Shade-loving plants

Q: Which types of evergreen shrubs will tolerate shade? I garden in zone 6. 

There are plenty of shade-loving plant choices for your zone, including Aucuba, Buxus (the variegated selection is particularly cheerful in shade), Leucothoe, Mahonia aquifolia, Ilex crenata cultivars, and some species of Euonymus and Cotoneaster.

Many cultivars of rhododendron and azalea are also hardy to zone 6, but not all. Some conifers, such as yew, do very well in the shade. Among my personal favourites are the various cultivars of hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa). ‘Nana Gracilis’ (pictured) would even grow in a container in zone 6 as it’s hardy to zone 4.