Shade Plants for a Zen Garden

Moss

• Moss is a must for Zen gardens, and moss thrives in the shade. Most mosses are evergreen, require little or no maintenance and will grow on rocks, sand and other Japanese garden staples. They do require moisture, so they won't thrive in arid areas. Plant a little moss, in small sections, scattered throughout your Zen garden, and before long, the moss will be a major feature of your site.

Japanese Maple

• Small Japanese maple trees or shrubs often acting as a focal point in a Zen garden. They grow between 10 and 20 feet tall and have reddish leaves throughout spring and summer, turning brighter in the fall. Japanese maples thrive in light or dappled shade. In traditional Japanese gardens, maples are often pruned heavily in their early years, so the trunk of the tree looks gnarled and older than it truly is.

Azalea

• With small leaves and bright, colorful spring flowers available in almost any shade, azalea shrubs add color and interest to the Zen garden. Deciduous azalea leaves sometimes turn crimson before falling in the autumn, while others are evergreen. Azaleas grow best in dappled shade. In the Zen garden, where blooms are rarely the focus, choose an azalea according to the type of foliage you most prefer.

Rhododendron

• Naturally growing as a shrub but often trained into a tree, rhododendrons offer dark, shiny leaves and big, bold flowers in a myriad of shades. Most are evergreen, and all do best in dappled or part shade. Like Japanese maples, rhododendrons can be aged for the Zen garden by pruning the lower branches heavily during their early years.

Bamboo

• No Japanese garden is complete without bamboo. Fortunately, bamboo is shade tolerant, but do best in partial shade. They like well-draining soil, so if your yard doesn't naturally provide this, its best to grow bamboo in containers.