While some sedums can tolerate a bit of shade, one that thrives in it is Sedum ternatum, or woodland stonecrop.

Native to the U.S., this low-growing plant does well in moist, rocky soil and produces tiny white flowers. One editor grows it in a shady terrace bed along with a dwarf Japanese maple and hostas.

Lacey, toothed leaves and feathery plumes of pink, white, red, or purple flowers bloom in profusion in early to midsummer. A little morning sun helps them bloom better.

Varieties to try: Dark Side of the Moon, Milk and Honey

Related: 38 Deer-Resistant Plants Bambi Won’t Go Near

Lamium has silvery, variegated foliage and yellow, pink, white or or purple blooms. It’s super-easy to grow and needs almost no care once established.

Varieties to try: Pink Chablis, Purple Chablis

Related: 30 Best Pink Flowers for An Enchanting Garden

Grown primarily for its colorful ruffled foliage, this perennial’s mounding habit shoots up small flower spikes in spring to mid-summer, which hummingbirds love!

Some varieties tolerate full sun, but many prefer shade.

Varieties to try: Dolce Appletini, Primo Pistachio

Related: 21 Flowers That Hummingbirds Adore

These little plants are also known as fairy wings or bishop’s cap due to the adorable shape of their flowers, which appear in early spring.

They don’t like foot traffic, so plant them where they won’t be stepped on. They are one of the few ground cover plants that does fairly well in dry shade.

Varieties to try: Pink Champagne, Lilafee

Frothy-looking ferns are sturdier than they appear, popping up again after even the toughest winters. They prefer moist ground but are fairly drought-tolerant once established.

Varieties to try: Autumn, Japanese Painted

These cold-tolerant plants produce unusual, long-lasting blooms in late winter or very early spring. Also known as Lenten rose because they bloom around the time of Lent, the foliage is evergreen.

Varieties to try: Wedding Party Confetti Cake, Wedding Party Childhood Sweetheart, Honeymoon Irish Luck

Lobed foliage with red or purple veins make this plant unique. Also known as tiarella, this plant boasts floaty little flowers that resemble foam on long stems in late spring to early summer.

Varieties to try: Cutting Edge, Jade Peacock

The intricate flowers (spotted like a toad!) are the reason to grow these little gems. They bloom mid-to-late summer to fall in a variety of spotted colors ranging from white to lavender.

Varieties to try: Purple Beauty, Raspberry Mousse

This exotic-looking flower, also known as ground orchid, appears in early spring in white, purple, and various shades of pink. Its blooms often last up to six weeks.

It’s an unusual landscape plant for warmer climates, or it can be overwintered indoors in containers.

Varieties to try: White Pearl, Kate

This perennial with a funny name is grown for its striking foliage and graceful sprays of long-lasting, tiny blue flowers, which appear in spring. Also known as brunnera, it’s a hardy, low-maintenance plant.

Varieties to try: Jack Frost, Queen of Hearts

Tubular lightly-scented spring flowers hang above finely-cut foliage. The plant is ideal for warm climates. Foliage may die back in summer and sprout again in fall.

Varieties to try: Purple Bird, Canary Feathers

It’s easy to see how this old-fashioned favorite gets its name. Perhaps unsurprisingly, they’re often ascribes special meaning on Valentine’s Day.

Sprays of late spring to early summer flowers come in a variety of colors ranging from deep red to pink with lime-green to dark green foliage.

Varieties to try: White Diamonds, Pink Diamonds