Shade Tolerant Plants

Large, pure white, cupped, Higo-like single flowers are heavily edged in a starkly contrasting broad, deep red to cherry red band that quickly fades to white and are centered by a large boss of yellow stamens and are produced very early in the season in October. One of the earliest Camellias to flower and are sure to attract bees and other pollinators. Autumn Sunrise Sasanqua Camellia, bred by Dr. Clifford Parks, is a vigorous growing, large evergreen shrub with an upright habit and dark green medium textured foliage. Its vigor lends Autumn Sunrise to use as a screen, hedge, or specimen plant. Provide Camellias with a fertile soil rich in organic matter, with average moisture, and an organic mulch. Sasanqua Camellias do well in full sun to bright shade. Images courtesy of Cam Too Camellia Nursery, all rights reserved. Item# 13208

The rosette-like clusters of glossy, wide, succulent, medium green, tapering foliage resembles a bromeliad in many regards but is actually a close kin of the more common Wandering Jew and Spiderworts. Mature Basket Plant mothers may produce upright to arching branching stems that are adorned with basket-like clusters of dainty, white, fragrant flowers that are likely pollinated by hummingbird and Sphinx moths. New pups are typically produced at the ends of long, spidery trailing arms and can be up to 36" long. This is an easy and rewarding, heirloom plant suitable even for beginners and it can be enjoyed indoors as well as out. The Basket Plant, Callisia fragrans, is a naturally evergreen, tropical perennial with individuals growing to about 6-10"H x 12"W. It can be enjoyed as hanging basket and container specimens and is also used as an easy and low maintenance groundcover in areas with mild winter climates. It is reported to withstand some direct sunlight but the leaves tend to lay down and may take on purple tinging, we personally think it looks the best when grown in light shade or with a short period of cool direct sunlight like very early or very late in the day. Provide a well-drained, average moist soil and allow the soil to become somewhat dry between waterings. Item# 12908

The bracts start out chartreuse to yellow and quickly begin to take on bronze tones and mature to a deep brick red. A favorite among hummingbirds, the nectar rich, tubular white flowers peak out from between the bracts and have maroon bee guides on the lower lip. The Bicolor Red Shrimp Plant, a selection of Justicia brandeegeana, is a heat loving, naturally evergreen, bushy, tropical plant with dark olive green foliage and grows to about 24" high by about 18" wide. The foliage of these plants may eventually show white and cream variegation as they were propagated from variegated mother plants. The Red Shrimp Plants can be enjoyed both as container plants as specimens or in mixed company as well as in the garden and landscape. It is both full sun and bright shade tolerant but tends to have the densest branching habit where it receives at least 4 hours or more of direct sunlight. Provide an average to well-drained, moderately fertile, average moist soil for optimum vigor and flowering. The Red Shrimp Plant is an RHS Award of Garden Merit winner. Caterpillar host: Cuban Crescent, Texan Crescent, White Peacock, and Malachite. Item# 12909

Selected at the esteemed Biltmore Estate, Ashville, NC, the summerlong display of 2" wide dangling Chinese lantern-like flowers are a soft yellow-orange heavily overlaid with a strongly contrasting deep red veining. Biltmore Ball Gown Abutilon or Flowering Maple is an exceptionally hardy and reliable upright growing, naturally evergreen shrubby tropical that has proven to be evergreen in mild zone 8 winters but where it is not reliably hardy it makes an easy container plant that can be overwintered indoors near a sunny window. Abutilons are also known as Parlor Maples as this was a reliably flowering indoor plant and a conversation piece. The flowers attract hummingbirds and other garden beneficials. Provide a full sun to partly shaded site in a fertile, average moist soil. Item# 13087

The large tropical deep green, sagittate to heart-shaped foliage is heavily marked with starkly contrasting bright white to creamy yellow pinstripes. As the foliage ages it eventually fades into a deep dark glossy green and may occasionally sport burgundy to solid white foliage and even pink tinges. The Birkin Philodendron, a shockingly different sport of its parent Red Congo, is a naturally upright and self-supporting or self-heading Philodendron with a slow rate of growth eventually reaching up to 2-3' high and wide. It will do best in high to medium indirect sunlight, although it can probably tolerate a little filtered early morning or very late evening direct sunlight. Too much direct sunlight is likely to cause leaf burn as with many other variegated plants. Enjoy your young Birkin Philodendron as a window sill plant or on a table top. Use a high quality potting soil and mix in a slow or controlled release, non-burning fertilizer and allow the soil to become moderately dry between waterings and never allow them to remain soggy wet. Overall these are easy to grow and enjoy evergreens that can brighten up a room or porch or patio during the warmer months of the year, when night time temperatures remain above about 60-65^oF. Item# 12808

