Not Hostas, Not Coral Bells: The Annual Flower That's Great For Your Shaded Garden

Building out a shade garden? You could get your spring garden ready with Costco's spring plants, bulbs, and seeds, which often include a collection of hostas and astilbes. These pretty, shade-tolerant species provide the structure you need to get started. However, since they grow 3 to 6 feet wide at the largest, you'll need some plants to fill the gaps between them. You could default to expected greenery, like coral bells and ferns, or you could consider some interesting annual shade-loving species with a display of flowers to complement all that foliage. Browallias (Browallia spp.) will add emerald texture and pops of color to any shade garden.

Shade gardens often feature plants with interesting foliage because most species need lots of sun to bloom abundantly. This doesn't always have to be the case. There is a surprising number of beautiful flowers that grow perfectly in shade. However, while many common shade annuals, such as coleus and Rex begonias, produce flowers, most gardeners choose them for their colorful foliage. The three most popular browallia species, Browallia viscosa, Browallia speciosa, and Browallia americana, are exceptions — they boast five-petaled blooms in blue, purple, or white that seem to float above the plants' bright green foliage. These annuals grow about 1 to 3 feet tall at a moderate pace and will form an airy mound if left unpruned. They'll fit perfectly between your bigger perennials without crowding them.

Browallias are native to Central and South America, and in Zones 9 to 11, they are perennial. However, most U.S. gardeners will grow them as warm weather annuals. The pretty plants like indirect sun and are an excellent addition to a backyard understory garden or hanging basket flower and plant combinations for stunning porch displays. While the large perennials in your shade garden — your coral bells and hostas — mature, plug the gaps between them with browallias. Pair the plants with other shade-loving annuals like impatiens and torenia, which also enjoy rich, evenly moist, well-drained soil, for a truly vibrant groundcover display. You can even use browallias as living mulch to keep the soil cool, reduce water and nutrient loss, and suppress weeds.

Although there are several browallia species, there are also a couple of standout hybrid cultivars worth looking for. 'Endless Illumination' boasts vibrant purple flowers with white centers, while 'Endless Flirtation' has an abundance of pure white blooms. Both hybrids are highly heat tolerant and will flower until the first frost in fall — no deadheading required. They will grow up to 16 inches tall, so give them at least 8 inches of space in the garden. It won't be long before they fill the gaps with foliage. Bonus: Browallias are deer resistant, so plant them in borders to fend off the hungry mammals.