If you’re planning a north-facing yard, knowing the best plants for your landscape is key. The unique characteristics of northward lawns can make landscaping a challenge, but there are plenty of plants that can thrive here. Read on to see some of the best plants for a north-facing yard.
Characteristics of a north-facing yard?
North-facing yards generally get less sun than other areas around your home. This means a north-facing landscape will need shade-loving plants that can handle a little extra moisture. It also helps if they are resistant to fungal diseases caused by moisture. Luckily, there’s no shortage of great garden ideas for a north-facing landscape’s shady conditions.
Best plants for a north-facing yard
From ground covers to statement shrubs and climbing vines, all kinds of greenery can thrive in your north-facing garden. These are some of the best plants for a north-facing yard. Also, check out this article on Lawn Love about how to landscape north-facing yards.
Ground Covers
It can be tricky to grow grass in the shade of a north-facing yard, so you might want to consider a hardy vining or flowering ground cover instead. These ground covers will keep your yard looking fresh, shade or shine.
Virginia Creeper
Perfect for gardeners who love native plants, Virginia creeper is found throughout the eastern and central United States. This member of the grape family creates a lush ground cover up to a foot tall, helps control erosion, and is hardy in drought, shade, and cold. In the fall, the Virginia Creeper‘s green leaves turn orange and red, while spring brings delicate flowers and berries that attract songbirds.
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-9
- Varieties: Star Showers, Variegata
- Care: Virginia creeper should be watered once a week in particularly hot and dry weather, but no other watering is needed. Mulch can help keep the plant cool and moist while also keeping weeds in check.
- Cost: A package of 10 Virginia creeper vines are available for around $28.
Sweet Woodruff
Sweet woodruff is a delicate flowering groundcover with a multitude of uses – historically, it’s been used as an herbal remedy for several ailments, while the white flowers are traditionally used to flavor riesling and to ward off moths. It loves moist soil and part shade to full shade, so it’ll be right at home in your north-facing yard.
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-8
- Varieties: N/A – no other cultivars
- Care: Sweet woodruff is deer-resistant and rabbit-proof, but it can become invasive, so keep it under control where planted. It can struggle in conditions that are too hot or dry, but it can typically handle dry shade.
- Cost: A container of sweet woodruff is available for about $40.
Perennials
Looking for flowers that come back year after year? These perennial flowers love shade and moist soils, making them a great fit for your north-facing landscape.
Jacob’s Ladder
Jacob’s ladder forms beautiful purplish-blue flowers in a stacked formation, the source of its name. These native wildflowers are members of the phlox family and bloom in May and June, though their foliage will stay green all summer long.
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-8
- Varieties: Bressingham Purple, Stairway to Heaven
- Care: Jacob’s ladder may be an annual in colder climates, as the roots can freeze over winter. It may be affected by powdery mildew or fungal leaf spot.
- Cost: A 1.5 foot-tall Jacob’s ladder plant is available for around $10.
Toad Lily
Toad lilies are unique fall bloomers that produce small, orchid-like blooms in a purple tortoiseshell pattern. Native to Japan, toad lilies are a relatively new botanical novelty, with several variegated cultivars that have been developed only in the last two decades.
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-9
- Varieties: Minazuki, Golden Gleam, Moonlight, Empress
- Care: Toad lilies prefer moist soil rich in organic matter and thrive in full to partial shade. They should be planted under shelter or covered during light fall frosts to protect the flowers. Generally, toad lilies are pest resistant, though they can be damaged by slugs and rabbits.
- Cost: Toad lily bulbs are available for a little under $4.
Flowering Shrubs
Flowering shrubs can help provide structure in a north-facing landscape, and many also attract pollinators and help with erosion control. These bushy blooms are the perfect addition to your north-facing yard.
Rhododendron
Rhododendrons are a huge family of flowering shrubs, but all of them thrive in dappled shade. Because there is such a wide variety, you’re sure to find a rhododendron to suit your space, whether you’re looking to dress up small shady areas or a sprawling north-facing landscape.
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-9
- Varieties: Carolina rhododendron, Catawba rhododendron, Piedmont rhododendron
- Care: Rhododendrons can be susceptible to pests, but shouldn’t have serious issues with them if well-maintained. They won’t need much pruning other than deadheading and removing dead wood, and should be watered deeply and regularly during dry spells, though you’ll want to keep an eye out for signs of waterlogging and root rot.
- Cost: A one-gallon pot will set you back about $60.
Bush Honeysuckle
Honeysuckle bushes are adaptable to just about any light conditions, and their wide variety of landscaping uses makes them a smart choice for any garden. They’re tolerant of drought and soil compaction, easily planted on slopes, and attractive to plenty of pollinators.
