People are always calling us up or sending us emails in search of a plant they can put in a really shady spot. Well, there are a couple of really wonderful plants that will work good for that. One of them is a Clivia miniata, better known as the Kaffir Lily. You may have seen it in other people’s yards as you’ve gone into the shaded entry of friends houses, and you see in the fall or winter it blooms with a bright orange flower like a lily. Well, that’s our friend the Clivia – what a magnificent plant.

If it’s even darker yet, another plant is the Cast Iron Plant, Aspidistra elatior. It’s got amazing green foliage, sort of a tea leaf looking thing. It is an incredibly beautiful plant for deep, dark shady areas. The beautiful thing about both of these plants is that once they’re established they don’t use hardly any water. I have some in the back yard underneath a shady patio that I haven’t watered in 5 years. It’s amazing – they don’t even get rain water.

So, Aspidistra elatior and Clivia miniata might be the choice for you. It’s a water-wise choice, but mostly, it’s good landscaping for your yard.