Best Plants to Grow Under Trees: Perennials, Ground Covers, and Shrubs That Actually Thrive

The best plants to grow under trees are shade-tolerant perennials, ground covers, and shrubs adapted to root competition and low light. Hostas, hellebores, coral bells, ferns, and bleeding hearts top the list for most yards. But the species you choose matters less than understanding the conditions under your specific tree.

Under a high-canopy oak with dappled light and deep roots, almost anything shade-tolerant will thrive. Under a Norway maple with dense surface roots and heavy shade, you’ll struggle to grow anything at all. The tree dictates the rules.

Here’s what works, what doesn’t, and how to plant without killing the tree above.

Best perennials for under trees

Hostas (Hosta spp.)

The workhorse of shade gardens. Hundreds of cultivars from 6-inch miniatures to 4-foot monsters. Blue-leaved varieties like ‘Halcyon’ handle deeper shade. Gold and variegated types need a few hours of morning sun to develop their best color.

• Zones: 3-8
• Height: 6 inches to 4 feet depending on cultivar
• Light: Part shade to full shade
• Drought tolerance: Moderate once established
• Bloom: Lavender to white flowers on stalks, mid to late summer

Hostas are deer candy. If you have deer, either fence them or skip hostas entirely. Slugs are the other nemesis. Copper tape around containers or iron phosphate bait (Sluggo) handles slugs without harming pets or wildlife.

Lenten Rose (Helleborus orientalis)

Blooms in February and March when nothing else does. Nodding flowers in white, pink, purple, and green last 8-10 weeks. Evergreen foliage stays through winter. Penn State Extension specifically recommends hellebores for dry shade under trees because they handle root competition and drought once established.

• Zones: 4-9
• Height: 12-18 inches
• Light: Part shade to deep shade
• Drought tolerance: Good once established
• Bloom: Late winter to early spring (February through April)

Deer won’t touch them. Self-seeds freely, so you’ll have more every year without buying new plants.

Coral Bells (Heuchera spp.)

Grown for foliage, not flowers. The leaves come in purple, coral, lime green, silver, and amber. ‘Palace Purple’ was the 1991 Perennial Plant of the Year and still holds up. Give them morning sun for the best color. Deep shade mutes the foliage to a dull green.

• Zones: 4-9
• Height: 12-24 inches (foliage mound)
• Light: Part shade
• Drought tolerance: Moderate
• Bloom: Delicate bell-shaped flowers on wiry stems, late spring to mid-summer

Divide every 3-4 years. They get woody at the crown and die out from the center if you ignore them.

Bleeding Heart (Lamprocapnos spectabilis)

Heart-shaped pink or white flowers dangle from arching stems in April and May. One of the most recognized shade perennials. The catch: common bleeding heart goes completely dormant by mid-summer. The plant disappears. Plan for it by planting hostas or ferns nearby to fill the gap.

• Zones: 3-9
• Height: 24-36 inches (common type); 6-18 inches (fringed type)
• Light: Part shade to full shade
• Drought tolerance: Moderate
• Bloom: April through June

The native fringed bleeding heart (Dicentra eximia) is more compact, blooms longer (April through July), and doesn’t go fully dormant. It’s the better choice if you only plant one.

Astilbe (Astilbe spp.)

Feathery plumes in red, pink, peach, purple, and white from late spring through fall. The flower spikes dry beautifully and add winter interest if you leave them standing.

• Zones: 4-8
• Height: 18-36 inches
• Light: Part shade to full shade
• Drought tolerance: Low. Needs consistently moist soil.

This is the critical distinction. Astilbe is not for dry shade under established trees with competing roots. It belongs under trees where you can irrigate, or in naturally moist spots near downspouts and rain gardens. A soaker hose threaded through the planting bed solves the moisture problem.

Barrenwort (Epimedium spp.)

The dry shade champion. Penn State Extension names barrenwort as a top pick for planting under trees because it handles drought, root competition, and deep shade. Heart-shaped leaves emerge bronze in spring, turn green in summer, and some species stay evergreen through zone 7.

• Zones: 4-8
• Height: 8-12 inches
• Light: Part shade to deep shade
• Drought tolerance: Excellent once established
• Bloom: Small four-pointed flowers in red, pink, white, or yellow, May through June

Slow to establish. Plant it, water it for two years, and then forget about it. It’ll spread steadily by rhizomes and form a beautiful low carpet.

Solomon’s Seal (Polygonatum biflorum)

Native woodland plant with elegant arching stems and small, dangling, cream-white bell flowers in late spring. Black-blue berries in fall. Spreads by rhizomes to form colonies that look like they’ve been there forever.

• Zones: 3-9
• Height: 1-3 feet
• Light: Part shade to full shade
• Drought tolerance: Good once established
• Bloom: Late spring, cream-white bells under arching stems

Pair it with ferns and hostas. The three together create the classic woodland garden look.

Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides)

One of the best ferns for dry shade. Evergreen fronds stay green through winter (hence the name). Native from Nova Scotia to Florida. Tolerates rocky, poor soils. Clumps increase slowly over time.

• Zones: 3-9
• Height: 12-24 inches
• Light: Part shade to full shade
• Drought tolerance: Good once established

If you want ferns under trees but can’t provide constant moisture, this is your species. Japanese painted fern (Athyrium niponicum) and maidenhair fern (Adiantum pedatum) are showier but need more water.

Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)

Native wildflower with distinctive red and yellow spurred flowers that hummingbirds love. Self-seeds freely. Individual plants live only 2-3 years, but they perpetuate through seeding so the colony persists.

• Zones: 3-8
• Height: 12-36 inches
• Light: Part shade to dappled shade
• Drought tolerance: Good
• Bloom: Mid-spring, red and yellow

Japanese Forest Grass (Hakonechloa macra)

The ‘Aureola’ variety has gold-and-green striped leaves that brighten dark corners. Cascading habit works in containers or as a groundcover. Best in cool-summer climates. Zones 8-9 heat can burn the foliage.

• Zones: 5-9
• Height: 12-18 inches
• Light: Part shade to full shade
• Drought tolerance: Low to moderate

Ground covers that work under trees

When individual perennials won’t fill the space, ground covers create a living carpet. They suppress weeds, hold moisture, and look far better than bare dirt or struggling grass.

Liriope (Liriope muscari)

Toughest shade ground cover available. Tolerates drought, heat, salt spray, and full shade. Purple flower spikes in late summer. Evergreen in zones 7+. Plant 12 inches apart for full coverage within 2 years.

• Zones: 5-10
• Height: 12-18 inches

Ajuga (Ajuga reptans)

Fastest shade ground cover. Blue-purple flower spikes in spring with bronze or purple foliage year-round. Spreads by runners and can fill a bed in one season from established plants. The warning: ajuga is aggressive. It will invade your lawn and adjacent beds if you don’t contain it with edging.

• Zones: 3-9
• Height: 2-4 inches (foliage), 6-10 inches (flower spikes)

Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense)

Native ground cover with heart-shaped, fuzzy leaves. Under 6 inches tall. Tolerates deer, wet soils, heavy shade, and black walnut juglone (most ground covers can’t handle walnut trees). Hidden spring flowers at ground level that only ants notice. Plant 12 inches apart.

• Zones: 4-8
• Height: Under 6 inches

Sweet Woodruff (Galium odoratum)

Fragrant whorled foliage (smells like fresh-cut hay) with small white star-shaped flowers in spring. Spreads by rhizomes and fills in quickly. Used traditionally in German May wine. Needs moist, fertile soil. Not for dry shade.

• Zones: 4-8
• Height: 6-12 inches

Mondo Grass (Ophiopogon japonicus)

Makes an excellent lawn substitute under trees that never needs mowing. Evergreen. Dwarf varieties (‘Nana’) stay 4-6 inches tall. Black mondo grass (O. planiscapus ‘Nigrescens’) adds near-black foliage that pairs with anything. Plant 4-6 inches apart for dwarf types.

• Zones: 6-11
• Height: 4-12 inches depending on variety

Shade-tolerant shrubs for under trees

Oakleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia)

Native to the Southeast. Large cone-shaped white flower clusters turn pink, then brown through summer. Oak-shaped leaves go burgundy in fall. Exfoliating bark adds winter interest. Needs some morning sun to bloom well but handles afternoon shade. For more hydrangea options, see our guide to ornamental trees and shrubs.

• Zones: 5-9
• Height: 4-8 feet

Japanese Kerria (Kerria japonica)

One of the few flowering shrubs that blooms well in considerable shade. Bright yellow flowers in spring on green stems that stay colorful through winter. Spreads by suckers. Virtually no maintenance required.

• Zones: 4-9
• Height: 3-6 feet

Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia)

Native evergreen with spectacular pink-to-white flower clusters in late spring. Needs acidic, well-drained soil. Pairs naturally under oaks and pines, which acidify soil as their leaves decompose. Deer avoid it (all parts are toxic). Slow grower, so buy the largest specimen you can afford.

• Zones: 4-9
• Height: 5-15 feet

Summersweet (Clethra alnifolia)

Fragrant white or pink flower spikes in mid-summer. One of the few shrubs that both flowers and thrives in deep shade. Native. Tolerates wet or dry soils, salt spray, and urban pollution. Attracts butterflies and hummingbirds. Yellow fall foliage.

• Zones: 3-9
• Height: 3-8 feet

Dwarf Fothergilla (Fothergilla gardenii)

White bottlebrush blooms in early April. Spectacular orange-red fall foliage. Competes reasonably well with tree roots. Handles both wet soils and drought once established. Four-season interest from one compact native shrub.

