Native Plants for Shade in Delaware

Woodland wildflowers, ferns, and groundcovers that thrive in the dappled and full shade under trees and on the north side of the house. Every species here is genuinely native to Delaware and the wider flora of the Mid-Atlantic and hardy through zone 7 — proven performers for Delaware's mild, humid climate across Atlantic Coastal Pine Barrens & Piedmont, not a generic list. Local standouts include Foamflower and Woodland Phlox. Shade is an opportunity, not a problem — the eastern woodland flora is one of the richest in the world. Most shade natives evolved under a deciduous canopy, so they do their growing in cool, moist spring soil and want a yearly mulch of fallen leaves rather than bare, raked dirt. Match the depth of shade to the plant, and a bare patch under a maple becomes the loveliest part of the garden.

17 native species for Delaware

Each one native to your region and hardy in zone 7 · see this collection in other states.