With winter in full swing, I've turned my attention to researching and planning my next project, the backyard. The area is rather small, about 60'x100'. It's almost entirely shaded by very tall trees and backs up to a small stream. My goal is to create an exotic world away from the world using exclusively evergreens. I have two main inspirations and therefore different garden sections. The first is a formal Japanese style garden; picture manicured conifers, bamboo, and maybe even a bonsai section! The second came to me while watching a documentary on the Himalayan Cloud Forests. I saw verdant jungle-like scenes with tall broad leaved trees covered in moss, vines, and epiphytes, beautiful vast subcanopies of rhododendrons, and forest floors covered in tropical looking palms and ferns. Not a single drop of sunlight was unutilized. Come to find out these cloud forests can experience subfreezing temperatures during the cold season, which makes sense considering they're in the mountains. It was surreal seeing what appeared to be a tropical jungle covered in snow... And the plants even retained their leaves!!
Anyway... I decided I wanted to create a similar aesthetic in my own back yard. Many of the same plants should be hardy here, if they have some heat tolerance.
If you have any plant suggestions or ideas for features, structures, ect feel free to share!! I'll be updating regularly as I research.
The only thing that comes to mind is Hakone grass - it would look good in a Japanese style garden, does well in shade, and is evergreen. I'll be curious to see what your research turns up 
