Plants that grow well in the shade?

[Smurfette]

Know of any? Our patio has little "cut-outs" for plants, but nothing is growing in them b/c they don't get enough sun due to tree-cover.

What's something pretty that will grow well even if neglected with little sun? Native plants are a bonus too.

 

[TexasEd]

Hostas, philodendron (may be poisonous to pets), and ferns are some of my favorites.

If they are too small, Yaupon holly, native persimmon, and red bud are understory trees. They can/will get large. Drawf yaupons may be an option, but they are a little bland and don'tproduce berries.

Make sure you consider the pet issue. My boxer came within a hair's breath of death from eating Sago Palm seeds.

 

[HornHuskerDad]

I've had pretty good luck with the dwarf holly plants. They seem to grow in just about any conditions and require virtually no care. If you'd like a ground cover, Asian jasmine grows pretty well in the shade, too...

HornHuskerDad

 

[MrPhlegm]

Caladiums

 

[7Titles]

Hosta, Caladiums, Impatients, ferns

 

[wolfman]

Some Japanese maples work in mixed shade, Camillias and Azaleas too.

 

[Mrmyke709]

For color..coleus.

For texture...maidenhair fern, wood fern, or holly fern.

 

[TheRealBizHorn]

If you don't have too much traffic in the area, one of my faves is Leatherleaf Mahonia. LM has blue-green berries in early spring that look like grapes.

Another choice that offers color is Texas Betony. Very low maintenance and well adapted to Austin.

My favorite resource for plants is free from the city of Austin:
Grow Green

 

[SuperHero]

Columbines - ugly when they're not bloom though.
Turks Caps - big, nice bright red flowers.

 

[Smurfette]

We have a lot of jasmine already-- it seems to be shying away from growing in the shadded areas-- don't know why.

I'[m wondering if there's something up with the soil too--the only thing I've gotten to grown in one of the beds is parsely-- weird.

 

[Longhorn_Fan68]

I'd also prefer Texas native plants, so please keep that in mind when offering suggestions. Thanks .

 

[TexasEd]

All the trees I offered are native. The dwarf yaupon is a hybrid or sport of a native.

Some ferns are native.

If you have acidic East Texas soil I would recommend palmetto, curly leaf dogwood (also grows around Austin). Honeysickle will do fine in partial shade.

Hostas may originally be from Asia, but they are easy to grow and they are beautiful plants that send up flower stalks, come back every year and can be divided and shared with friends.

 

[SuperHero]

Heavenly bamboo does great in my backyard (6 big trees). There are a ton of different salvias and hostas that also thrive in the shade.

 

[Smurfette]

Can't do trees== the holes are about 3x6 and 3x10, the big obe already has a overgrown bush/tree thing in it, abd both are right up against the roof and surrounded by concrete. I'm thinking more along the lines of ground cover or bushy flowering plants that stay green in the winter. I went to home depot and couldn't find anything that was mentioned-- but that may be because I went to home depot.

 

[SuperHero]

Try Red Barn on Pond Springs road. They have a large selection of shade perrenials, ground cover, etc. Sounds like you would like Heavenly Bamboo, good texture, and you can cut it low without it looking too weird.

 

[Mrmyke709]

Nandinas look nice..good color, shade tolerant.

 

[TheRealBizHorn]

Nandinas are part of the non-native scourge, though. Their pretty red berries get eaten by birds, travel to greenbelts, and end up out-competing natives. Pretty soon you've got a forest full of nandina, ligustrum, etc. There are a few varieties that don't produce berries - but generally those don't seem to be as colorful.

 

[Jellydonuts]

If you want ground cover, I would go with asian jasmine or columbine. They will bloom in the shade (provided it is not deep shade).