Dense clouds of pinkish-purplish airy flowers top the sturdy 4-1/2 to 6' high stems in mid to late spring attracting a variety of smaller pollinators all atop a neat lacy mound of Columbine-like bluish-green foliage. Black Stockings Meadow Rue, a Terra-Nova Nurseries hybrid Thalictrum introduction, is a hardy, clump-forming, herbaceous perennial that is sure to make a statement in the spring garden or landscape. *Meadow Rue are tolerant of full sun in areas with cool summers but may do best with midday and afternoon shade or filtered shade in hot summer climates. We actually grow them under deciduous shade to good effect here in 8B. Meadow-Rue generally prefers a moist, well-drained, fertile soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Flowering may be limited the first season but will increase with each year as the plants become better established. Black Stockings Meadow Rue was selected as an RHS Award of Garden Merit winner. Photos courtesy of Terra Nova Nurseries, Inc., www.terranovanurseries.com, all rights reserved. Item# 13171

Large clusters of lightly fragrant lavender-blue flowers are produced in early spring and are held well above the deep dark green foliage. Blue Moon Phlox was selected for its clusters of large full flowers and vigor. This is an excellent choice for lightly shaded gardens or as a groundcover under deciduous trees. Provide shade during the hottest portion of the day in hot summer climates and well-drained soil rich in organic matter. Easy and reliable once established. The flowers provide early spring nectar to butterflies and other pollinators. Blue Moon Phlox along with the straight species Phlox divaricata tied for the Top Performer in Mt. Cuba Center Phlox for Shade trials. Item# 11217

The widely flaring deep blue-purple fan shaped flowers open from tubular buds, and are very reminiscent of Scaevola or Half-Flower, open singly and in clusters held at the growing tips as well as in the leaf axils attracting bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. The 5-lobed flowers of Blue-Lips, Sclerochiton harveyanus, are produced most heavily throughout the warmer months of the year. This is a shade tolerant naturally spreading to scandent (vine-like) evergreen tropical shrub with rounded, glossy deep green foliage. Blue-Lips is considered to be frost resistant but not freeze tolerant and it is easily maintained as a shrub form for containers, including hanging baskets, in and around larger growing shade-loving tropicals in the garden as well as on a shaded porch or patio. Provide it with an average moist, acidic to neutral, well-drained soil in a site that receives at least some cool morning sunlight or filtered sunlight for optimum vigor and flowering. Item# 12268

The narrow deep green to bluish-green foliage is adorned with broad creamy white vareiegation down the center of each recurving leaf. In typical Airplane Plant fashion, Bonnie produces a multitude of miniature plantlets along creamy white arching stems eventually developing into a dense mass of foliage that is perfectly suited for small to medium-sized hanging baskets and containers. It will do best where it receives bright indirect sunlight in an average moist, fertile soil. We have long been in love with this cultivar not only for the name it shares with our mother but also for its neat dense and unusual habit. Easy and carefree and perfectly suited for shaded porches, patios, atriums, and gardens or enjoy it indoors with bright to medium indirect sunlight. In warm tropical climates Airplane Plants may be utilized as shady groundcovers. Item# 12461

For several weeks in mid to late spring, the mounds of large, apple-green, heart-shaped, quilted foliage with maroon veining is topped by a multitude of conical spike-like clusters, or racemes, that are adorned in fragrant dainty white flowers that attract a variety of smaller pollinators. In fall and winter, its foliage deepens into bronze tones. Brandywine Foam Flower or Tiarella, a selection of our native Tiarella cordifolia, is a stoloniferous, ^†semi-evergreen, perennial groundcover perfectly suited to shaded gardens and landscapes. They can tolerate more sun in areas with cool summer climates but will still likely prefer to be in the shade during the heat of the day. Tiarellas prefer a moist soil with ample organic matter and average or better drainage and are resistant to be being browsed by deer and rabbits. Dr. Allen Armitage in his Herbaceous Perennial Plants, 4th Edition states that he "puts these plants on the A list for shady areas." Images courtesy of North Creek Nurseries, all rights reserved. Item# 13272

The 1" long, showy tubular flowers are red to red-orange at their base and quickly fade into bright sunny yellow and are held against a foil of dainty, glossy dark green foliage. The flowers are produced heaviest in fall and spring with intermittent flowers in between. The Brazilian Fuchsia or Firecracker Flower, Justicia rizzinii or now J. floribunda, is a naturally evergreen, small tropical shrub typically growing to up to 2-3' high and potentially as wide. It can be enjoyed as an indoor plant where it is sure to provide a little cheer during the cold dreary winter days in a warm sunny window. The flowers of the Brazilian Fuchsia attract hummingbirds and other pollinators in fall and spring as they migrate through when grown outdoors. Caterpillar host: White Peacock and Malachite. Utilize it as a porch or patio plant during the warmer months or in the ground in areas with mild, generally frost free winters like in zone 10 as it is reported to be hardy to brief dips to about 28^oF. Tolerant of full sun to light shade and provide an average moist, well-drained, fertile soil for optimum vigor and flowering. An RHS Award of Garden Merit winner. Item# 12807

Expect this to be a head turning conversation piece! Medium to large, soft pink to near white, perfect or rose form flowers are elegantly flecked and streaked with contrasting red to deep pink and are produced in mid to late season, January to April. Campari Camellia, a large type Japonica Camellia, is a vigorous, large growing evergreen shrub with a naturally upright habit becoming rounded with age. Provide Camellias with a fertile soil rich in organic matter, with average moisture, and an organic mulch. Images courtesy of Cam Too Camellia Nursery, all rights reserved. Item# 13211

