Low Light Evergreen Plants

Most evergreens thrive in full sunlight but the landscape doesn't always present gardeners with optimum conditions. Plants that can tolerate at least partial shade or low, indirect sunlight offer some evergreen options for shady areas. These plants cover a broad spectrum and can introduce new ideas to the landscaping design.

Armand's clematis is also known as the evergreen clematis, and is a climbing, evergreen variety of the clematis family. While most clematis plants are deciduous, Armand's keeps its glossy, leathery leaves all year around as long as you plant it in an area that gives it the proper shady, low light. Too much direct sunlight will cause the plant to begin to wilt, making it ideal for sheltered areas.

The vine will climb up to 20 feet, over walls, latticework and trees alike; its ability to thrive in low light conditions makes it well suited to climbing trees beneath wide canopies that shade the areas beneath it. Fast-growing and hardy to U.S. Department of Agriculture Zones 8 through 10 (10F to 40 F average minimums), the vine flowers in late winter. Its white, fragrant flowers are up to 2 1/2 inches across and will produce regularly on this low-maintenance vine.

The Japanese plum yew isn't a yew at all but a member of the Cephalotaxus genus. Its needled foliage resembles that of the yew and it gets the rest of its name from the tiny, plum-like fruits that the female plants bear.

A versatile plant that you can groom to grow into either a small shrub or a tree, the Japanese plum yew prefers an area out of the direct sunlight. This low light landscape plant is a bit of an oddity. Few needled evergreens can tolerate low light conditions. When grown into a tree, it can reach a height of 20 to 30 feet, and as a shrub you can keep it between 5 and 10 feet tall. Extremely slow-growing, the Japanese plum yew thrives in moist soils and should be planted in a sheltered area when used in zones north of Zone 6 (-10F).

You can plant philodendron outside as a landscape plant, in a container as a patio plant or even in a large pot as an indoor floor plant. Tolerant of low light to the point of disliking direct sunlight, the tree philodendron is a versatile evergreen shrub. Because of its low light tolerance, the tree philodendron easily becomes an indoor plant in hallways and other areas away from windows.

Leaves can be up to 3 feet long, and indoors or outdoors, the tree philodendron needs plenty of room. The shrub itself can be up to 15 feet tall and just as wide. Outdoors, it is rated for USDA Zones 9 through 11 (20F to 50 F) but can be comfortably kept indoors in other areas. A native to the rainforests of Brazil, the philodendron thrives in warm temperatures and requires regular watering to keep its massive leaves green and glossy.