Brian, What type of potted plants grow in mostly shade for a patio? I want to make a haven but shade inhibits this. Any help is appreciated!! There are very few plants that can thrive in deep shade like the shaded area under the lower branches of evergreens. Mosses and mushrooms can, but they're not very attractive. As we move from dense shade to a bit more open shade, like that at the bottom of the north side of a building, the number of plants that will grow increases, but these will be basically green foliage plants like ferns. Flowering plants and those with variegated foliage will not generally perform to well, as they will concentrate their energy on the production of food (carbohydrates) in low-light areas. Variegated leaves revert back to green under poor light to produce chlorophyll to help in the process of photosynthesis. In other words, the plants are doing all they can to stay alive, let alone show off their flowers and the fancy leaf colors of their foliage.
In medium shade areas, almost all plants can survive, although, sun-loving plants will probably not bloom. These areas include places where there is plenty of light, but very little, if any, direct sun. The shade under a sparsely leafed deciduous tree is an example of medium shade. Several varieties of flowering plants will bloom under this type of light.
The final type of shade is open or dappled shade. These areas will often receive some direct sunlight, perhaps 3 or 4 hours per day. This could be sunlight shining through very sparse leaves or branches of a tree, or through the structure of overhead spaced lath-work.
Depending on where your patio is located and how it is constructed, these suggestions may or may not be of use to you. If large overhead trees are causing heavy shade, the upper branches could be thinned to allow more light to filter through. This type of work should be done by professional arborists who know the correct pruning procedures and safety precautions when working high above the ground.
If your patio is covered with a non-transparent material such as shingles, the installation of greenhouse fiberglass panels would increase light intensity (brightness) considerably.
Light intensity can be greatly increased by changing the color of walls on surrounding buildings or fences. White walls or white buildings will reflect light to neighboring buildings or sites, whereas, dark colored buildings absorb light. Placing white painted panels or even mirrors in some areas (if possible) can increase light intensity.
If there is no way possible to increase natural light in the patio space, supplying artificial or supplementary lighting using outdoor lights manufactured for this purpose is another option. An automatic timing system can be installed to turn the lights 'on' and 'off' for any amount of time. The higher amount of light intensity in foot candles a plant receives from a light source, the fewer hours of light the plant will require during the day. The artificial light source must provide both suitable light intensity (brightness) and a suitable blend of wavelengths that plants require for the process of photosynthesis.
Another option is to have what we might call two 'sets' of plants. Plants can live only so long without receiving adequate light intensity before they will die. So, while one plant is located in the shaded patio, another is thriving and growing in a sunny spot or its preferred location. In six to eight weeks time, the two plants are rotated, the shaded one being moved to the light and the one in the light being moved to the shaded area.
For very dark corners, artificial silk foliage and flowering plants can be used to mix and blend with the live plants. Some of these are so well made it is hard to differentiate between them and real plants, especially in shaded areas. Many times I have had to touch one of these plants to see if they were artificial or the real thing.
Many tropical plants that are grown as potted houseplants do very well in shaded areas. In their natural surroundings they exist on the jungle floor beneath the dense shade of an overhead canopy. A few of these that do well in very low light include: Syngonium spp. -Arrowhead; Aspidistra elatior - Cast Iron Plant; Aglaonema spp. - Chinese Evergreen; Dracaena spp. - Dracaena species; Asplenium nidus - Bird's Nest Fern; Chamaedorea elegans - Dwarf Palm (Neanthe Bella); Philodendron spp. - Philodendron species; Epipremnun and Scindapsus spp. - Pothos or Devil's Ivy; and Sansevieria spp. - Snake Plant.
