Tropical and exotic plants that thrive in shade. So many gardens have difficult shaded spots that can easily be full of lush tropical plants and flowers. Many shade loving tropical plants and shade loving exotic plants have beautiful big leaves that come in all shapes and sizes. Browse our currently available shade loving plants and see how great your garden can look.
The darkest in a series of brand new stunning cold hardy Begonias. Begonia 'Dark Side of the Moon' produces nearly black, velvety leaves with scarlet red flowers. The bold foliage has a deep maroon underside.
These new hybrids are said to be hardy downs to USDA zone 7, that's below -10ºC! We're excited to test this claim in the Grow Paradise garden. Through summer sprays of delicate red flowers are held above the striking foliage.
Current size: Plug plant
The first in a series of brand new stunning cold hardy Begonias. Begonia 'Sterling Moon' has large palmate-shaped leaves that are patterned with silver and green flecking, perfect for illuminating shady spots in garden borders. The leaf underside is a rich coppery-maroon colour.
These new hybrids are said to be hardy downs to USDA zone 7, that's below -10ºC! We're excited to test this claim in the Grow Paradise garden. Through summer sprays of delicate rosy pink flowers are held above the striking foliage.
Current size: Plug plant
A fantastically exotic tall growing Begonia with large palmate leaves. Originating from the rainforests of Brazil, Begonia luxurians is one of the finest foliage plants for the shady summer borders in any tropical style garden.
Growing to 2m in height on thick fleshy red stems, Begonia luxurians is almost shrub-like in appearance. This Begonia is grown for its unique 'palm leaf' shaped foliage with each leaf growing to an impressive size up to 30cm wide! In summer clusters of tiny white flowers are held above the foliage and will be followed by paper-like seed pods.
Current size: Plug plant
£9.00Original price was: £9.00.£5.00Current price is: £5.00.
Bright pink -striped leaves that grow up to 50cm long make this a beautiful evergreen that will brighten up any garden. In time Cordyline 'Salsa' will form a small palm like tree, but early growth will provide a dense clump of colourful foliage near ground level. Add this colourful Cordyline to sunny or partially shaded spots in your garden to provide beautiful colour all year-long. Cordyline 'Salsa'makes the perfect container plant for your seating areas.
Current size: 30cm tall plant growing in a 7cm diameter pot.
£9.00Original price was: £9.00.£5.00Current price is: £5.00.
This colourful plant makes the perfect addition to any garden. The striking sword shaped foliage features broad pink margins with thin bright pink stripes. In time Cordyline 'Southern Splendour' will form a small palm like tree, but early growth will provide a dense clump of colourful foliage near ground level. Add this colourful Cordyline to sunny or partially shaded spots in your garden to provide beautiful colour all year-long. Cordyline 'Souther Splendour' makes the perfect container plant for your seating areas.
Current size: 30cm tall plant growing in a 7cm diameter pot.
A rarer variegated form of this reliable tropical style evergreen shrub. Large palmate glossy green leaves are adorned with a really attractive variegation, making Fatsia japonica 'Variegata' a great addition for shaded areas of any garden. A relatively fast growing shrub that can reach heights of 2m+, but tolerates hard pruning well. Fatsia japonica 'Variegata' has survived -6°C in the Grow Paradise garden and continues to thrive. In autumn white ivy-like flowers are produced and are followed by dark berries, providing food for pollinators and bird life.
Current size: 40cm tall, including pot.
A compact, clump-forming grass-like perennial with glossy evergreen leaves. Liriope mascari 'Purple Explosion' is an incredibly useful plant in UK gardens, providing a lush evergreen edge to your borders or pathways throughout the year. We use Liriope mascari 'Purple Explosion' as an evergreen foil for deciduous shrubs in the Grow Paradise garden. From late summer into autumn these resilient evergreen plants produce spikes of small deep purple flowers followed by very ornamental spherical black fruit that is loved by birds.
Current Size: 2ocm, including pot.
A stunning spineless Mahonia with graceful evergreen leaves that look perfect in a jungle garden. Mahonia eurybracteata 'Sweet Winter' is fully hardy and used by many tropical gardeners to create a year-round tropical effect in their gardens. The evergreen leaves are a glossy dark green and are very resilient to being grown in shade. This Mahonia produces bright yellow flowers in late winter followed by berries that'll bring birds into your patch of paradise. Use this beautiful shrub to create evergreen structure and foliage interest in your garden.
Current size: 30-40cm, including pot.
This is a wonderful variegated evergreen grass-like perennial. Each of the narrow leaves is mostly white with a thin green stripe through the centre, making Ophiopogon intermedius 'Aztec Grass' a brilliant plant for brightening up those dark areas in your garden. This resilient plant grows equally well in shade as it does in full sun making it a very versatile addition to any garden. In July and August this plant will produce spike of tiny white flowers followed by dark berries. Ophiopogon intermedius 'Aztec Grass' is very hardy, though some foliage may get frosted back in severely cold weather. This variegated form of Opiopogon is one that is not seen for sale in the UK very often.
Current Size: 25cm tall, including 8cm diameter pot.
A beautiful frost hardy evergreen ground covering plant, with tiny white flowers on tender upright stems that dance on a gentle breeze. The unassuming Saxifraga stolonifera is a delightful plant with intriguing silvery veined olive toned leaves with a reddish-purple underside. It is commonly known as the strawberry begonia. Saxifraga stolonifera is semi-hardy and is not often seen growing outside. Although dainty this plant has survived -5ºc in the Grow Paradise Nursery Garden. Take inspiration from its use as a house plant and place on the edge of pots and hanging baskets, for an abundance of foliage at eye level. Saxifraga stolonifera is a perennial that would be a perfect addition to a wide variety of planting schemes with its array of complimentary tones.
Current size: Sold in a 9cm pot.
An eye-catching evergreen variegated plant that will produce clouds of orchid-like blooms in summer. Saxifraga stolonifera 'Tricolour' is a spreading perennial that produces masses of rounded hairy leaves with a broad pink to white margin. In mild gardens is will remain evergreen, providing a unique and colourful ground cover throughout the year. It can also be grown in a hanging basket or container, where it's spreading stolons and young offsets will hang down providing visual interest. In summer delicate flower stems are held 30cm high and are covered in flowers that resemble miniature white orchids. We have used Saxifraga stolonifera as ground cover in the Grow Paradise garden for years, with it surviving a dry -6ºC unscathed.
Current height: 10cm, including pot.