonymus
* Eupatorium
* Euphorbia
* Fallopia
* Farfugium
* Filipendula
* Fragaria
* Fritillaria
* Fuchsia
* Galium
* Gaultheria
* Gentiana
* Geranium
* Gillenia
* Glechoma
* Gymnocarpium
* Hakonechloa
* Hedera
* Helleborus
* Hepatica
* Heuchera
* Heucherella
* Hosta
* Houstonia
* Hydrangea
* Hypericum
* Iris
* Jasminum
* Kirengeshoma
* Lamiastrum
* Lamium
* Lathyrus
* Ligularia
* Lilium
* Linnaea
* Liriope
* Lobelia
* Lunaria
* Luzula
* Lysimachia
* Matteuccia
* Mazus
* Meconopsis
* Meehania
* Melissa
* Mertensia
* Milium
* Mukdenia
* Myosotidium
* Myosotis
* Myrrhis
* Oenanthe
* Omphalodes
* Onoclea
* Ophiopogon
* Osmunda
* Oxalis
* Pachysandra
* Paeonia
* Penstemon
* Persicaria
* Petasites
* Peucedanum
* Phlox
* Physostegia
* Pinellia
* Podophyllum
* Polemonium
* Polygonatum
* Polystichum
* Primula
* Pulmonaria
* Pulsatilla
* Ranunculus
* Rheum
* Rodgersia
* Roscoea
* Rumohra
* Salvia
* Sambucus
* Sanguinaria
* Sanicula
* Saxifraga
* Sedum
* Selaginella
* Semiaquilegia
* Senecio
* Smilacina
* Smyrnium
* Solidago
* Spigelia
* Tellima
* Uvularia
* Vaccinium
* Vancouveria
* Waldsteinia
* Woodwardia
* Symphytum
* Thalictrum
* Thelypteris
* Tiarella
* Tricyrtis
* Trillium
* Vinca
* Viola
* Zantedeschia

See the sections on shade plants for other hints and tips on how to grow woodland plants successfully.

Click here for free newsletterto ask about woodland plants