Tropicals in the Sperry Shade Garden

I learned a long time ago that most flowers do their best in absolutely full sunlight. The shadier it gets, the fewer flowers you see.  I switched over to tropical plants 20 or 25 years ago, and I use them for their wide diversity of colors and textures.  Admittedly, I do have a greenhouse for over-wintering them, but there are plenty of other options that could affordably be replaced every year.

Here are some of my favorites.  Note that some of these produce flowers, but many do not.  In either case, it’s the foliage that steals the show.

For colorful foliage:
Crotons
Aglaonemas
Burgundy, also rust-colored types of philodendrons
Dracaenas
Variegated gingers
Purple colocasias
Sansevierias
Peperomias
Pothos
Syngoniums
Fancy-leafed begonias
‘Domino’ variegated peace lilies
Caladiums

For interesting leaf textures:
Cacti and succulents
Ferns
Asparagusferns
Split-leaf philodendrons
Rubber plants and fiddleleaf figs
Fancy-leafed begonias