Understory plants

A tropical environment, like a rainforest, will have understory plants. Those are the ones that are protected by the taller plants, which create a canopy above. In this corner of The Tropical Paradise, I am trying to develop that type of area.

As you can see, there is a little bit of shade protection provided by the patio cover (lower left) which, although has been protecting the coleus, has been protecting it a bit too much, and it has gotten stretched out and leggy, so I trimmed it. You can also see, on the far left the fronds of a zamia cycad, which stays small, likes shades, and unlike most other cycads, doesn't mind living in damp soil.

Beyond the shade of the patio cover, the understory changes quickly. The palm tree that you see in the foreground will provide nice dappled shade in a few years, but it's still a baby. So the carpet bugle (Ajuga reptans), which is the ground cover, has burned up where there has not been enough shade. The groundcover, however provided enough shade and cooling to allow the Caladium *Gingerland* bulb to make it through the hot summer. The cannas, in the mid-to-upper left, provide relief from reflected heat, which stucco walls are notorious for. And you can see some leaf burn and curl where even a little sunlight was too much for them in late July and early August. In the center is an elephant ear (alocasia), which at this point is understory but will be canopy. They get up to five feet tall. Unfortunately, when they get too tall in the summer, they just burn back. In the next couple of months, they will grow well, rise above the understory, and be fine.

The best shade for understory plants is dappled, not solid. Trying to grow plants in the deep shade of a patio will just make them sickly and *leggy*. The best plan is to develop a tier system, just like nature does, and make fine adjustments as you go along.