Hydrangeas are widely recognized for their beautiful, showy blooms, but they're also a great plant to grow if you're looking for something that grows fast. "Panicled hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata) is a deciduous shrub that produces medium to large, elliptical to oval shaped, bright green leaves in mid-spring," says Adrienne Roethling, garden director for Paul J. Ciener Botanical Garden. Shortly after, panicles of flowers appear in a cone-shaped inflorescence. "Flowers last well throughout the summer months and turn a red or cinnamon color in fall," says Adrienne Roethling. Expect the shrub to reach maturity within three years, growing 12 inches or more a year if conditions are ideal.

Play up the sense of drama in the shaded areas of your yard with Twilight' Heucherella (Heucherella hybrid 'Twilight' PP25723), which has dark foliage in shades of purple, burgundy, and silver tones. It's also a great shrub to plant if you're looking for something to complement the colors of surrounding plants. “The top of each leaf is a charcoal green that is accented by a bright purple underside," says Putnam. "With that pop of contrast, it’s an absolutely stunning plant.”

Although bottlebrush buckeye (Aesculus parviflora) produce more flowers in locations with greater sunlight, the shrub can still grow and thrive in shade. "Tubular white flowers arranged in breathtaking candlestick-like panicles make bottlebrush buckeye a great summer-flowering shrub for shady areas." The panicles, which can grow up to 1 foot in length, attracts butterflies and hummingbirds.

Maple-leaved viburnum (Viburnum acerifolium) is more shade tolerant than most other viburnums, making it a great addition to the dimly lit patches of your yard. "Small, white lace-cap flowers in spring give way to berries loved by birds that grace the maple-like leaves of Maple-leaved Viburnum," says Young "Its bright green foliage becomes a distinctive bright red, pink, or purple in the fall."

Mahonia is an evergreen shrub with intricate leaf texture that infuses movement into shady spaces. For a thorn-free variety, try 'Soft Caress' Mahonia (Mahonia eurybracteata 'Soft Caress' PP20183). It has deep green foliage that shines year-round and bright yellow flowers that provide a pop of color in early winter. “This variety of Mahonia has a beautifully compact growing habit with foliage that mimics bamboo, without the aggressive spreading habit," says Janet Sluis of Sunset Plant Collection.

Balls of tiny flowers sit atop the tall spikes of the perennial rattlesnake master, a drought-tolerant plant with pale green summer blooms. Though it looks like a thistle, this plant is a member of the carrot family—crush the leaves to catch the familiar scent.

Another member of the mint family that draws pollinators is mountain mint, a low-maintenance herbaceous perennial with pink-speckled blooms that open in midsummer. "The crushed foliage has a minty aroma, different from the mint types grown as common herbs, but still minty overall," says Talabac. "It's popular with a lot of other pollinators, like native bees, solitary wasps, and honeybees, teeming with activity when a clump is in peak bloom."

Summersweet, a deciduous shrub, gives off a sweet scent from its off-white or light pink blooms in the later part of the summer, drawing pollinators after other plants have stopped flowering. "It's later to leaf-out in spring than most flowering shrubs, so don't be alarmed if branches are still bare when other garden plants start regrowing," says Talabac.

Anise Hyssop, a member of the mint family, produces tall cones of small purple flowers, and exudes a minty scent from its crushed leaves. The nectar draws butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds. "This plant has a long bloom period—at least a couple months in summer, possibly longer if deadheaded," says Talabac.

While its cousin, common milkweed, is likely to spread through as much of your garden as it can, the "more restrained" butterfly weed will attract plenty of its namesake pollinators without the aggressive takeover. "Butterfly weed is vibrant orange or yellow-orange (or more rarely reddish-orange)," says Talabac. "They bloom around midsummer, and some species have appealing fragrances. Monarch and Queen butterflies will use many species of milkweed as host plants for their caterpillars."