• Mountain laurelsMichael Melford/Photodisc/Getty Images
  
  Most flowering shrubs and bushes need sun exposure to bloom well, but a few flower well in the shade. If sections of your garden have partial or constant shade, those areas don't have to be dark and dreary. Instead, brighten them up with shade-loving flowering bushes.
  
  

Spicebush

• Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) is native to the United States and is notable for its small, yellow, spring-blooming flowers and vibrantly scarlet fall berries. The shrub gets its common name from the fact that its twigs, historically used to make tea, have a spicy fragrance. Unlike many flowering bushes that only thrive in partial shade, Lindera benzoin grows well even in full shade, according to the University of Illinois.
  
  

Bottlebrush Buckeye

• The Bottlebrush buckeye (Aesculus parviflora) is a summer-blooming shrub that prefers shade, according to the University of Illinois. This showy bush features long, arching branches draped with long panicles of white flowers that grow up to 12 inches in length. This plant is native to the southeastern part of the United States.
  
  

Mountain Laurel

• The mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia) is a bush native to the eastern United States. It is an understory plant often found growing in the shade of coniferous and deciduous tree forests. This broad-leafed evergreen features spring-blooming flowers in shades of white, pink or red, depending on the cultivar. The mountain laurel is tolerant of full shade, according to the University of Connecticut, and thrives best in cool, moist soils. Too much sun causes the leaves to scorch.
  
  

Oakleaf Hydrangea

• Hydrangeas are highly desirable for their large clusters of flowers, but the Oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia) also has beautiful foliage. This flowering shrub, which grows well in full or partial shade, features large, creamy-white panicles of summer-blooming flowers and leaves shaped like those of an oak tree. In the fall, those leaves change color, becoming purple, red, yellow or orange, according to the University of Connecticut.