Poet's laurel-great shade garden shrub

Alexandrian laurel or poet’s laurel (Danae racemosa) is a lovely 2-4 foot, low arching, evergreen shrub. It thrives in shady areas of the garden, spreading slowly from root suckers. Poet’s laurel stays in its intended place and does not overwhelm other plants around it. Tiny greenish-white flowers appear in late spring and are often overlooked. By early fall the ½- inch round berries turn bright orange-red and persist to year’s end. Poet’s laurel prefers a moist well-drained soil in the shade garden. You can cut its glossy waxy-green foliage for indoor floral arrangements.