What to plant
What to plant in a part-shade bed in zone 4
For a part-shade bed in zone 4: Smooth hydrangea 'Annabelle', Japanese painted fern 'Pictum', Bee balm, Lenten rose and Foamflower. 28 plants of 5 kinds for a 12 × 6 ft bed.
Preview: plant data is awaiting horticulturist review. A professional horticulturist hasn't reviewed our plant table yet. Lists still follow fixed rules for zone, sun, pets, deer and invasive status.
The plant list
12 × 6 ft · Zone 4 · 2–4 hours of sun · Cottage
Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle'
Structure · Back of bed · 3-gallon pot · 3.5 ft apart · grows 3–5 ft tall · Jun–Aug
Can't find it? Use Summersweet 'Hummingbird' or Bush honeysuckle 'Kodiak Orange'.
Athyrium niponicum 'Pictum'
Grass · Front of bed · 1-gallon pot · 1.3 ft apart · grows 1–1.5 ft tall · Foliage plant
Bee balm
× 5
Monarda didyma
Filler · Back of bed · 1-gallon pot · 2 ft apart · grows 2.5–4 ft tall · Jul–Aug
Can't find it? Use Astilbe 'Fanal' or Bleeding heart.
Lenten rose
× 7
Helleborus × hybridus
Filler · Front of bed · 1-gallon pot · 1.5 ft apart · grows 1–1.5 ft tall · Feb–Apr
Can't find it? Use Astilbe 'Fanal' or Chinese astilbe 'Visions'.
Foamflower
× 5
Tiarella cordifolia
Edge · Edge of bed · quart pot · 1.3 ft apart · grows 0.5–1 ft tall · Apr–May
Can't find it? Use Canadian wild ginger or Western bleeding heart.
Kinds
5
Plants
28
Coverage
90%
Mulch
9 bags
Mulch: 0.67 cu yd at 3 in deep (9 bags of 2 cu ft). Plants cover about 90% of the 72 sq ft bed when mature.
- Zone 4
- Midwest summers (e.g. Minnesota)
- 2 to 4 hours of sun
- Cottage style
- 12 × 6 ft bed
When to plant in zone 4
- Spring planting
- late May to late June
- Fall planting
- late August to mid-September
- Typical last spring frost
- early to late May
- Typical first fall frost
- mid- to late September
Typical dates for zone 4. Your own dates can differ by two weeks or more; check with a local nursery or extension office.
Why these rules
Part shade means 2 to 4 hours of direct summer sun, usually morning sun or dappled light under high branches. Sun-loving perennials stretch and flop there, so the list leans on plants that flower in lower light and on foliage texture.
Zone 4 only describes winter: the coldest night of an average year falls between -30°F and -20°F. This list was composed for the Midwest, with humid summers and cold continental winters, so plants that fail in those summers were left out even where the zone says they would survive.
We let the engine choose the style with the most eligible plants for these conditions; here that is cottage. A cottage bed is loose and generous: several kinds of flowering plants that overlap through the season, with a shrub to hold the back.
The sample bed is 12 × 6 ft: 5 kinds and 28 plants. Taller plants go at the back, grasses and mid-height flowers in the middle and low plants along the front edge, each planted in a group so the bed reads as one planting. Quantities come from each plant's spacing, so a bigger or smaller bed changes the numbers, not the logic.
Also eligible
Every other plant in our table that passes the same rules (30 in all, including the 5 above). Swap any of these in within the same role.
Show the 25 other eligible plants
Anchor
Structure
Filler
Edge
- Barren strawberry
- Bugleweed 'Bronze Beauty' (invasive in District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia: don't plant it there)
- Canadian wild ginger
- Spotted dead nettle 'Beacon Silver'
- Sweet woodruff
Questions and answers
- How many plants do I need for a 12 × 6 ft bed?
- This list uses 28 plants of 5 kinds for a 12 × 6 ft bed (72 sq ft), spaced so they cover about 90% of the bed when mature. Add 9 bags of mulch (2 cu ft) to cover it 3 inches deep.
- When should I plant in zone 4?
- In zone 4, plant in spring from late May to late June, or in fall from late August to mid-September. Typical last spring frost is early to late May and first fall frost mid- to late September; your own dates can differ by two weeks or more.
- What if I can't find Smooth hydrangea 'Annabelle'?
- Use Summersweet 'Hummingbird' or Bush honeysuckle 'Kodiak Orange': they fill the same role and pass the same rules. Every plant on the list shows two substitutes like this.
- How many plants pass these conditions?
- 30 plants in our table pass the rules for 2 to 4 hours of direct summer sun in zone 4. The ones not used in the sample bed are listed above by role.
How this page was made
This page was generated from FloraVista's plant table by fixed rules: the same rules engine that builds paid lists filtered the table for the conditions above, picked plants by role and worked out quantities for the sample bed. No person or chat model chose these plants, and no named expert has reviewed this list.
Data status: the plant table is awaiting review by a horticulturist. Check each plant with a local nursery or extension office before you buy.
Sources
- Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, state extension services and the USDA PLANTS database (zones, size, sun, water, bloom, native range)
- ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists (dog and cat toxicity)
- Rutgers NJAES and regional extension deer-resistance ratings
- State noxious-weed and invasive-plant lists and the Invasive Plant Atlas of the US
- Typical US garden-centre listings (pot size and price band)
Generated . How FloraVista chooses plants