The large rounded clusters of tubular buds are yellow tinged orange and open to display the large bright canary yellow fragrant flowers in early spring on bare stems just before the foliage emerges. Canary Isles Deciduous Azalea is an upright to rounded, medium-sized, deciduous shrub well suited to partial shade but can take full sun under average or better conditions. The Aromi Deciduous Azaleas were developed by Dr. Eugene Aromi of Mobile, Alabama, and are known for both their amazing spring display of fragrant flowers as well as their ability to withstand the heat and humidity of the Southeastern US. Sometimes still fondly referred to as Wild Honeysuckle Bushes, these nativars will do best in an average moist, well-drained, fertile, acidic soil from partial shade to full sun conditions. Topdress with an organic mulch like pinestraw, a.k.a. pine needles, or pine bark. Item# 13288

Medium to large, deep red, semi-double to loose peony form flowers with a boss of contrasting gold tipped stamens are produced in mid to late season, January to April, attracting bees and other pollinators. Candy Apple Camellia, a large flowered Japonica Camellia developed by Nuccio's Nurseries, has a moderate rate of growth and develops into a large, upright to rounded, evergreen shrub. Provide Camellias with a fertile soil rich in organic matter, with average moisture, and an organic mulch. Images courtesy of Cam Too Camellia Nursery, all rights reserved. Item# 13212

Bright yellow to golden orange, 4-petaled, 2" wide flowers are produced from about midspring to early summer atop 12-18" high stems held above the softly textured, deeply cut, rich green to bluish green foliage. The Celandine Poppy, Stylophorum diphyllum, is a native rhizomatous herbaceous perennial that readily reseeds under good conditions making a good choice as a naturalistic groundcover for moist to average moist shaded sites. Deciduous shade is optimal as it provides sunlight for the early spring foliage and then bright or filtered shade during the rest of the growing season. If plants become too dry they may enter dormancy not long after flowering. It is found from Missourri and northern Arkansas east to West Virginia and western Virginia, as far south as a few counties in northern Alabama, and as far north as Canada. Dr. Allen Armitage in Herbaceous Perennial Plants states that "it is still one of the finest and most enjoyable wildflowers for bright persistent spring color." Item# 13178

The medium to large, semi-double to occasionally perfect or rose form, deep burgundy red flowers are centered by deep red and white petaloids and may show gold tipped stamens and are produced in midseason, January-February. Cherries Jubilee Camellia is a large flowered Japonica with a vigorous, initially upright, densely branching habit maturing into a rounded large evergreen shrub. Provide Camellias with a fertile soil rich in organic matter, with average moisture, and an organic mulch. Images courtesy of Cam Too Camellia Nursery, all rights reserved. Item# 13213

Up to 3/4" diameter, lightly fragrant, dense Sputnik-like flower clusters are composed of numerous small creamy white to light pink, funnel-shaped flowers that are tipped in purple often giving the flowers a lavender cast and the long white styles and creamy white stigmas provide the spikey look. The nectar rich flowers are produced throughout the warmer months of the year, late spring and often into fall, attracting an array of pollinators. The Chinese Buttonbush or Glossy Adina, Adina rubella, is a deciduous, medium to large, fine textured shrub with a naturally rounded to arching habit and a moderate rate of growth. The very dark green foliage has a mirror like glossiness and creates a contrasting foil for the flowers. Like our native Buttonbush, this plant is naturally found growing along wet areas but has no problems adapting to average moist, fertile garden soils in full sun to light shade. Item# 10035

The large, glossy, dark green, tropical foliage of the Congo Fig, Dorstenia bahiensis, creates a beautiful rosette of foliage on a 2-4" high stem that will rarely exceed 12" high and about 18" wide making it the perfect little container plant. Unusual flattened maroonish 'flowers', technically hypanthodia, are produced basically year-round and are held on sturdy stalks and peak above the foliage of this easy and unusual indoor plant. The flower structures forcefully eject the ripened seeds a few feet from the mother plant. The cream to tan colored seeds require no pollination and are clones of the parent plant and so often come up in the pots of neighboring plants. The Congo Fig is quite tolerant of low to high indirect light and is forgiving when it comes to moisture levels but the plants seem to be happiest in a well-draining, average moist, fertile soil. Item# 10055

The stiff ferny fronds are adorned with numerous thick leathery medium to deep green leaflets often with a bronze tinge and emerge from what becomes an underground trunk. The Coontie, Zamia integrifolia (a.k.a Z. pumila), is a small tough southeastern native Cycad that eventually develops an underground trunk that will branch with age creating a dense 24-36" high cover of the soft to medium textured fronds. It is resistant to drought, tolerates high heat and humidity, sun or shade, and is a very low maintainence addition to the landscape. In areas that experience hard freezes, like zone 8, the foliage may freeze back but a new flush readily returns in spring. Makes an easy bonsai and a low maintenance container plant. Item# 12729