Water Saving Plants for Shade

Clivia 

These beautiful dark green flowered plants grow no more than 2 feet tall and will bloom in bright shade with little more than once every two weeks watering once established (more if planted in a brighter area). 

Clivia nobilis

Clivia miniata

Clivia miniata

 Aspidistra elatior 'Cast Iron Plant'

This plant comes from a tough family, including Nolina and Sansaveria. In fact it is so tough and hardy it has its own song, this plant needs only a glance or two to stay healthy, and as far as water -once every two weeks or less after it's been established (about 2 years).

Aspidistra elatior

 Abutilon 'Chinese lantern'

Hardy and colorful member of the hibiscus family; best trained as an espaliered vine in shade. Water it once every one to two weeks once its established. Blooms in bright shade. 

 Aeonium 'Schwarzkopf' The 'Black headed' Aeonium

A succulent that doesn't mind some shade, its leaves are purple black with green new growth. In sun it will shrink to what looks like small drumsticks, but in shade it should remain lush looking throughout the year.,

 Asparagus meyeri 'Foxtail asparagus'

More kempt and controlled than common springeri ornamental asparagus; meyeri will do well in moderate to bright shade and need watering only once a week to week and a half. Keep vigilant however, as this one can easily grow out of bounds. 

 It lends itself to whimsy as well.

Acanthus molle  'Grecian pattern plant' 

Acanthus molle's common name refers to its ancient use as an inspiration for the decorations on greek marble columns. Like the long lasting columns the plant is tough and can thrive in relatively dark areas. It does, however, die back every summer, only to come back again in the spring. This 'resurrection' was the reason it was considered sacred by the greeks. The sacred and beautiful spike-like flowers however, do have a somewhat 'unholy' smell to some people -and remind the author of semi-spoiled milk.

 Raphis excelsa 'the Lady palm'

Not only a lady but can take an occasional dry week or two once established, not as drought tolerant as others on this list -if too deprived it will lose leaves, but sowly. 

 Amaryllis belladonna the 'Naked Lady'

Bulbs that come up every summer in the shade when nothing else is blooming -Amaryllis require once a week watering when blooming and much less when not in bloom. Does best if it gets a hint of direct sun (about 2-3 hours).

Amaryllis belladonna

Amaryllis belladonna

Spider lily (Lycoris sp.)

Lycoris sp. 

Spider lilies blooming in front of a Spider. 

Creeping fig (Ficus pumila)
This is one of the few vines that do ok in shade. Remember to cut this one back every 5 years or so; if you don't it could develop robust flowering shoots that do not cling to the wall and take up valuable space.

Ficus pumila

Snake plants (Sanseveria sp.)

Tough plants related to Aspidistra, they have the nickname 'Bachelor Plant' because they are so tough even the negligent can keep them as houseplants. They are also excellent outdoor plants and can tolerate a good amount of shade. 

Heavenly Bamboo (Nandina sp.)

Normally planted in sunny areas, it will survive in bright shaded areas as well with watering only once every one to two weeks. 

Nandina sp. 

Nandina sp. 

Natal Plum (Carissa sp.)

This South African native shrub actually tolerates light shade and can be used as a hedge in bright shady areas. Once it's established it needs watering every two to four weeks in a shady area. 

Carissa sp. 

Variegated dwarf Carissa

Berberis (Mahonia) repens

This low growing, creeping ground cover can go a month without water once established. Great companion for native oaks. 

Berberis (Mahonia) repens

Western Redbud (Cercis occidentalis)

The Western redbud is an understory tree that grows natively in the Sierra Nevadas and other western mountains. It will bloom in bright, filtered shade or with several hours of direct sunlight. Once established (about two years) it can go 2-4 weeks between waterings. 

Redbud

Shade Plants for Drier Gardens

Although nothing grows is complete darkness (plants will etiolate, or weirdly stretch though) except for some parasitic plants, these plants will hold their own in many shade cursed areas in your garden. 

