Hanging plants are a great way to add some greenery to your porch, but finding the right plants for a shaded porch can be tricky. Low light conditions can make it difficult for some plants to thrive, but there are still plenty of options out there.
In this article, we’ll be sharing the best hanging plants for shaded porches, so you can find the perfect one for your space. But before we dive into our list, you might be wondering: “What if I want something unique? Something that will make my porch stand out from the rest?” Keep reading to find out!
When it comes to shady spots and areas where ground or floor space may be limited, the ideal way to meet that challenge is by making use of climbing or hanging plants. You can use green hanging or flowering plants indoors or outdoors. You can make use of both annuals and perennials, and there are even some fabulously interesting climbing plants that grow from tubers.
Best Hanging Plants For A Shady Area
Brighten dark and shaded corners of your home, porch, balcony, or garden with a beautiful hanging basket filled with tall or trailing blooms.
While some hanging basket plants need full to partial sun in order to thrive in early spring, others specifically suited for such areas are those that thrive in full to partial shady areas. Select long-lasting, shade-loving annuals and perennials that dress the area for many months and provide continual blooms or foliage.
Impatiens Are An Excellent Choice
An old favorite for hanging baskets in shaded areas, impatiens (Impatiens walleriana) come in a wide range of colors, including white, red, orange, and violet that dress up the area from early summer through the first frost.
Also called busy Lizzy or patient Lucy, impatiens grow between 10 and 30 inches tall and require well-draining soil. Pinch back long, leafless vines to prevent the hanging basket from looking straggly.
Pansy Is Also A Good Choice
One of the first flowers to appear in spring, frost-tolerant pansy (Viola x wittrockiana) continues to bloom throughout the winter in mild climates and stops when warm weather arrives. Resembling a happy face, each cheerful annual grows to one to three inches wide and features a variety of colors including white, purple, yellow, and pink.
Forming a striking container garden, pansy prefers full to partial shade and slightly acidic soil. Deadheading spent blossoms encourage bushy blooms of vibrant colors.
Ferns Are Great For Outdoor Spaces And A Shady Patio
A great plant for shade-loving container gardens, ferns actually weaken and pale in color when exposed to full sunlight for long periods. There are many varieties of tall or trailing, single-colored or variegated ferns, allowing the gardener to choose the one that meets his needs.
These colorful foliage plants prefer moist soils and frequent pruning to maintain the look and appearance of the hanging basket.
Japanese Painted Fern Is Great For A Shaded Porch
The Japanese Painted Fern, sometimes known as Pictum, is a hardy, shade-loving fern that grows very well in a hanging pot. Like many ferns, it requires moist soil. The plant requires minimal light, which makes it a popular choice for hanging near walls and trees. While it thrives in most climates, it will suffer in extreme heat and cold.
Fuchsia For A Hanging Flower Basket
An attractive and beautiful plant that does well in a hanging planter, fuchsia (Fuchsia x hybrida) features colorful flowers and bell-shaped blooms that gracefully dangle over the edges of the container.
Colorful blooms come in strikingly bold or pastel shades of magenta, maroon, and purple, soft pink or lavender that grow along drooping stems covered in deep green, oval leaves. Long-lasting fuchsia prefers shaded areas and blooms from spring through till the first frost.
Hostas Are Great Outdoor Hanging Plants
Hostas are hardy ornamental plants that require full or partial shade. Most varieties of Hostas thrive in compact groups, therefore they are perfectly suited for tight spaces in hanging planters. Though Hostas prefer full shade, they will survive in more direct sunlight if the planting soil is kept moist.
Blue Wings Are The Perfect Plant For Your Porch
Blue Wings are great companion plants for other shade-loving plants. They are flowering annuals that thrive in partial shade. Due to their moist-soil requirements and reliance on partial shade, Blue Wings are great choices for hanging planters on trees when indirect sunlight reaches the plant.
Variegated Ivy Is One Of The Hardy Plants Of Your Garden
Variegated ivy is a common, houseplant ivy, especially good for partial sunlight indoor growing. For this reason, it also makes a wonderful option for an outdoor hanging plant in partial to full shade. The english ivy does well in moderately moist soil, and if kept away from direct sunlight, the leaves should thrive throughout the spring, summer, and fall.
Coleus Is One Of The Best Trailing Plants
Coleus (Solenostemon scutellarioides) is a species that does well in either part or full shade. In zones 10 to 11, where temperatures dip no lower than 30 degrees Fahrenheit, coleus may be planted as a perennial. In cooler regions, plant as an annual or bring your hanging basket inside for the winter months.
Coleus is known for its attractive foliage rather than its obscure white flowers. Leaves are oval-shaped with pointed tips and come in a variety of multicolor combinations, including pink with yellow, green with purple, maroon with red, and orange with green. Plant coleus in rich, moist soil. Foliage may spread up to 3 feet.
Wishbone Flower For A Shade Garden
The wishbone flower (Torenia fournieri), known for its showy blossoms, thrives in part to full shade as it does not do well with extreme heat. It remains in bloom from early to midsummer until the first frost and has trumpet-shaped flowers that come in violet, blue or purple, depending on the variety.
The wishbone flower is an annual plant that prefers rich, well-drained, and moist soil. Its foliage of light green, toothed leaves is also attractive. Wishbone flowers may spread up to 9 inches.
Polka Dot Plant And Abundant Flowers
The Polka dot plant (Hypoestes Phyllostachys) is a partial-shade plant that is also known for its foliage. Like coleus, it is hardy to zones 10 to 11; in colder regions bring the baskets inside after frost or replant the following spring. Oval-shaped leaves come in various polka-dotted color combinations, such as pink with green and white with green.
Although the flowers are not as obvious, they are still quite attractive, with elongated, lavender-colored blossoms. Plant the polka dot plant in rich, well-drained soil and provide it with a medium amount of moisture. Polka dot plant may spread up to 1 foot.
Flowering vines are also attractive to use on pergolas, arbors, trellises, and even to grow up mailbox poles or lamp poles. You can mix the same flowering vine in different colors and grow them together for a really showy display of color, or you can mix similar flowers such as cardinal climber and cypress vine, and an interesting interplay of different-sized flowers and different textures of foliage.
Because hanging and climbing plants are so versatile, they can be used in countless places where other plants can’t be used, and if you want to be even more daring, you can grow flowering vines that would normally be grown outdoors, in your house.
There is no limit to what you can do, and the more creative you are willing to get, the more fun you can have. The result will be an interesting display unlike anything that any of your neighbors or friends have, and you may even become the talk of the town.
White, red, orange, and violet that dress up the area from early summer through the first frost. Also called busy Lizzy or patient Lucy, impatiens grow between 10 and 30 inches tall and require well-draining soil. Pinch back long, leafless vines to prevent the hanging basket from looking straggly.
Final Thoughts
There are many beautiful hanging plants that can thrive in shaded porch conditions. From ferns to succulents, there’s a wide variety of options to choose from. The key is to find a plant that will thrive in the specific light conditions of your porch.
By selecting the right plant, you’ll be able to add some greenery to your space, and enjoy the benefits that come with having plants in your home.
As a next step, we recommend that you take a closer look at the plants on our list, and do some additional research to find the one that will work best for your porch. Additionally, you can consult with a local nursery or gardening expert for more personalized recommendations based on your specific location and light conditions.
Remember, proper care and maintenance is key to the success of your plants, so make sure you understand the specific needs of the plant you choose.
