Although people with shady yards sometimes despair, they can create gardens every bit as glorious as those of their sun-splashed neighbors. Shade plants, which thrive in areas that get less than five hours of sun per day, often have showy, variegated leaves that range from pale chartreuse to deep blue green, sometimes tinged with red, orange, or yellow.

Plants: When choosing plants, read labels carefully. Those classified as "preferring shade" like medium to deep shade; "shade tolerant" plants prefer light to medium shade.

Planting Tips: To create a pleasing mix of containers, aim for a balance between plants with long, swordlike leaves, like sansevieria, and those with rounder leaves, like glory bush. Limit yourself to one type of plant per container in the majority of pots. If you combine plants, choose varieties that have sharply contrasting growing habits: for example, a statuesque colocasia (elephant's ear) with low-growing coleuses planted underneath.

Containers: Anything goes.

Soil: Use the potting mixes recommended for the annual garden.

Watering: A shade container garden needs less frequent watering than an annual garden. Check containers daily and water when the soil feels dry down to an inch. Every three months, flush containers with water until it runs out the bottoms, to expel salt buildup.

Fertilizer: Use the same fertilizers recommended for the annual garden.