Does that area not get any sun? In my yard I have elephant ears and coreopsis growing in both full sun and a partial shade spot. Also have you thought about gallardias? They also do well in full sun or part shade. At least they do in my yard.

Thanks for your comments, Bea. Half of the space is already full shade along the fence, and it's only October. As the sun drops lower behind the fence (east to west fence along the south side of the house), there will be almost full shade for about 4-5 months unless I put in 4-5 foot tall containers. I am actually thinking about one of those ladder planters. I'll give Gallardia a try too. I welcome any other ideas as well. I am also pouring over plant databases.

Another thought. How about shrubs. There are several that do well wirh partial sun/shade and I found out that even plants that require full sun in the north do fine with partial sun or no sun in FL.

Thanks, I may have to consider that.

This sounds like my yard. Had ok sun till my neighbor planted tons of bamboo that only lets a little sunlight in. I'm experimenting with mine and will post what works for me. Heliconias are doing ok because they get pretty tall here and fern in front. And I just added a nice walkway with a bench and colorfull garden creatures and landscape lighting to make up for it. Considering on just planting Eurica Palms.

You could mount planter boxes high up along your fence and fill them with anything your heart desires and run dripping wires up to them from your existing dripping system on the ground and don't have to worry about watering.

Hi Dale, nice to hear from a new voice!

Perhaps add small annuals. Summer thrivers like the butterfly attractors golden cosmos and tropical milkweed, then cut back or pull in Oct/Nov and replace with cool lovers like snapdragon, dwarf chrysanthemum (pink or yellow). I like being able to set in some new blooming or about-to-bloom small plants as the season changes... and cost can be minimal. And, you may see more butterflies!

Also, "late" blooming caladiums add color - get ones that start coming up in October and don't need sun. I don't do well with most bulbs, but you might, and may find some that fit your circumstance perfectly.

Oops... maybe I've named annuals that need sun in winter.

How about bromeliads that produce color year-round in FL but love shade? They can do well in pots that can be moved around to a shady spot in summer (if you can find or create such a spot...maybe against a north wall or under a bush). Same for orchids.

Thanks, everybody. All good ideas. I will see what makes it and what needs to move or get the heave ho, as winter progresses. I actually did have an arica palm on my second remake and it did well but I just didn't care much for it in the space. I am still picking little palm sprouts out of the spot where it was located. All rejects go behind the back fence in the way-back where they either grab a new life or become one with the soil. So far I have some volunteer elephant ears out there that look quite nice. And I hope to eventually have a little Arica jungle with some New Guinea color, and maybe a sanchezia and some vinca. Hah! I love being surprised!

Great question as I have some spots that have the same summer/winter issues!

I found this: You can use impatiens flowers as bedding plants, border plants or in containers. They enjoy moist but well draining soil and partial to deep shade. They do not do as well in full sun, but if you would like to plant them in full sun, they will need to be acclimated to the harsher light.

Maybe impatiens will work!

The native Coontie cycad is smaller than sago palms,not sharp, and easier imo I grow them both in full sun and full shade. It sounds perfect for this. A very mature one might be more than 2 feet wide though (but again these grow pretty slowly)....

Coral fountain plant might work here and there to tuck into places for flowers+textural interest. I grow some of mine in full shade but they are also a popular plant in Texas approved for full sun xeriscaping.

If it weren't for the size limits I'd recc Firebush and Firespikes. I'd say they are containable, would not need more than an annual prune (assuming the Firebush doesn't die back) if their growth rate in Tampa is same as here. Firespikes hate full sun but mine tolerate it surprisingly well, they just will look upset... that's why I like to grow them under my unpruned firebushes (I just annually trim them a lil so they remain shorter than the bushes).

Leadwort also probably gets too big but it doesnt mind hot sun nor a lot a shade.

Begonia & Impatiens can work in shade but the sun part in the summer might be a dealbreaker without being protected by a larger plant overhead.

An attractive large container and some other hardscaping features might help? My container dwarf figs go dormant in my zone 9 yard so they should not mind full shade in winter for example.

Also I'd be careful with elephant ear.. they're a pretty nasty invasive species unless you get one of the tamer cultivars. I have a tamer cultivar (Black Coral) and even I keep it in a container, I see so many spread to forests around here.

A picture of the space would help. What about small trees ( or shrubs/plants that can be grown into tree forms) planted in pots then moved in winter if they don't lose their leaves. Then plant around where the pots are. Can you paint the wall and fence a very light color to maximize what light there is?