Shade-Lovers for Hot Climates

Carol,

Here are some shade loving plants for hot climates -- I'd like to help you more, but I need more information about your garden first. Next time you have a free weekend, take a look at the sun/shade patterns in your yard and the compass directions (south tends to be sunniest/warmest, north tends to be darkest/coolest)

Caladiums - look for beautiful white, pink, and red leaf striations. These look like small, colorful elephant ears
Elephant Ears - large, tropical leaves in upright arrow-shaped forms or downward facing, relaxed forms
Begonias - good flowering plants for shade, come in lots of different colors -- yellow, orange, red, white -- look for more beautiful angel-wing, rex, and tuberous begonias, rather than the regular garden variety
Ferns - Really brighten up a shady area with their lacy foliage -- look for the silver-leaf Japanese Painted Fern or the red-in-autumn foliage of the Autumn Fern
Variegated Ginger - look for the yellow and green striped leaf -- very striking foliage
Black Alocasia - looks like a black-leaved, silver-veined elephant ear -- beautiful, unusual, highly desirable
Creeping Jenny - look for the golden or green-leaf versions -- nice creeping groundover, more interesting than the usuals
Pygmy Date Palm - A graceful, slow-growing palm that tolerates shade -- you can buy them around 1-2' tall, and they eventually will get as big as 10-15'
Ivy - old stand-by groundcover for shade. White and gold variegated varieties are more interesting.
Vinca - used mostly as a groundcover, but does also get a star-shaped blue flower -- I like the variegated form best
Mondo Grass - grassy mounding grouncover also called monkey grass -- look for the dwarf black mondo for something diffferent -- a similar effect is liriope & Silver Dragon Liriope has very nice white and green striped foliage
Shade Coleus - look for purple-leaf coleus varieties as these tolerate more shade. Very colorful foliage -- one of your best bets for interesting leaf color and texture in the shade
Wandering Jew - purple-leaf groundcover grows vigorously and has a pretty little lavender bloom
Tradescantia - also called spiderworts, these are grassy looking perennials that get very charming little pink or purple blooms

Hope this helps!