One of the most difficult growing conditions for perennials is dry shade. Not only are the plants that grow in dry shade already stressed from not having much light, but they also have to compete with other large plants for soil moisture.
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Pyrrosia 'Eboshi'
Item #: 10020
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 5" tall
Culture: Light Shade
Origin: China, Japan, Taiwan
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $30.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Pyrrosia subfurfuracea 'Red China'
Item #: 14901
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 15" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Shade
Origin: China
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $30.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Rohdea x japensis 'Up and About'
Item #: 16909
Zones: 7b to 10b, at least
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 24" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Shade
Origin: Hybrid
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $30.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Rohdea japonica
Item #: 1088
Zones: 6a to 10b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 12" tall
Culture: Light Shade to Shade
Origin: Japan
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $24.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sold outRohdea japonica 'Tama Hilfiger'
Item #: 18323
Zones: 6a to 10b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 8" tall
Culture: Light Shade to Shade
Origin: Japan
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $75.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sold outRohdea japonica 'Wrath of Kan'
Item #: 18319
Zones: 6a to 10b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 20" tall
Culture: Light Shade to Shade
Origin: Japan
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $35.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Rohdea japonica 'Yori-Kaku-no-Matsa'
Item #: 12928
Zones: 6a to 10b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 8" tall
Culture: Light Shade to Shade
Origin: Japan
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $32.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Ruscus aculeatus 'Elizabeth Lawrence'
Item #: 5932
Zones: 7a to 9b, at least
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 24" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Shade
Origin: England, Iran, Mediterranean Europe, Southern Europe
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $29.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Ruscus aculeatus 'Wheeler's'
Item #: 1371
Zones: 7a to 9b, possibly colder
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 54" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: England, Iran, Mediterranean Europe, Southern Europe
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $39.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sabal 'Birmingham'
Item #: 4084
Zones: 7a to 10b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 180" tall
Culture: Sun to Light Shade
Origin: United States Hybrid
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $30.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sabal 'DeFuniak'
Item #: 15648
Zones: 7b to 10b, guessing
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 400" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $28.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sabal miamiensis
Item #: 14303
Zones: 7b to 10b, at least
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 78" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $30.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sabal minor 'Pittsview'
Item #: 18223
Zones: 6b to 10b, possibly colder
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 36" tall
Culture: Sun to Light Shade
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $28.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sabal minor var. louisiana
Item #: 5175
Zones: 7a to 10b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 144" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $30.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sabal palmetto 'Bald Head'
Item #: 15745
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 360" tall
Culture: Sun to Part Sun
Origin: United States
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $28.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Salvia koyamae
Item #: 1269
Zones: 4b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 24" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Japan
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $22.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sarcococca hookeriana var. digyna 'Purple Stem'
Item #: 8597
Zones: 6a to 8b, at least
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 18" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Shade
Origin: Himalayan Mountains
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $23.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sauromatum giganteum
Item #: 2536
Zones: 6b to 9b
Dormancy: Winter, Spring
Height: 20" tall
Culture: Sun to Light Shade
Origin: China, Manchuria region China, Tibet
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $24.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sauromatum horsfieldii 'Lancelot'
Item #: 15679
Zones: 7b to 10b, at least
Dormancy: Winter, Fall
Height: 12" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Shade
Origin: Laos
Pot Size: Bare Root / 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $27.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sauromatum venosum
Item #: 1315
Zones: 6a to 10b, at least
Dormancy: Winter, Fall
Height: 36" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Shade
Origin: India
Pot Size: Bare Root / 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $24.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Sauromatum venosum 'Lake Tana'
Item #: 16742
Zones: 6a to 10b, at least
Dormancy: Winter, Fall
Height: 24" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Shade
Origin: Ethiopia
Pot Size: Bare Root / 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $24.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Saxifraga stolonifera 'Nezu Jinja'
Item #: 11494
Zones: 3a to 9b
Dormancy: Evergreen
Height: 5" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Shade
Origin: Eastern Asia
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $21.00Regular priceUnit price per -
Scadoxus multiflorus ssp. multiflorus
Item #: 9021
Zones: 7b to 10b
Dormancy: Winter, Spring
Height: 12" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: Botswana, Namibia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Yemen, Zimbabwe
Pot Size: Bare Root / 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $29.00Regular priceUnit price per
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Scutellaria 'Appalachian Blues' PP 34,854
Item #: 18351
Zones: 7a to 10b, at least
Dormancy: Winter
Height: 12" tall
Culture: Part Sun to Light Shade
Origin: United States Hybrid
Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)
Regular price $22.00Regular priceUnit price per
More Information About Dry Shade Plants
One of the most difficult conditions in the garden for plants is dry shade. Not only are dry shade plants already stressed from not having much light, but they also have to compete with other large plants for soil moisture. It takes a special plant to be a dry shade plant. We have assembled a list of plants for dry shade below that tolerate dry shade well in our climate. For those in cooler climates, your list would be quite a bit longer, since the hot daytime temperatures aren't as severe.
Keep in mind that just because a perennial plant is tolerant of dry shade doesn't mean that it will grow forever without adequate moisture. A good rule of thumb is that plants with smaller, thicker foliage can survive the longest in dry shade conditions. Also, the more established the plants are, the better they can tolerate drought. In our trials, plants like cyclamen, danae, ruscus, arum and dracunculus top the list of dry shade plants. Right behind are ophiopogon, liriope, sarcococca, hedera, aspidistra, sabal palms, tetrapanax, clumping bamboos, and aucuba. Hellebores, rohdea, and pachysandra are also drought-tolerant, but less so than the first two lists.
Some of our favorite plants for dry shade include:
- Aspidistra (Cast Iron Plants) - One of our all-time favorites. Deer-resistant and shade-tolerant, there is a reason we have over 200 different varieties.
- Cyclamen (Hardy Cyclamen) - These small fall/winter growing perennials absolutely thrive in the shady, dry conditions found underneath large deciduous trees and conifers.
- Danae (Poet's Laurel) - A slow-growing evergreen shrub with amazing shade tolerance.
- Liriope (Monkey Grass) - This drought-tolerant grass-like perennial is actually a member of the lily family but we love using it as an ornamental grass.
- Ophiopogon (Mondo Grass) - A wonderful ornamental grass with many dwarf and variegated forms to choose from.
- Pyrrosia (Tongue Fern) - Deer-resistant and drought-tolerant, these un-fern-like ferns make great accents at the edge of a dry shade garden where they can get partial sun.
- Ruscus (Butcher's Broom) - Another evergreen choice with great drought tolerance. They also produce bright red berries that add a splash of garden to your shade garden.
- Sarcococca (Sweetbox) - An evergreen dry-shade perennial that produces small, fragrant blooms in the winter when other dry-shade perennials are dormant.
Also, see all of our shade tolerant plants or just the wet shade plants.
Check out our article entitled 'Gardening in the Shade' that describes many cool plants for dry shade.