Tropical Shade Garden in Myrtle Beach

April 17, 2022

Ok so, I'm thinking of starting a shade/partial shade garden on my north/northeastern side of my house. Some of these species I have listed will obviously require protection or other special requirements. Please suggest any plants that would be good for a shade/partial shade garden. Let me know if some of these plants would be a complete mistake. Just for reference, I live in a Humid Sub-tropical Zone 8b. Although, I have managed to prove that I can grow an Ostrich Fern here, which I didn't think I was suppose to be able to do. Which makes me think that it is a more cool Humid Sub-tropical climate, maybe a little closer to an Oceanic climate than the usual Humid Sub-tropical climate. Not saying it is an Oceanic climate, just a bit closer to one. (I didn't really know what topic I should've put this thread in, since it contains both palms and other plants)

Sabal palmetto
Sabal minor
Trachycarpus fortunei
Rhapidophyllum hystrix
Chamaerops humilis
Chamaerops humilis 'Cerifera'
Phoenix canariensis
Butiagrus nabonnandii
Livistona chinensis
Chamaedorea radicalis
Musa basjoo
Ensete maurelii
Dicksonia antarctica
Mahonia eurybracteata 'Soft Caress'
Fargesia rufa
Cordyline australis
Cordyline australis 'Red Star'

Edited April 17, 2022 by General Sylvester D. Palm

April 17, 2022

The main problem here I see is that most of the plants you list are happier in full sun with maybe some afternoon shade. There are some shade ones like Dicksonia antarctica, Mahonia eurybracteata 'Soft Caress' and Fargesia rufa. Maybe more but those stood out.

Edited April 17, 2022 by Allen

April 17, 2022

5 minutes ago, Allen said:

The main problem here I see is that most of the plants you list are happier in full sun with maybe some afternoon shade. There are some shade ones like the bamboo

Yeah you are absolutely right. I did forget to mention that some of these would have quite a bit of sun. It's a bit hard to explain but it would wrap around to the east side of my home, which actually gets quite a bit of sun. A lot of these plants would be getting direct morning sun all the way until about 3 or 4. Then of course, the shade ones would go on the direct north side.

April 17, 2022

Not palms, but I'm partial to Hedychiums or flowering gingers. Lots of different kinds to choose from.

April 17, 2022

You could use the Phoenix canariensis and Butiagrus to create canopy. That's the realization of my goal,, once my palms get big enough to create canopy for understory palms/plants, then it will feel like a mature garden/jungle.

April 18, 2022

I know for sure 1 day I woke up for 26 degrees ,I protected stuff I felt needed . I don’t think I lost any plants , but some got damage ,I have one bottle palm which show damage but not sure if it’s was due to cold .It maybe some infection or disease. We see if it will make it ,I see as of today that it look like started to push out new leave. I will take some day time photos.

April 19, 2022

On 4/17/2022 at 9:42 AM, General Sylvester D. Palm said:

Ok so, I'm thinking of starting a shade/partial shade garden on my north/northeastern side of my house. Some of these species I have listed will obviously require protection or other special requirements. Please suggest any plants that would be good for a shade/partial shade garden. Let me know if some of these plants would be a complete mistake. Just for reference, I live in a Humid Sub-tropical Zone 8b. Although, I have managed to prove that I can grow an Ostrich Fern here, which I didn't think I was suppose to be able to do. Which makes me think that it is a more cool Humid Sub-tropical climate, maybe a little closer to an Oceanic climate than the usual Humid Sub-tropical climate. Not saying it is an Oceanic climate, just a bit closer to one. (I didn't really know what topic I should've put this thread in, since it contains both palms and other plants)

Sabal palmetto
Sabal minor
Trachycarpus fortunei
Rhapidophyllum hystrix
Chamaerops humilis
Chamaerops humilis 'Cerifera'
Phoenix canariensis
Butiagrus nabonnandii
Livistona chinensis
Chamaedorea radicalis
Musa basjoo
Ensete maurelii
Dicksonia antarctica
Mahonia eurybracteata 'Soft Caress'
Fargesia rufa
Cordyline australis
Cordyline australis 'Red Star'

I'm in Raleigh, NC, zone 7b. So I'm envious of so many of these things you can grow that I can't. I will add a few suggestions:

Spiders Web Fatsia

Aucuba Japonica - the gold leaf varieties with green speckles specifically

Blush nandina - these are some of my favorite shrubs because they work just about anywhere and they provide a practical rainbow of color all year long.

All of those should do well in the shade.

April 19, 2022

I was able to grow Ensete maureli here for many years but unfortunately I didn't throw mulch high up on the trunk last winter and I think it's dead . So all I guess I should say it to throw mulch up on the trunk about a foot high . I didn't have a bad winter here but it really doesn't like to freeze throughout , so put that mulch on the trunk and pull it away during mild periods if you want ( I just left the mulch on all winter . )

If you do the trunk will get fatter every year and then you'll have a really showy plant . I should add that I've found that Thailand Giant EE's also do well here with a load of mulch high on the trunk . When I pull the mulch off in the spring you'll see healthy tissue about 2 inches below the mulch .

