Re: help for a problem area?


> 
> > I have a strip of garden which runs east and west along the division
> > between us and our neighbor on the south side of our house. The neighbor's
> > side has a hage, multi-trunked redwood tree which begins around 5 feet
> from
> > the fence, through whose branches only heavy rains penetrate. There's also
> > lots of redwood debris covering the very dry earth. On the more eastern
> > part of this strip I have a hybrid musk rose which does well, a Bloomfied
> > Dainty rose which I just put in last winter, some coast iris which has
> > become invasive and there are Oriental poppies which have been there
> before
> > we lived here which has been for the last 32 years. Beyond that point, for
> > the last 25 or so feet I haven't found anything that will do well except
> > Japanese anemones which I don't want because they take over. Oh, yes, I
> > didn't mention that I put in three clivia which I thought would do well
> but
> > don't bloom (one bloomed once) and which I'm afraid to move because I've
> > read that they don't like that.
> >
> > The paradox of this area is that although there's deep shade for much of
> > the day, especially in winter, there can also be occasional bursts of
> > intense sun from the west in the afternoon. So--I have shade, dryness and
> > bits of very hot sun in the same area.
> >
> > Does anyone have suggestions for things I could grow here that would look
> > good and wouldn't need an inordinate amount of irrigation? I was wondering
> > about a salvia Waverly for one.
> >
> > This little strip of ground is located in the central Berkeley flats.
> >
> > Thanks for any ideas.
> >
> > Barbara


Tim Kalman's suggestions, without actually saying so, were all California
natives, several large shrubs. [It would appear that you're after
flowering perennials and ground-covers.] It's noteworthy
how few choices for dry
shade that we actually have along the West Coast.  Urban areas just aren't
enough like redwood or doug-fir forests -- in water cycle, temperature, or
soil to accomodate many of the nicest species.  You have the additional
problem of redwood litter -- it's toxic to many plants, especially those
native to deciduous forest or open habitat. The degree of sensitivity is
idiosyncratic, though.

In my western Oregon garden, the best plants I have for a site like this
[dry shade with blazing afternoon sun for a few hours in mid-summer]
are hellebores, especially Corsican hellebore and its hybrids; daphne
odora, epimediums, winter and early spring corms such as anemone blanda,
cyclamen coum, cyclamen hederifolium, cyclamen repandum; in Berkeley,
you have many more tender plants as well, and a little peeking over fences
at similar sites might be in order -- 
you'll certainly see some wonderful 
things, especially in old gardens..  


An easy thing would be to renovate the Pacific Coast iris -- just dig them
up when winter rains start, divide and replant only the young fans.  You
might find that a collection of some nice varieties of this group would be
one of the easiest to maintain and bloom.

loren russell, corvallis, oregon
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