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California Gardening

advise on shade-tolerant plants

15 years ago

dear community - need advice on what plant(s) to use for tunnel-entry front door with eastern exposure...so basically it is always shady with no direct light at all, only night time hours from the entry light... I would like to find something tall and more or less with sculptural appearance if such plant exist. THANK YOU in advance!!!

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Comments (4)

calistoga_al ca 15 usda 9
15 years ago
Your description sounds like you could use plants from the 'house plant' department. These are low light plants and your area sounds like the temperatures would be OK. Al
bahia
15 years ago
Very few indoor plants will tolerate such low light levels long term, I know this from experience, as I have a friend/client living in the Sunset with the exact same exposure. One of the few plants that has proven reliable long term is Aspidistra, but this only gets 2.5 to 3 foot tall with foliage, and is more of a mass foliage plant than tall and sculptural. If you are willing to rotate plants in and out of this area, having two of each if you want the same look year round, then you might consider using common houseplants such as Kentia palms, Howea forsteriana, Schefflera arboricola or Schefflera calyptratus, or other palms such as Rhapis excelsa of Chamaedorea species such as C. elegans or C. microspadix. In my opinion, none of these will exactly thrive in such low light, and should be rotated to a dappled shade spot in the garden to recover, switching them out every 6 months or so. They will all tend to get leggy and reach for the light, except the Aspidistra, which is a real trooper under low light conditions. Or you could try outdoor plants and rotate them in the same way, using things like a spotted Aucuba japonica or Ligularia species.
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I think it'll be tough to find something that will bloom under those conditions.The majority of plants that flower indoors are tropical plants that, while they might survive temps that low, probably wouldn't actively grow during such low temps. Additionally, a lot of flowering plants require high light levels to have the energy to bloom indoors. That being said, here's what I would try: Cyclamen is a winter bloomer that prefers cool temps so you could try buying one already in bloom and see if it can survive in there. If you wouldn't mind a non-flowering plant, the Norfolk Island Pine tends to be tolerant of cool temperatures and shade - but you'd probably want to give it some protection on the nights that the temp in there dips below 25 degrees or so. I think the Norfolk Island Pine is quite handsome even without blooms, and they're commonly sold during this time of year for 'living Christmas trees' It's kind of a strange idea, but another idea you could try, if you can find any Icicle pansies on clearance, would be to see if they would grow in there. Pansies definitely flower freely during cold weather (as long as it doesn't freeze) but I'm not sure how they would do indoors and if the light levels in there would be enough. I just mention it because I've experimented on occasions with outdoor annuals as houseplants and some of them do well. Impatiens also makes a pretty decent houseplant that can potentially bloom indoors, but I'm not sure how impatiens would do with the temperature drops that this room experiences.
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Comments (9)
I have some geranium biokovo in about half sun / half shade that do very well and bloom well. Same with the balloon flowers. The sun is afternoon sun, which may make a difference. I was surprised to have some campanula reseed for me from an almost full-sun bed, about 40 feet away to a bed that gets about 30 seconds of morning sun and then is in full (albeit fairly bright) shade all day. The ones in the shade bed were shorter than the full sun bed, but also reseeded in late spring/early summer and bloomed in late summer (as opposed to being established plants in full sun, blooming in spring). The bloom was quite good on the shade plants, which was a pleasant surprise. Dee
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You might want to look into Bird of Paradise which can grow quite large, albiet "slowly". If it reaches for sunshine it might disappoint you as a centerpiece. These are related to banana plants. You can plant some gardenia. but 8x8x10 is a large area to be shaded, so it will probably get some summer sun. Unless this area is COVERED you should think about summer sun. Norther exposure doesn't equate to shade in my home. If it is UNCOVERED and will get some hardcore sun during the summer, any shade plants are out. Ferns will get toasted. Which is why I suggested Bird of Paradise. A centerpiece would like great in that type of area, with some shade lovers underneath. Personally, if MY area fit the bill, I'd LOVE to plant a couple Japanese Maple. Ideally, we would have a spot like yours which gets direct sun during the winter and very little during the summer. That would be so nice. Good luck. Here is a link that might be useful: Japanese Maple in Hot Climate
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Comments (13)
First question takes more time to answer, so I'll go for the second now. Successfully plant potted roses right through July & August but look after them more carefully than those planted earlier or later in the year. Try to plant on an overcast day (like any transplanting) & rig temporary shading from noon to 4 pm for those going in full sun positions. Keep well watered & gradually roll back the shade time as new growth emerges. If shading not possible, misting with a watering wand several times a day helps cool the rose. I keep those 4-legged pole trellises in several heights for this & other jobs. Easy to poke fabric or white plastic through the finial & clip to the legs to create shade. Similar to this - http://tinyurl.com/huoxmqs Potted roses need watering daily here in this weather. Roses bought locally now usually need to be repotted into larger pots for root room if planning to keep them potted till the weather cools down or longer term.
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wanda
15 years ago
You could do something like pillars (maybe stacked stone?) with bowls of ivy that drape down or maybe Clivia miniata or even a combo. Both of those plants thrive in low light and in pots on pillars would give the appearance of tall.

I have a Fatsia japonica in an alcove by my front door that gets no direct sun and thrives, but it needs frequent cutting back as it tries to grow towards light. It was here when I moved in 27 yrs. ago. I'm not sure if it's considered "structural", but it will get tall and thrive.

I would choose variegated or lighter colored leaves to brighten the area.
Also, are you sure you want something tall? With a tunnel-like entrance, you might want to go with something shorter so it appears more open? (just a thought)

wanda

wanda
gardenerme
15 years ago
How about a fiddle leafed fig (ficus lyrata)? I would put it in a container and turn it weekly to keep it from growing toward the light.

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