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-7
- Varieties: Northern bush honeysuckle, southern bush honeysuckle
- Care: Bush honeysuckles are resistant to many pests, but they may have problems with leaf spot and downy mildew. They are easy to grow and mature quickly, and while they’re a food source in the wild, deer rarely disturb them in landscapes.
- Cost: A one-gallon pot Northern bush honeysuckle costs about $30.
Evergreens
Evergreen plants are often the stars of a north-facing landscape, with flourishing flowers and lush green foliage that stay strong year-round. These shrubs and flowers are a great place to start.
Hellebore
Unique hellebores are related to buttercups, and their hooded flowers can be white, pink, red, blue, or even black. These plants have adapted to droop to a 45 degree angle to weather frost and snow. They prefer partial to full shade, and typically flower between December and April.
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 4-9
- Varieties: Corsican hellebore, Christmas Rose, Lenten Rose
- Care: Hellebores love moist soil, but conditions that are too damp or lack circulation can lead to problems with Botrytis mold. They prefer filtered sunlight and are extremely cold-tolerant.
- Cost: A quart pot of Lenten Rose hellebores is available for about $29.
American Wintergreen
American wintergreen is a native groundcover shrub that provides dark green leaves in winter landscapes with full to partial shade. The leaves of this versatile plant have a minty scent and a long history of medicinal use due to anti-inflammatory properties. Wintergreen has luminous white flowers that produce edible red berries in the summertime. In the fall, leaves turn to a deep purple.
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-8
- Varieties: Cherry Berries, Berry Cascade
- Care: Wintergreen does best in cool summers, and it prefers moist, acidic, and well-drained soil. It’s pest and disease resistant and should be pruned after flowering.
- Cost: A one-gallon pot of Berry Cascade wintergreen can be purchased for around $18.00.
Glossy-Leaved Paper Plant
The glossy-leaved paper plant, or Fatsia japonica, is a beautiful evergreen shrub perfect for a shady north-facing landscape or container garden. It’s also easy to transplant, and is tolerant of sandy soils, salt spray, cold, and air pollution.
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 3-9
- Varieties: Camouflage, Spiders’ Web, Variegata
- Care: Fatsia japonica should be grown in a sheltered area or close to the house, as its leaves will brown in full sun or wind. It can face problems with pests and deer and is prone to root rot in excess moisture. It can be grown inside as a houseplant if conditions outdoors prove untenable.
- Cost: A three-gallon pot of Fatsia japonica costs around $59.
Autumn Fern
Autumn fern is a charming dwarf fern that may look delicate, but it has the ability to withstand drought, shade, and extreme heat and cold. It gets its name from its leaves, which turn copper-red in early spring. Its slow and steady growth pattern makes it a good fit as an evergreen groundcover or a shady border.
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 5-11
- Varieties: Brilliance
- Care: Autumn fern is a low-maintenance plant that won’t have trouble with deer or pests but prefers moist, acidic soil. Too much sun can scorch it, and watering is only necessary in dry climates or periods of drought once it’s established.
- Cost: A one-pint pot of ‘Brilliance’ Autumn fern costs a little under $14.
Climbing Plants
Climbing plants are a handy addition to a north-facing landscape, as they’re often able to stretch out into sunnier parts of the lawn. These flowering climbers will add a pop of color to your north-facing shady spots.
Hybrid Musk Roses
Roses typically need a lot of sun, but hybrid musk roses are a perfect addition to a partially shady, north-facing landscape, as they can handle as few as five hours of direct sunlight per day. These fragrant flowers are almost everblooming, and they first blossomed in the early 1900s, when they were introduced as a hybrid of the original musk rose.
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 5-10
- Varieties: Cornelia, Buff Beauty, Lavender Lassie, Bubble Bath
- Care: Hybrid musk roses are very disease-tolerant and do well climbing on pillars or north-facing walls and fences. They can handle a wide variety of temperatures and soil conditions. Morning sun is best to improve disease resistance.
- Cost: Hybrid musk roses are available for about $46.
Star Jasmine
Star jasmine is a climbing vine that produces small but mighty white pinwheel-shaped flowers with a potent sweet fragrance. It’s tolerant of drought and versatile to many different conditions, and is particularly common in the Southeast.
- USDA Hardiness Zones: 8-11
- Varieties: Variegatum
- Care: Star jasmine adapts quickly to trellis and chain-link fence planting and is disease and pest-resistant. Planting near trees can cause it to grow to heights difficult to prune, but it typically prunes well. The sticky sap can stain clothing, so be careful when tending to the plant.
- Cost: A one-gallon pot of star jasmine can be purchase for about $49.
Get the Garden That’s Right for You
Selecting the best plants for a north-facing landscape can be a tricky process, but luckily, you don’t have to rely on trial and error to get the north-facing garden of your dreams.
Our Lawn Love pros can help you select plants that will thrive in your north-facing yard. Call or click today for expert advice on creating a lush landscape that fits your needs.
Main photo credit: Pxhere
