FL Gardening

Made in the

Shade

Sydney Park Brown Extension Specialist – Consumer

Horticulture GCREC – Plant City

What We’ll Cover Today

• Types of shade

• Shade changes

• Coping with “bad” shade

• Shady characters

• Some (bad) jokes

Good and Bad

Shade

Good Shade

• <4 hrs of full sun; or

• Dappled shade all day;

or

• High, shifting shade.

Bad Shade • No direct or dappled sun

• Dense and dark

• In the shadow of buildings

• Dominated by tree roots

• Very wet or dry

Let the Sun Shine In - Coping with Bad Shade -

• Prune Trees - Lift the canopy

- and/or Thin branches

“Lions-tailing”

Let the Sun Shine In - Coping with Bad Shade -

ISA – Certified Arborists

www.isa-arbor.com

Tree Roots - Coping with Bad Shade -

Outwitting Roots - Coping with Bad Shade -

“Spin-out®” root control bags (Turned inside out)

Pot-in-Pot

Sunken Pots

Embrace It! - Coping with Bad Shade -

• Create a shady garden room: - Sitting area - Garden art - Pathway/hardscape - Water feature - Colorful containers - Bird feeder/ bird bath - Mirror - Wind chimes

Embrace It! - Coping with Bad Shade -

Shade Changes

Shade changes: - daily

- morning and/or evening sun is best

Shade changes: - daily (morning to evening)

- over time (as trees grow)

“Pitiful-sporum” in too much shade

Shade changes: - daily (morning to evening)

- over time (as trees grow)

- seasonally

Seasonal Shade

Shady Characters

Two Elephants in the (Garden) Room

The Battle of Turf and Shade

• Turf needs 6 hours of sun a day

• Shade tolerance varies - by type of grass - by cultivar

• St. Aug does best in filtered sunlight (30%)

• Grass receiving some shade is: - darker green - less heat stressed - less drought stressed

The Battle of Turf and Shade

• Shade tolerance varies - by type of grass (species)

Shade Tolerance (Most to least)

St. Augustine

Zoysia

Centipede

Bahia

Seashore Paspalum

Bermuda

The Battle of Turf and Shade

• Shade tolerance varies - by cultivar (within species)

Shade Tolerance (Most to least)

St. Augustine:

‘Seville’

‘Delmar’

‘Captiva’

‘Bitter Blue’

‘Palmetto’

‘Floratam’

Maintenance for Shaded Turf

• Expect “transplant shock”

• Increase the mowing height

• Reduce fertilizer applications

• Irrigate less

• Avoid heavy traffic

• Watch for weeds

See EDIS Pub: Growing Turfgrass in Shade

Hostas (whine, whine) Most need an 8-week rest period of <40°F

Hostas for Florida

Sunhosta™

Royal Standard (?)

Others?

(Very) generally speaking… Shade lovers include:

• Plants with broad leaves

• Tropical foliage plants (houseplants)

• Many ferns

• Perennials in Acanthaceae family

• Woodland natives

Tropical Foliage Great plant palette for S. FL

Right Plant / Right Place

Fertilizer is not a substitute for Photosynthesis!

Ground Covers

Old Reliables Asiatic Jasmine Cast Iron Plant/Aspidistra

Old Reliables

Mondo

‘Vittatus’

Algerian Ivy

Peacock Ginger

• 3 inches to 1 foot

• Dry or moist shade

• Violet flowers last 1 day

• Many forms

• ~April – Nov

• FL zones 8-11

Peacock Ginger

Creeping Yew

• To 2 feet

• Evergreen

• Interesting texture

• Slow

• No blooms

• Dry shade

• FL zones 8-9

Drimiopsis – African Hosta

• < 1 foot

• Young leaves spotted

• Prefers dry, deep shade

• Heat and drought tolerant

• Reseeds

• FL Zones 8-10

Fine Leaf Artillery Plant

• 6”-1 foot

• Fine, “fluffy” texture

• Yellow-green foliage

• Heat, drought & rain tolerant

• Sterile – easy to root

• FL zones 9-11

Bromeliads

• To 3 feet

• Tough but tropical look

• Select carefully for winter hardiness

• FL zones 9-11

See Online: Gardening in a Minute “Cold-Hardy Bromeliads”

Bolivian Jew/Turtle Vine

• 4-8 inches

• Dark green above; purple underneath

• Heat, drought & rain tolerant

• Spreads easily; easy to transplant

• FL zones 9-11

Grasses

Tiger Grass

• 8-10 feet

• Moist or dry shade

• Dies back in cold winters

• Large, golden flower plumes

• FL zones 9-11

River Oats

• To 3 feet

• Moist shade best

• Dies back in winter

• Oat-like seed heads

• Reseeds

• FL zones 8-9

Native

Ferns

Old Reliables

Holly Fern Leatherleaf Fern

Autumn fern

• 18-24 inches

• Dry or moist shade

• New fronds are orange-red

• FL zones 8-9

Variegated Ferns

Silver-leaf Brake Fern Painted Fern

• FL Zones 9-11 • 12-18 inches

• FL Zones 8-9 • Deciduous • 12-18 inches

Hart’s Tongue Fern

• To 12-18 inches

• Very tough

• Spreads easily

• Leaves fall through it

• FL Zones 8-9

Nephrolepis - Sword Ferns

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ag120

a. Tuberous sword fern (invasive) b. Sword Fern (native) c. Giant sword fern (native) d. Asian sword fern (invasive)

Tuberous Sword Fern Invasive!

Asian Sword Fern Invasive!

