What to plant
What to plant in a shady bed in zone 8
For a shady bed in zone 8: Gold dust aucuba 'Variegata', Japanese painted fern 'Pictum', Astilbe 'Fanal', Siberian bugloss 'Jack Frost' and Japanese sedge 'Ice Dance'. 29 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 8 · Under 2 hours of sun · Classic
Aucuba japonica 'Variegata'
Structure · Back of bed · 3-gallon pot · 4.5 ft apart · grows 4–6 ft tall · Foliage plant
Can't find it? Use Sweetbox or Soft Caress mahonia 'Soft Caress'.
Athyrium niponicum 'Pictum'
Grass · Front of bed · 1-gallon pot · 1.3 ft apart · grows 1–1.5 ft tall · Foliage plant
Can't find it? Use Autumn fern or Japanese forest grass 'Aureola'.
Astilbe × arendsii 'Fanal'
Filler · Middle of bed · 1-gallon pot · 1.5 ft apart · grows 1.5–2 ft tall · Jun–Jul
Can't find it? Use Hairy alumroot 'Caramel' or Lenten rose.
Brunnera macrophylla 'Jack Frost'
Filler · Front of bed · 1-gallon pot · 1.5 ft apart · grows 1–1.5 ft tall · Apr–May
Can't find it? Use Hairy alumroot 'Caramel' or Lenten rose.
Carex morrowii 'Ice Dance'
Edge · Edge of bed · 1-gallon pot · 1.3 ft apart · grows 0.75–1 ft tall · Foliage plant
Can't find it? Use Mondo grass or Coral bells 'Palace Purple'.
Kinds
5
Plants
29
Coverage
80%
Mulch
9 bags
Mulch: 0.67 cu yd at 3 in deep (9 bags of 2 cu ft). Plants cover about 80% of the 72 sq ft bed when mature.
- Zone 8
- Southeast summers (e.g. Georgia)
- under 2 hours of sun
- Classic style
- 12 × 6 ft bed
When to plant in zone 8
- Spring planting
- mid-April to mid-May
- Fall planting
- October to mid-November
- Typical last spring frost
- early March to mid-April
- Typical first fall frost
- early to late November
Typical dates for zone 8. Your own dates can differ by two weeks or more; check with a local nursery or extension office.
Why these rules
Shade means under 2 hours of direct sun, typically on the north side of a building or under trees. Flowers are fewer, so the list leans on foliage shape, texture and evergreen structure; under trees, roots compete for water, so plan to water through the first summer.
Zone 8 only describes winter: the coldest night of an average year falls between 10°F and 20°F. This list was composed for the Southeast, with long, hot, humid summers and mild winters, so plants that fail in those summers were left out even where the zone says they would survive. Plants listed as invasive in any state of the region were left out too.
We let the engine choose the style with the most eligible plants for these conditions; here that is classic. A classic bed is tidy and symmetrical: evergreen structure at the back, then layered flowers in front.
The sample bed is 12 × 6 ft: 5 kinds and 29 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 (37 in all, including the 5 above). Swap any of these in within the same role.
Show the 32 other eligible plants
Structure
Grass
Filler
Edge
- Asian jasmine
- Barrenwort 'Sulphureum'
- Bugleweed 'Bronze Beauty' (invasive in District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia: don't plant it there)
- Dwarf mondo grass 'Nana'
- European wild ginger
- Foamflower
- Japanese pachysandra (invasive in District of Columbia, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania and West Virginia: don't plant it there)
- Mondo grass
- 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 29 plants of 5 kinds for a 12 × 6 ft bed (72 sq ft), spaced so they cover about 80% 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 8?
- In zone 8, plant in spring from mid-April to mid-May, or in fall from October to mid-November. Typical last spring frost is early March to mid-April and first fall frost early to late November; your own dates can differ by two weeks or more.
- What if I can't find Gold dust aucuba 'Variegata'?
- Use Sweetbox or Soft Caress mahonia 'Soft Caress': 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?
- 37 plants in our table pass the rules for under 2 hours of direct summer sun in zone 8. 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
More guides
Same need, other zones
More for zone 8
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- Dog-safe plants for a full-sun bed in zone 8
- Deer-resistant plants for a full-sun bed in zone 8
- Deer-resistant plants for a part-shade bed in zone 8
- Low-water plants for a full-sun bed in zone 8
- What to plant in a full-sun bed in zone 8
- What to plant in a part-shade bed in zone 8
- Cottage garden plants for a sunny bed in zone 8