Gardening in the shade can be pretty challenging, especially if you like bold, colorful plants. But rest assured that “challenging” doesn’t mean “impossible.” Check out these plants for some ideas for your shady container garden.
Black Mondo Grass
Dichondra ‘Silver Falls’
Japanese Blood Grass
Purple Heart ‘Purple Queen’
Oxalis ‘Molten Lava’
Coleus ‘Fishnet Stockings’
Foxglove
Dead Nettle
Bleeding Hearts
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I have also seen both heuchera and hosta grown in shade containers for great color/texture.
Do you grow Bleeding Hearts on your SoCal balcony, Fern? If so, do you find you have to mist them so they don’t dry out/scorch in the lower humidity? Or… do you get plenty of humidity in Long Beach? Thanks!
Bob–There are waaaay more than just these nine plants that are shade tolerant. Or even these nine plus the two you mentioned. I do like huecheras, but I’m not a fan of hostas. I think there are a lot more interesting plants than hostas for shade, and they tend to get kind of bushy and take over in containers.
invisiblebees–I’ve never grown bleeding hearts in a container myself. I did plant them in some pots for a client, but they were on a drip system, so there would be no need to mist them. That being said, the humidity level in coastal California is usually 70 or 80 percent. In the shade, most pots stay nice and moist, especially glazed containers.
i would like to grow foxgloves they are goegeous also the bleeding hearts