Native Osmunda Ferns Cinnamon Fern Royal Fern

• FL Zones 8-10 • Prefer moist sites • Deciduous in winter • Fertile/sterile fronds

Palms/Cycads

Coontie

• To 4 feet

• Cycad

• Slow/tough

• Drought tolerant

• FL zones 8-10

Native

Dwarf Palmetto (Sabal minor)

• To 4 feet

• Bluish cast to leaves

• Dry shade is best

• Bloom spikes and fruits add interest

• FL zones 8-10

Native

Lady Palm

• To 10 feet

• Dark green fronds

• Forms clumps

• Hardy to mid 20° F.

• FL zones 9-11

Needle Palm

• To 6 feet tall; slow

• Suckers

• Sharp needles along main stem

• Wet or dry soil

• FL zones 8-10

Native

Saw Palmetto

• To 15 feet

• Forms thickets

• Fruits valued by wildlife

• Sleeps, creeps, leaps!

• Green and silver forms

• FL zones 8-10

Native

Shrubs

Old Reliables

Split-leaf Philodendron Azaleas

‘Hope’

‘Xanadu’

Agarista – Pipestem/FL Leucothoe

• 6-10 feet

• Upright, arching, multi-stemmed

• Dry to moist shade

• Blooms late spring

• FL zones 8-9

Native

Aucuba Fatsia

• “Yankee Croton”

• To 8 feet; slow

• Red berries-female plants

• Tolerates dry areas

• FL zones 8-10

Banana Shrub

• To 15 feet

• Banana scented blooms; spring

• Slow grower

• Loose, open form in shade

• Scale insects

• FL zones 8-10

Beauty Berry

• To 8 feet

• Deciduous

• Blooms in spring

• Berries in fall

• Wildlife attracter

• Prune in winter

• FL zones 8-10

• White form available

Native

Chinese Mahonia

• 4-6 feet

• Fern like foliage

• Moist or dry shade

• Suckers slowly

• Good for accent

• FL zones 8-10

‘Soft Caress’ Dwarf form – 3’

Cleyera

• To 8 feet; slow

• Glossy, handsome foliage

• Red new leaves

• Dry shade

• Tough, deserves more use

• FL zones 8-10

Crape Jasmine

• To 6’ feet

• Dark green, evergreen foliage

• Cold tender; recovers quickly

• White flowers – warm months

• FL Zones 9b – 11

Fatsia

• 8-10 feet

• Bold, lobed leaves

• Prefers moist soil

• Low maintenance

• FL zone 8-11

Anise

• Dark green, aromatic leaves

• Toxic! Not a source of aniseed

• FL zones 8-10

Native

Florida Anise – to 10 feet - slow

Yellow or Star Anise – to 20 feet

Oakleaf Hydrangea

• 6-10 feet tall and wide (suckers)

• Blooms late spring

• Flowers can be dried

• Fall color

• Deciduous

• FL zones 8-9

Native

Sweetspire

• To 6-8 feet

• Dry shade; Tolerates flooding

• Open, airy, deciduous

• Suckers

• Flowers fragrant; spring

• Fall color

• Good as hedge or accent

• FL zones 8-10

Native

Tea Olive

• 6-10 feet

• Very fragrant blooms; yr-round

• Evergreen; leggy (hide it)

• Slow; long-lived

• FL zones 8-10

Wild Coffee

• Dense shrub to 5 feet

• Glossy, dark green, pleated leaves

• Fragrant flowers, red berries

• Wildlife plant

• Cold tender

• FL zones 9b -11

Native

Small Trees

Red Buckeye

• To 10-15 feet

• Slow grower

• Red blooms - Spring -Attract hummingbirds

• Deciduous

• Moist shade best

• Fl zones 8-9

Native

Silverbell

• To 30 feet

• White flowers in spring

• Moist shade is best

• Slow growing

• Deciduous

• FL zones 8-9

Native

Swamp dogwood

• To 15 feet

• Moist to wet shade

• Multi-trunked; deciduous

• White blooms

• Attracts wildlife

• FL zones 8-10

Native

Color in the Shade

• Annuals

• Perennials

• Variegated or Colorful Foliage

Reliable Annuals and/or Perennials

• Begonia

• Caladium

• Coleus

• Crossandra

• Impatiens

• Persian Shield

• Torenia

Acanthaceae Family

“Gingers”

Shell ginger Butterfly ginger Blue ginger

“Gingers”

Pinecone Ginger Dancing Girls Hidden Ginger

Leopard Plant

• Variable sizes & leaf forms

• Tropical looking, but hardy

• Yellow flowers in fall

• Moist soil best; tolerates dry

• FL zones 7-10

Oxalis ‘Charmed Wine’

• 6 inches

• Proven Winners®

• Grows from tubers

• Cool season color

• Sterile, not weedy

• FL zones 8-11

Walking Iris (Neomarica species)

• To 3 feet

• Blooms in spring

• Plantlets “walk” and root

• Prefers moisture, but tolerates dry

• FL zones 9 - 10 ‘Regina’

Recap • Types of shade (good and bad) • Shade changes • Dealing with bad shade

- lift or thin canopy - create a shady retreat - outwit roots

• Shady characters - old reliables - worthy “try-ables”

• Right plant/right place • Fertilizer ≠ photosynthesis

Thanks!

Credits: * The Florida Gardener's Book Of Lists, Lois Trigg Chaplin and Monica Moran Brandies *Wendy Wilber Alachua County Extension

Questions? / Suggestions?

spbrown@ufl.edu

813/757-2286