Miscanthus sinensis
This genus contains both deciduous and evergreen species. One of the deciduous varieties we stock is a very dramatic variegated one, Miscanthus sinensis ‘Cabaret’ which can grow six to seven feet tall. It is grown for its outstanding foliage as it is not know to produce any flowers. Varieties ‘Sarabande’, ‘Morning Light’ and ‘Gracillimus’, however, have extremely showy flowers.
Pennisetum setaceum
Pennisetum setaceum is a lovely, graceful grass and the ‘Rubrum’ form is by far the most popular. It’s no wonder as the purple blades are topped with graceful waving flowers. The main drawback, however, is that it is not cold hardy in the North County. If it does survive the winter, it generally takes a long time to rejuvenate, so we usually advise our customers to buy it early in the season and enjoy it as an annual.
Pennisetum orientale is a much smaller grass with light pink flowers throughout the summer. It is a very charming small grass and is not considered to be at all invasive.
Aucuba japonica
Aucuba japonica
Aucuba is a foliage plant that can be very useful in the shade. The most widely used varieties are variegated. One of the most handsome is ‘Mr. Goldstrike’ grown by Monrovia Growers. This evergreen plant is a slow grower, eventually reaching four to six feet. The green-leafed version is also a very attractive plant with very dark green leaves and, sometimes, bright red berries. It grows a bit faster and can reach six to ten feet.
Camellia ‘Yuletide’
The handsome, dark green leaves of Camellias provide a great background for the lovely spring flowers as well as for other shade loving plants. Camellia sasanqua is generally shorter with smaller leaves and flowers. It blooms earlier, usually in winter, and many of the flowers have single petals. ‘Yuletide’ is a very eye-catching example with red single flower and golden stamens. As the name indicates, it is frequently in bloom around Christmas.
Camellia japonica has some single flowering varieties as well, but many are doubles in shades of white, pink, rose and red. Camellias prefer acid soil which is completely lacking in the north county, even under oaks and pines. Adding either peat moss or azalea-camellia planter mix to the soil when planting will improve conditions. Azaleas, gardenias and rhododendrons also prefer this type of soil. Any of these plants will do very well in containers filled with an acid soil mix. All need shade here, especially in the afternoon.
Choisya ternata
This is a very low maintenance, evergreen plant that requires little water and is greatly appreciated for its deer resistance. Fragrant white flowers appear in the spring and, occasionally, again in the autumn. The plant is fairly fast growing and can reach six to eight feet high and wide, but four to five feet is normal here. It prefers shade in the afternoon. The leaves are normally a lovely dark green, but ‘Sundance’ has new growth that is chartreuse, gradually darkening to green.
Fatsia japonica
Grown strictly for its foliage, Fatsia adds a very tropical look to the shade garden. It will have white puffy flowers in late autumn and winter, but they are not particularly showy, just interesting and unexpected. Fatsia can take deep shade and is very suited to containers.
Abutilon (flowering maple)
Abutilon (flowering maple)
Abutilons display flowers of white, yellow, pink, red, orange and apricot along with frequently bold foliage. Dwarf varieties are only three feet tall while others can grow to six feet or more. The flowering maples are just a bit marginal for the North County, but will survive most winters with some protection. Even if they die to the ground, they come back with a vengeance in the spring. These are very free flowering plants and well worthwhile. Hummingbirds love them!
Hydrangea (mophead type)
Hydrangeas come in many sizes and forms. The two most well-known types are mophead, the old-fashioned large flower with a rounded flower head, and lacecap, in which the small fertile flowers are surrounded by large, colorful flowers. With some varieties, flower color is determined by the soil pH, with acidity causing blue flowers and alkalinity resulting in pink flowers. Other varieties are consistently blue, pink or white. Oakleaf hydrangeas (H. quercifolia) have elongated clusters of white flowers, large lobed leaves and, frequently, bold autumn color. They all bloom for a long period in the late spring and summer with the flowers lasting a long time. Hydrangeas thrive on good soil, constant moisture and no afternoon sun.
Abelia grandiflora
Abelia grandiflora has arching stems six to eight feet tall and produces large numbers of small white or pink bell-shaped flowers in summer. The variety ‘Sherwoodii’ is three to four feet tall and has lavender flowers and darker green leaves. ‘Kaleidoscope’ is only two to three feet tall with yellow variegated foliage and white flowers in summer. The leaf color tends to redden in colder temperatures.
Coleonema pulchellum
Coleonema pulchellum (or Breath of Heaven) is a charming, wispy plant with very small pink flowers. The flowers themselves are not showy, but the sheer numbers of them in spring make the plant a real sight. It grows to about five feet tall and wide, but ‘Compacta’ gets only about three feet. ‘Sunset Gold’ has chartreuse foliage and stays at about a foot and a half by four feet wide. This variety prefers some afternoon shade.
Despite being good for our zone, Coleonema can get damaged or killed outright during very cold winters. Most years, however, it survives nicely and is considered to be quite deer resistant.
