• Cedars offer a gardening opportunity beneath their shady boughs.Red Cedar at Picton castle April 2008 image by David Stirrup from Fotolia.com
  
  True cedars (botanical name: Cedrus) add drama to landscapes that can accommodate their size. With varieties that can be grown in every USDA zone, these trees are able to maximize water use, provide windbreaks and shade. Plants most compatible under cedars require that they grow in loamy, well-drained soils. Good choices are perennials or annuals that winter indoors. If the tree is part of a windbreak, arrange your plantings on the sheltered side.
  
  

Salvia

• Salvia can take the sunniest spots in an under-cedar garden.red salvia image by Michelle Reimers from Fotolia.com
  
  Salvia nemorosa 'Mmainacht (May Night)' is a vivid indigo-blue variety of meadow sage. "Nemorosa" means "of woods," yet this plant is able to take sun and heat. With fragrant 18-inch spikes attracting butterflies, this award-winner starts blooming in late spring and reblooms if deadheaded. Even though the cedar grows in wide distribution, salvia works best in zones 4 through 9.
  
  

Impatiens

• Impatiens need moisture to thrive.impatiens image by palms from Fotolia.com
  
  "Victorian Rose" is one of many varieties of Impatiens walleriana, a dependable and popular plant. Also called "balsams," these flowers originated in forest areas and prefer the cooler spots in the shade. Both annual and perennial varieties of impatiens are available; annuals should be wintered indoors and replanted in spring. This choice needs well-drained soil, but also more moisture. Pay extra attention to watering.
  
  

Begonia

• Begonias soften the look close to a tree trunk.begonia image by Giuliano from Fotolia.com
  
  Blooming from midsummer to mid-fall, Begonia tuberhybrida offers rounded blossoms in orange, yellow and salmon-pink hues. Begonias return in warmer zones, but a harsh winter can turn this perennial into a single season. Growing 6 to 12 inches high in shade to partial sun, this flower, like impatiens, has an old-fashioned, heirloom quality that presents well against the distinctive bark of a cedar trunk.
  
  

Common Periwinkle

• Periwinkle is an reliable ground cover.Periwinkle image by pognyc from Fotolia.com
  
  Also called creeping myrtle, Vinca minor prefers drier, partial-sun or sunny locations where it can provide an evergreen groundcover. Hardy in zones 4 through 8, it grows best when planted 15 to 18 inches apart. It sets the flowering pace in early spring with its special shade of lavender blue. Periwinkle's low, dense foliage allows other plants' variety of height and shape to gather attention in summer.
  
  

Coleus

• Coleus needs attention to temperatures.coleus image by Keith Pinto from Fotolia.com
  
  Coleus enriches shady spots with dense leaf color. You can paint a hot pink and deep purple contrast for other plants by choosing Solenostemon x kaleidoscope. In early spring, containers filled with coleus and other flowers mentioned here will fill in your flower beds as they become established. Include coleus in pots when temperatures won't fall below 50 degrees F, then move them indoors for winter.