Other tropical plants that do well in low light include:
| Asparagus Fern Asparagus spp. | ||||
| Baby's tears Soleirolia soleirolii | ||||
| Flaming Sword Vriesea spp. | ||||
| Mistletoe cactus Rhipsalis spp. | ||||
| Calceolaria Calceolaria spp. | ||||
| Clubmoss Selaginella spp. | ||||
| Dumbcane Dieffenbachia spp. | ||||
| 'Bostoniensis' - Boston Fern Nephrolepis exaltata. | ||||
| Brake Ferns Pteris spp. | ||||
| Hart's tongue Phyllitis scolopendrium | ||||
| Holly Fern Cyrtomium falcatum | ||||
| Maidenhair Fern Adiantum spp. (as well as other types of ferns) | ||||
| Deersfoot Davallia canariensis | ||||
| Fittonia Fittonia spp. | ||||
| Flagplant (miniature) Acornus gramineus | ||||
| Grape ivy Cissus rhombifolia | ||||
| Kangaroo ivy Cissus antartica | ||||
| Homalomena Homalomena spp. | ||||
| Swiss Cheese Plant Monstera spp. | ||||
| Norfolk Island Pine Araucaria heterophylla | ||||
| Kite Masdevallia spp. | ||||
| Bamboo Palm Chamaedorea spp. | ||||
| Kentia Palm Howea spp. | ||||
| Peace Lily Spathiphyllum spp. | ||||
| No common names Bifrenaria spp. | ||||
| Pleomele Dracaena spp. | ||||
| Screw Pine Pandanus spp. |
| Hybrid Tuberous Begonia Begonia x tuberhybrida | ||||
| Wax Begonia Begonia x semperflorens - cultorum | ||||
| 'New Guinea Hybrids' Impatiens | ||||
| Busy Lizzie Impatiens wallerana | ||||
| Garden Balsam Impatiens balsamina | ||||
| Moss Flower Ageratum | ||||
| Bush VioletBrowallia speciosa and Browallia viscosa | ||||
| Forget-Me-Nots Anchusa capensis | ||||
| Fuchsia Fuchsia | ||||
| Lobelia Lobelia erinus | ||||
| 'Grandiflorus' - (Monkey Flower) Mimulus x hybridus | ||||
| Flowering Tobacco Nicotiana alata | ||||
| Annual Woodruff Asperula orientalis | ||||
| Pot Marigold Calendula officinalis | ||||
| Madagascar Periwinkle Catharanthus roseus | ||||
| Caladium Caladium | ||||
| Coleus Coleus | ||||
| Lily-of-the-Valley Convallaria majalis | ||||
| Pansy Violas | ||||
| Violets Violets | ||||
| Anthurium Anthurium spp. | ||||
| Alocasia Alocasia spp. | ||||
| Amomum cardamon | ||||
| Elephant's Ear Colocasis | ||||
| 'Blue Ice' Calathea burle-marxii | ||||
| Cyclamen Cyclamen spp. | ||||
| English Ivy Hedera helix |
| Hosta Hosta | ||||
| Japanese Painted Fern Athyrium niponicum | ||||
| Azaleas | ||||
| Gardenias | ||||
| Camellias |
| Clubmoss Selaginella spp. | ||||
| Dumbcane Dieffenbachia spp. | ||||
| 'Bostoniensis' - Boston Fern Nephrolepis exaltata. | ||||
| Brake Ferns Pteris spp. | ||||
| Hart's tongue Phyllitis scolopendrium | ||||
| Holly Fern Cyrtomium falcatum | ||||
| Maidenhair Fern Adiantum spp. (as well as other types of ferns) | ||||
| Deersfoot Davallia canariensis | ||||
| Fittonia Fittonia spp. | ||||
| Flagplant (miniature) Acornus gramineus |
| Grape ivy Cissus rhombifolia | ||||
| Kangaroo ivy Cissus antartica | ||||
| Homalomena Homalomena spp. | ||||
| Swiss Cheese Plant Monstera spp. | ||||
| Norfolk Island Pine Araucaria heterophylla | ||||
| Kite Masdevallia spp. | ||||
| Bamboo Palm Chamaedorea spp. | ||||
| Kentia Palm Howea spp. | ||||
| Peace Lily Spathiphyllum spp. | ||||
| No common names Bifrenaria spp. | ||||
| Pleomele Dracaena spp. | ||||
| Screw Pine Pandanus spp. |
| Hybrid Tuberous Begonia Begonia x tuberhybrida | ||||
| Wax Begonia Begonia x semperflorens - cultorum | ||||
| 'New Guinea Hybrids' Impatiens | ||||
| Busy Lizzie Impatiens wallerana | ||||
| Garden Balsam Impatiens balsamina | ||||
| Moss Flower Ageratum | ||||
| Bush VioletBrowallia speciosa and Browallia viscosa | ||||
| Forget-Me-Nots Anchusa capensis | ||||
| Fuchsia Fuchsia | ||||
| Lobelia Lobelia erinus |
| 'Grandiflorus' - (Monkey Flower) Mimulus x hybridus | ||||
| Flowering Tobacco Nicotiana alata | ||||
| Annual Woodruff Asperula orientalis | ||||
| Pot Marigold Calendula officinalis | ||||
| Madagascar Periwinkle Catharanthus roseus | ||||
| Caladium Caladium | ||||
| Coleus Coleus | ||||
| Lily-of-the-Valley Convallaria majalis | ||||
| Pansy Violas | ||||
| Violets Violets |
| Anthurium Anthurium spp. | ||||
| Alocasia Alocasia spp. | ||||
| Amomum cardamon | ||||
| Elephant's Ear Colocasis | ||||
| 'Blue Ice' Calathea burle-marxii | ||||
| Cyclamen Cyclamen spp. | ||||
| English Ivy Hedera helix |
| Hosta Hosta | ||||
| Japanese Painted Fern Athyrium niponicum | ||||
| Azaleas | ||||
| Gardenias | ||||
| Camellias |
