I found that plants love to break rules, just like people do. So, when you find a plant that says that it's a sun plant you might be surprise to find that it does well in the shade too. For example, my Eucomis or Pineapple Lilies, I've always grown them in the sun. Well, a few years back I tried putting one in the shade, and guess what. It did wonderfully in the shade, gorgeous greenery, gorgeous blooms; the trick is warm shade. So, make sure you've got some heat from the fence or the street or cement or anywhere that's not really deep forested shade. As long as weeds will grow and ferns will grow, Pineapple Lilies will grow. They're a great plant with really pretty foliage and they come up with the foliage all summer and then these gorgeous blooms in the fall that last one to two months. They look just like a pineapple. The bulbs look just like a Hershey's Kiss candy, so it's pretty much, it's easy to tell which way is up. So, the tip goes up, and this one's got twins, it's got two babies. So, when you're selecting plants it's always good to get a momma with babies, because family units always do better than one plant by itself. I only plant about three inches deep with good composted soil, good potting soil, something that's loose with a lot of drainage. And, my Pineapple Lilies have done really well in the shade, really pretty foliage.
The Pink Pineapple is another gorgeous plant that does well in the shade. They're just a dried out looking plant, but it's amazing what it will produce. So, again, about three inches deeps in shade or sun and these look really exotic. They have purple stripes on the leaves with a really pretty purple bloom. So, even in the shade they look like a Flax or some really exotic Hosta with really pretty foliage. I just love my Pineapple Lilies, whether they are in the shade or the sun, in a container or the ground; they will grow almost anywhere and they have beautiful foliage. When I'm selecting my plants, I always remember that having gorgeous foliage is a bonus, because even when the plants aren't in bloom they'll look great and for a shade garden, Eucomis are a must. Thanks for watching this series on flower bulbs for shade gardens.
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