Will

00C08A18-F8E0-45CD-8824-5879C4797277.heic

Edited April 19, 2022 by Will Simpson

April 19, 2022

20 minutes ago, Will Simpson said:

I was able to grow Ensete maureli here for many years but unfortunately I didn't throw mulch high up on the trunk last winter and I think it's dead . So all I guess I should say it to throw mulch up on the trunk about a foot high . I didn't have a bad winter here but it really doesn't like to freeze throughout , so put that mulch on the trunk and pull it away during mild periods if you want ( I just left the mulch on all winter . )

If you do the trunk will get fatter every year and then you'll have a really showy plant . I should add that I've found that Thailand Giant EE's also do well here with a load of mulch high on the trunk . When I pull the mulch off in the spring you'll see healthy tissue about 2 inches below the mulch .

Will

00C08A18-F8E0-45CD-8824-5879C4797277.heic 2.94 MB · 4 downloads

Thanks for sharing Will, I just added an ensete to the mix so this good to know :shaka-2:

I think this previous winter killed the large mekong giant I had planted: ( I'll post more about it on my thread...

April 21, 2022

I have acquired one of these plants on this list! Mahonia eurybracteata 'Soft Caress' is officially in the collection. Pictures will come tomorrow when the plant is in the ground.

April 22, 2022

That's a great Mahonia. I hate that they're patented and "illegal" to propagate.

April 22, 2022

2 minutes ago, Jesse PNW said:

That's a great Mahonia. I hate that they're patented and "illegal" to propagate.

:huh: That's strange. It's funny because it always makes me think, how are they actually going to know if someone propagates one?

April 22, 2022

Next plant I'm going to try to get is Chamaedorea radicalis. I'm pretty sure Jungle Music has some, I've heard they are a bit pricy but have a good selection. Also forgot to add to the list Cyperus alternifolius. They seem pretty inexpensive, I just haven't found any around here yet.

April 22, 2022

I live in Charleston thinking about getting a king Alexander palm and planting it. Opinions?

April 22, 2022

4 minutes ago, South Carolina palms said:

I live in Charleston thinking about getting a king Alexander palm and planting it. Opinions?

Plenty of protection will be needed during the winter, otherwise they will love the summer heat and humidity.

April 22, 2022

12 hours ago, General Sylvester D. Palm said:

Cyperus alternifolius

I have about a dozen plants ready for the ground, dm me

April 22, 2022

22 hours ago, General Sylvester D. Palm said:

I have acquired one of these plants on this list! Mahonia eurybracteata 'Soft Caress' is officially in the collection. Pictures will come tomorrow when the plant is in the ground.

And here she is. I added a few pics of my Windmill Palm. The shade garden has begun!

September 16, 2022

Well, well, well... I truly can't believe at how well all of the plants on this side of the house have done. Okay so, there is quite a bit to unpack here. First, my Windmill Palm has done absolutely fantastic. I have not been able to keep track of how many fronds it has pushed out this year. If I had to guess it'd be roughly 5. I've noticed that it actually got a little bit taller too. I always thought that Windmills were notorious for being slow growers. I'm quite happy I was wrong. Secondly, I can't remember if I posted anything about this Sago I got, but I don't think I did. This Sago has quite a cool story. I was shopping at Lowes one day and crossed the clearance section. I saw this rough looking Sago severely leaning over in a plastic pot that was split open with all of the soil spilling out. I believe it was 60 dollars marked down to 30 (I can't remember that part). I looked at it for a bit and thought that the thing was beyond saving. I went back home and didn't really think anything of it. I went back to Lowes the next day for something else and I saw the Sago still sitting there. It was pretty clear nobody was going to buy it. I thought that I'd like to try to bring it back to health, but I didn't want to pay 30 bucks for something that is almost certain to die. I decided to go up to the counter to see if the lady might give me a little bit more of a deal. She looked at the thing and said, "Just take it, nobody is going to even bother paying anything for that." I thanked her and went back home and planted it next to the Windmill. I am BEYOND amazed at how this thing has recovered. It quickly "unfurled" a whole batch of beautiful fronds. Now it has another batch of fronds that are unfurling. I imagine that it missed 2 years in a row because it was so neglected. I truly can't believe how well that thing has done. Just with a little help, it took off. Next, my Mahonia. The thing has done pretty darn good. Honestly didn't blow me away like some of the others, but I'm definitely pleased with it. It has definitely grown quite a bit and seems to be loving the area. Now for my Umbrella "Palms" that were given to my by @DAVEinMB. These things have exploded. I was completely not expecting them to grow that large in such a small amount of time. The one on the left is doing quite a bit better than the one on the right. I'm thinking that the fence is blocking the evening sun from getting to it. Either way, both have blown me away at how large they've gotten. Especially the one on the left. So, a few months ago I went to Lowes and bought 2 small plants for about 4 dollars. I can't remember the name but I believe they are called spike plants. I'm not 100% sure though. I've been pretty surprised with them. They were quite small and then they just kinda exploded into a big plant. I must say I'm pretty impressed with them. Now for my Ostrich Fern, this guy was the first thing to be planted on the north side of the house. I now it looks rough in the picture, but that is just because it is the end of summer. In the spring and early summer, it was super green and had pushed out a bunch of fronds. It has also started to shoot off other little ferns, which is apparently a sign that it is doing pretty well. I've always seen that they don't do good in hot and humid sub-tropical climates, but this one has definitely proved that wrong. I guess if you just plant them in a cool and wet area, they do pretty good. This gives me hope to plant some more exotic plants that prefer an oceanic climate. So yeah, overall I am completely amazed. There is so much else to talk about in my entire "garden". This area just particularly surprised me because of the "bad" conditions this side of the house has.