List of Shade-Tolerant Plants

Aucuba

• Aucuba (Aucuba japonica) is an evergreen shrub with a slow growth rate. The plant thrives in areas of dense shade and grows best in well-drained, moist soil amended with organic matter. Aucuba grows to a mature height of 6 to 10 feet with a 4-to-6-foot spread and a dense, upright form. The plant has 3-to-8-inch-long, simple, leathery foliage and round green stems. Aucuba is drought-tolerant and blooms with purple flowers during fall. The flowers are followed with small scarlet fruit that stay on the plants until spring.

Common Boxwood

• Common boxwood (Buxus sempervirens) is an evergreen shrub that thrives in areas of shade. The slow-growing plant can grow to 15 to 20 feet in height and is a popular choice for hedges and privacy screens. Common boxwood has a medium to fine texture and blooms with insignificant cream-colored flowers in the spring. The half-inch to 1-inch foliage is glossy and light green to yellowish-green in color. Common boxwood is drought-tolerant and easy to transplant. The plant prefers a moist, well-drained soil and a pH of 6 or more.

Kleim's Hardy Gardenia

• Kleim's Hardy gardenia (Gardenia jasminoides 'Kleim's Hardy') is a low-growing evergreen plant for shade that is popularly used as a flowering ground cover. The plant grows to a mature height of about 3 feet with an equal spread and blooms with fragrant, 2-inch flowers. The foliage is glossy and dark green. Kleim's Hardy gardenia is a cold hardy variety of gardenia and thrives in moist, well-drained soil.