Florida Shade-Loving Plants

Impatiens

• Planted in closely-spaced clumps, impatiens offer mounds of color in the shade garden. They do quite well in Florida as long as they are planted in the shade and given plenty of water. Hardy to USDA zones 4 to 10, they bloom in the summer in a rainbow of colors. If you are looking for a punch of color in your Florida shade garden, consider planting impatiens.

Umbrella Sedge

• A close relative of the Egyptian papyrus, whom it resembles a great deal, umbrella sedge thrives in bogs and other wet areas. The plant will do fine with less moisture in a home garden, as long as it is shaded from the hot Florida sun. Umbrella sage is a perennial that will grow to 3 or 4 feet in height. If you have a water feature in your garden, such as a pond, it will do well in a pot in the pond. Umbrella sedge is hardy to USDA zones 8 to 11. Frost in the cooler areas of these zones may kill the plant back to the ground, but it will generally recover well.

Slender Lady Palm

• The graceful lady palm, especially the Rhapis humilis species, is a popular Florida shade plant. More compact than other palms, it is frequently used for screens as well as an accent plant. The slender lady palm can also be potted and grown indoors, which is good news for gardeners in northern Florida. Slender lady palm is hardy to USDA zones 9 to 11.