Eight Plants That Are Made for Shade (in Pots!)

Shade can feel like a limiting factor when choosing plants, but let me tell you as someone with a hot, sunny balcony — a little shade is a good thing for the container gardener. Even plants that prefer full sun in the ground do better with some shade in pots. Since their roots can’t dig deep for moisture and coolness, they appreciate relief from relentless sun. 

If you have a shady balcony, I actually envy your many options! There is something so lush and calming about a shaded balcony garden, with all the leafy, moody varieties you’re able to grow. And it doesn’t have to be all foliage; lots of flowering and fruiting plants like shade, too.

Due to the overhanging roof and heavy balustrade, some pockets of my southwest-facing balcony remain shaded for most of the day. This list, while manageable in number, contains a mix of my favorite shade-loving annuals, perennials, California natives, and garden center standbys. I should stipulate that all these plants will likely need a little sun, even if it’s just a few hours of dappled or morning light. If you have a legit full-shade situation, I would suggest researching plants that can handle that specific light condition.

Aloe Vera

It may come as a surprise to see this popular succulent on this list, as most people think all succulents need full sun. Not so! I made this mistake when I first planted a large aloe in my old backyard, giving it the sunniest spot I could. Within a few weeks, the green flesh turned a ruddy red and the tips of the leaves started to crisp. A professional gardener visiting my house enlightened me: aloe vera prefers part shade!

I moved it to a shadier zone and it recovered beautifully. Now I take care not to let my aloes bake. If you want a low-maintenance, low-water plant for a spot that gets morning or dappled light, try aloe!

Coleus

Coleus are easy to find in garden centers if you need a quick hit of color. They’re great as fillers in a planter arrangement, adding instant interest with their variegated leaf hues, which range from deep reds and oranges to vibrant lime green. Sun, shade . . . they don’t really care! All they want is water, warmth, and a nice rich potting mix.

Fuchsia

You’ll find fuchsia on any list of shade-loving plants worth its salt. I had one from 2021 through 2023 and kept it in a number of locations; it was happiest in shade. 

Not to be confused with California fuchsia, which prefers more sun, the fuchsias widely available in nurseries worldwide originated from South and Central America. Their flowers come in lots of colors, though all share that signature charming pendant shape. I’ve lost the tag for mine (it might have been “Baby Pink”), but it thrived in a pot. I pruned it back to bare stems every year around January, and it always bounced back beautifully.

Heuchera

Like coleus, heucheras (also called coral bells) are widely available and offer a rainbow of leaf colors. Commercial breeding has created many ornamental varieties, but if you’re in North America, you can probably find regional varieties at your favorite native plant purveyor. 

I love anything with round leaves and have grown both ornamental heuchera and, currently, a super-local variety of Heuchera cylindrica. They’re tough, tolerant plants that love shade and are perfect for containers due to their shallow roots.

My Heuchera cylindrica flourished in a shallow pot underneath an outdoor table — a truly tricky spot — for a full year and a half before outgrowing its confines. Just recently, I tipped out the whole thing and divided the rosettes with a handsaw. With the individual plants, I filled other shady corners and re-potted some in their original place with fresh soil. We’ll see how they do!

Heucheras typically flower in spring. If you want to try your hand at propagation by division, fall is the best time.

Mint

If you thought you couldn’t grow herbs because you don’t get enough sun, think again! Mint tolerates a part-shade situation very well. They’re also quite thirsty; water them more than you think you should.

There are so many varieties and flavors of mint so I suggest you pick one that brings you joy (mine is a strawberry mint). They do tend to outgrow their pots quickly, but you can cut them back hard to rejuvenate the plant. Propagate the cuttings and you’ll have free mint forever!

Nasturtiums

More round leaves! These unfussy edible annuals are easy to grow from seed or find at the garden center. Some varieties tend to run a little rampant, while others stay nice and compact. I personally love the fancy cultivars with pretty colors and variegated foliage.

Nasturtiums never gave me any trouble until I tried to sow them direct in a planter under full, blazing sun. They absolutely hated it! They would much rather be in a partly shaded spot and reach aspirationally for the sun than be inundated with it.

Woodland Strawberries

While several berries are great edible choices for semi-shaded gardens, strawberries work best for containers because of their shallow roots. And among all strawberry varieties, woodland strawberries are best for shade because, well, they come from woodlands!

Strawberries are native to basically the entire Northern Hemisphere and there are distinctions between wild, woodland, and alpine strawberries that I’m not horticulturally smart enough to understand. They all like shade, spread easily via runners, and form adorable tiny fruits. You might get more fruits with more sun, but I think strawberry foliage is perfectly lovely on its own.

To be honest, I’m not sure what variety I grow. When we moved into our old east-facing apartment, the neighbors below us were moving out and left us with a pot of wild/woodland/alpine strawberries. Two years later, I brought them with me to our next house, where I planted them in the ground alongside a flat of woodland strawberries from a native plant nursery. Then we moved again, and I potted up the healthiest plants in my strawberry patch to take with me to my new balcony. And every year since, I’ve been tossing out the tired plants while propagating new ones from runners.

That was a long story, but the takeaway is this: they thrived in shade in all three locations, and they are so easy to propagate that you will have strawberry plants indefinitely, for free.

Yerba Buena

A member of the mint family, Yerba Buena is a beloved Bay Area native herb with a unique, refreshing perfume, medicinal properties, and a preference for shade. It has a vigorous spreading habit and makes a lovely trailing spiller.

If you grow it, be sure to brew tea with its leaves, fresh or dried. This benefits both you and the plant, as the tea is delicious and soothes upset tummies while regular trimming will keep the plant under control.

Embrace the Shade

If you have a shady patio or balcony and you’re worried nothing will grow, I hope these eight ideas change your mind. And this little list is just a jumping-off point — the world of shade-loving plants is vast and ready for you to explore!

P.S. Got the opposite problem? Check out my list of Seven Plants That Can Withstand the Punishing Afternoon Sun.