Shade Plants for Zone 8
While there are numerous choices for evergreen plants that thrive in zone 8 shade gardens, below are some of the more commonly planted in the landscape.
Conifer Trees and Shrubs
False cypress ‘Snow’ (Chamaecyparis pisifera) – False cypress ‘Snow’ reaches 6 feet (2 m.) by 6 feet (2 m.) with gray green color and rounded form. Suitible for zones 4 through 8. Pringles Dwarf Podocarpus (Podocarpus macrophyllus ‘Pringles Dwarf’) – Pringles dwarf podocarpus gets around 3 to 5 feet (1-1.5 m.) tall with 6 feet (2 m.) spread. It’s compact with dark green foliage. Suitable for zones 8 through 11. Korean fir ‘Silberlocke (Abies koreana ‘Silberlocke) – Reaching heights of about 20 feet (6 m.) with a similar 20 foot (6 m.) spread, Korean fir ‘silberlocke’ has attractive green foliage with silvery white undersides and nice vertical form. Suitable for zones 5 through 8.
Flowering Evergreens
Himalayan Sweetbox (Sarcococca hookeriana var. humilis) – Having a height around 18 to 24 inches (46-61 cm.) with an 8 foot (2 m.) spread, you’ll appreciate this dark evergreen’s attractive white blooms followed by dark fruit. Sweetbox makes a good candidate for groundcover. Suitable in zones 6 to 9. Valley Valentine Japanese Pieris (Pieris japonica ‘Valley Valentine’) – This upright evergreen has a height of 2 to 4 feet (61 cm. to 1 m.) and width of 3 to 5 feet (1-1.5 m.). Valley Valentine Japanese Pieris produces orange gold foliage in spring prior to turning green and pinkish red blooms. Suitable for zones 5 to 8. Glossy Abelia (Abelia x grandiflora) – Glossy abelia is a nice mounding abelia with glossy green leaves and white blooms. It reaches 4 to 6 feet (1-2 m.) tall with 5 feet (1.5 m.) spread. Suitable to zones 6 to 9.
Ornamental Grass
Blue Oat Grass (Helictotrichor sempervirens) – This popular ornamental grass, blue oat grass, features attractive blue green foliage and reaches 36 inches (91 cm.) tall. It is suitable for zones 4 to 9. New Zealand Flax (Phormium texax) – An attractive ornamental grass for the garden and low growing, New Zealand flax is around 9 inches (23 cm.), you’ll love its reddish brown color. Suitable for zones 8 to 10. Evergreen Striped Weeping Sedge (Carex oshimensis ‘Evergold’) – The attractive grass of evergreen striped weeping sedge only reaches about 16 inches (41 cm.) tall and has gold, dark green, and white foliage. Suitable for zones 6 to 8.