Aspidistra elatior

Commonly called the "Cast Iron Plant" for good reason; this slow growing but hardy Taiwanese native can take all kinds of abuse including abysmal light levels and infrequent watering (once established). 

Liriope 

Pronounced like 'calliope', this Chinese native thrives in bright shade to partial sun and moderate water -but will survive a moderate dry spell no worse for the wear after it has been established for at least a year or two. In part sun you can expect them to flower with either white or blue spiky blooms, but if they are planted in mostly shade, then they probably will not. 

 Mondo Grass

Ophiopogon japonica, commonly called 'Mondo Grass',i s a lily-like ground-cover that looks kind of like grass if you like lumpy lawns. It is, however, a good ground cover plant for shady areas and, once established (a process which can take some time), can tolerate short to moderate periods of drought. Pictured above are standard sized and dwarf Ophiopogon japanica. 

 Nandina

Nandina, a dwarf variety, growing in the shady part of the entrance walk at the Arboretum. 

Full sized Nandina kicking it on the shady north side of a wall. 

Nandina, commonly called 'Heavenly Bamboo', is an ubiquitous element of many Southern California gardens for a good reason; it is incredibly tolerant of low light, low water and low maintenance. Also a Chinese native (are you noticing a trend here?), some people worry about the toxicity of its berries to cats and Cedar Wax Wings -however in low light it tends not to produce as many (if any) berries as in full to half day sun. 

Clivia

Clivia

Clivia

Clivia x cyrtanthiflora

Hailing from the Southern parts of Africa, this strap leaved, winter and spring flowering plant is tough. Although it does enjoy water when it's blooming, when it's not it can go two weeks or more between watering. There are several different varieties including one with a yellow flower. Sometimes you will plant Clivia and it has a hard time blooming. The secret is to plant them in bottomless pots or very close (less than a foot) from each other. For some reason being crowded seems to induce more bloom. 

Asparagus

Asparagus densiflorus 'meyerii'. 

Not the one you eat but the ornamental kinds like A. densiflorus 'meyerii' and A. aethiopicus (syn. sprengeri). Once established these hardy plants may be hard to control, just remember that they can spread via bulbs that they copiously produce underground. 

 Abutilon

Once established these Hibiscus family members with the unfortunately misleading common name of "Chinese Maple" are extremely hardy in some fairly shaded areas once they are established (this I know from personal experience -I had one in a completely shaded area of a house I once had and it would not die no matter how badly I ignored it).  It comes in low growing and somewhat vine-like bushy varieties, the latter which have proved themselves survivors. 

Mahonia

Mahonia oiwakens subsp. lomariifolia

Mahonia repens

This group of hardy shade loving plants is native to the west coast of the United States and Asia and is one of the few plants to produce yellow flowers in the shade. Mahonia repens is a low growing ground-cover whereas Mahonia oiwakens subsp. lomariifolia is tall (up to 6-7 feet) and beautifully lanky. 

Carissa

Variegated Carrisa

Dwarf and standard C. macrocarpa

This African native not only is an excellent dry area part shade to bright full shade ornamental, its ripe berries are edible! Several varieties are available including a dwarf and variegated type. What's the drawback to its seeming perfection? It is somewhat frost tender, and can experience considerable (though recoverable) die-back in cold years. 

Amaryllis and Amaryllis Hybrids 

Amarygia hybrids, a cross between Brunsvigia and Amaryllis. 

 Commonly called 'Naked Ladies', these South African bulbs produce beautiful pink blooms on stalks with no foliage in the hottest part of the summer, usually mid to late August. They will reliably bloom in bright shade, filtered sun, or even half day to full sun.

Sansavieria

Various species and varieties of Sansavieria. 

Ultimately hardy, these African natives thrive on neglect -just don't water them too much. They grow in half day to full sun, but will gracefully tolerate (and even thrive) in filtered sun to bright shade.