Not Ferns, Not Hostas: The Beautiful Plant That's Perfect For Shaded Porches

If you want more privacy and shelter, enclosing your porch may seem like a great idea. However, you might end up with such a shady porch that even hostas and ferns struggle to thrive there. You don't have to sacrifice shade for greenery, though. There's an easy way you can have both, and it's called the cast iron plant (Aspidistra elatior). Also known as the bar room plant, this lovely leafy plant is named for its ability to withstand almost any conditions, including your shaded porch. There's no shortage of perennials for your container garden, but if you want one that can thrive in deep shade, this should be at the top of your list.

While cast iron plants do bloom on rare occasions, they're primarily grown for their lush foliage. Their leaves can grow over a foot long and range from glossy green to variegated green and cream. This makes them an excellent accent plant for your porch, as they're both beautiful and neutral. They're also so easy to grow that you can keep multiple on your porch. Place one to either side of your door for a symmetrical look, or spread them around your sitting area. They're great for livening up the shadiest parts of your porch.

Cast iron plants can become a couple feet tall and wide. So, while they'll grow in deep shade, you should make sure they have a bit of space. Besides, its beautiful foliage will look much nicer if it has room to splay out. If you love sitting outside on your porch with your pets and have held off on getting porch plants out of fear of accidentally poisoning them, you can rest easy. Cast iron plants are considered non-toxic to dogs and cats.

Start growing cast iron plants by filling your container with rich, well-draining soil. They can adapt to most soil types, but they thrive in soil that is moist without being soggy. Choose a container that has plenty of drainage holes and is relatively easy for you to move. While cast iron plants will look great all year long, it isn't winter hardy in every U.S. zone. If you live in zones 7 through 11, you can keep it on your porch year-round. But if you live further north, you'll need to move it indoors during fall and winter. Luckily, its shade tolerance means you don't need to worry about finding the perfect place for it indoors. They can easily join the list of excellent office plants during winter before returning to your porch in spring.

Once they're established, cast iron plants are drought tolerant. They grow best when they have regular access to water, but don't panic if you forget to water them. They'll bounce back from occasional neglect, so simply resume watering them when the soil is dry. Other than that, cast iron plants don't need a lot of regular care. They do appreciate a light dose of fertilizer at the start of the growing season; just make sure to read the instructions carefully to ensure you aren't overfertilizing them.

These plants don't need frequent repotting, but they do appreciate some fresh soil every few years. If you want to keep it the same size, or just aren't satisfied with having only one cast iron plant, you can easily propagate them through root division. It's a great way to spread their beauty to new sections of your porch.