• Zones: 5-9
• Height: 3-6 feet

Trees that are easy to plant under

Not all trees create equal conditions underneath. The difference comes down to canopy density, root depth, and allelopathy (chemical warfare against neighboring plants).

Honey locust is the gold standard. Light, lacy foliage casts dappled shade that most plants love. Deep roots stay out of the top few inches of soil. Rain passes through the thin canopy easily. Almost anything shade-tolerant thrives under a honey locust.

Oaks (especially white oaks) have high canopies, deep taproots, and enough light penetration for a full understory garden. If you have a mature oak, you have one of the best canopies in any residential yard for underplanting.

Other easy trees: birch (thin canopy, good light), Kentucky coffeetree (open and airy), tulip tree (very high canopy on mature specimens).

Trees that are nearly impossible to plant under

Norway maple is the worst. Dense canopy blocks nearly all light. Aggressive shallow roots form a mat in the top 6 inches of soil that outcompetes everything. NC State Extension warns that the dense root system and heavy shade make growing anything underneath extremely difficult. If you have a Norway maple, your realistic options are mulch or shade-tolerant ground covers like liriope or ajuga.

Silver maple has the same shallow root problem without the dense canopy. Roots buckle sidewalks, invade flowerbeds, and choke out anything planted near them.

Beech trees have dense shade, shallow roots, and branches that sweep the ground. Almost nothing survives underneath a mature beech.

Southern magnolia blocks all light with its thick evergreen canopy, drops leathery leaves year-round, and has surface roots.

Black walnut produces juglone, a chemical toxic to many plants. The Morton Arboretum notes that juglone affects plants within 50-60 feet of the trunk. Azaleas, blueberries, peonies, tomatoes, and rhododendrons are all sensitive. Safe choices near walnuts include hostas, astilbe, bleeding heart, Solomon’s seal, wild ginger, and daffodils.

How to plant under trees without killing them

The tree was there first. Respect its roots. Penn State Extension has the best guide on this, and their key rules are straightforward:

Start 12 inches from the trunk. Never plant right at the base.

Use small plants. Landscape plugs, 4-inch pots, and small divisions are easier to tuck between tree roots than gallon containers. Smaller planting holes mean less root disturbance.

Use a hand trowel, not a shovel. If you hit a root 2 inches or larger in diameter, stop. Fill the hole back in and move to a new spot. Cutting large structural roots can destabilize the tree or create entry points for decay fungi. Fine feeder roots will regenerate, but structural roots won’t.

Add no more than 2 inches of soil or compost over the planting area. More than that suffocates tree roots by blocking gas exchange. Never build raised beds directly on top of tree root zones.

Don’t cover exposed roots or pile soil against the trunk. That causes the same crown rot that kills trees planted too deep. See our tree planting guide for why root flare depth matters.

Water deeply once per week rather than frequent light sprinkles. This encourages the new plants to root deeply instead of competing with the tree’s shallow feeder roots. Use a soil moisture meter to check before watering. Tree roots will always win the competition for moisture.

Mulch with 1-2 inches of shredded bark after planting. Keep mulch away from the tree trunk. No volcano mulching.

What not to plant under trees

Grass. Most lawn grass needs full sun. Even shade-tolerant varieties (fine fescue, St. Augustine) struggle under trees because they lose the moisture and nutrient competition with tree roots. If grass keeps dying under your trees, stop replanting it and switch to a shade ground cover.

Sun-loving perennials. Roses, lavender, coneflowers, and most ornamental grasses will become leggy, fail to bloom, or die outright in shade.

Anything that needs deep, amended soil. If you have to dig a 12-inch hole in a tree’s root zone, you’re going to hit major roots. Keep planting holes shallow and small.

Plastic sheeting or landscape fabric. Both prevent gas exchange with tree roots underneath. Use organic mulch instead.

Putting it together

Pick three or four species from the lists above and plant them in drifts, not straight rows. A sweep of hostas behind a band of coral bells with Christmas ferns filling the gaps looks natural. A single plant of each species looks like a plant collection, not a garden.

For year-round interest, combine an evergreen (hellebores or Christmas fern) with a spring bloomer (bleeding heart) and a summer performer (hostas or astilbe). That way something looks good in every season.

Start small. Plant a section, see how it performs through one full growing season, then expand. Shade conditions under trees change as the canopy leafs out in spring, so what looks like enough light in March might be dense shade by June.

For more shade garden ideas, check our front yard landscaping guide and tips for landscaping around existing trees. And for advice on which trees to avoid planting in the first place, we’ve got that covered too. For more ideas on creating a cohesive landscape design, check mklibrary.com’s guide to landscaping investments.