Re: Background plantings for Shade
Sheila Craig wrote:
> I have a long shaded border, part of which is backed by a chain-link fence. I
> may put up a board fence in front of the chain link, but I'm also looking for
> vines, tall small trees, shrubs and perennials that would act as good
> background plantings. This area gets only 1-3 hours direct sunlight a day + a
> couple hours of filtered light. (Lady's Mantle thrives, daylilies grow but
> don't bloom well here).
>
> Some ideas I've had:
>
> -Virginia Creeper (planted last summer, appears to be thriving)
> -Azaleas (is it too dark here?)
> -Holly (how tall does it get?)
> -Tall Hostas (any favourites?)
> -Ferns (any favourites?)
> -Yews
>
> Any ideas - especially for shrubs and understory / ornamental trees would be
> greatly appreciated.
>
> There may be a great deal _less_ shade here next summer if the ice doesn't
> melt off our poor trees soon :-(
>
> -Sheila
> Zone 4/5
> Ottawa, Canada
>
> Sheila,
You could try American dogwood, serviceberry, Japanese maples (the shorter
varieties), Cornelian cherry. The choice of shrubs for the shade are much wider.
You could viburnums, hydrangeas, mountain laurel, fothergilla, clethra, and
pieris. I also forgot to mention eastern redbud and Japanese dogwood for
understory trees. As to the height of holly, it all totally depends on what type
of holly you have. American holly (Ilex opaca), can get to be quite tall with a
pyramidal shape, but it can also be pruned to shape. Many hollies tend to spread
out and reach anywhere from three feet to six or seven. However, this is a
generalization. Talk with your local extension agent for specific hollies for
your area. I adore hostas, some of my favorites being Frances Williams, Gold
Standard, Halcyon, Golden Tiara, to name a few. As to how dark your area is for
azaleas, you have to determine if you have high shade (buildings or trees with
high ceilings) and/or how much direct sunlight the area gets, if any. I have
P.J.M. rhododendrons planted in a north-facing yard underneath a limbed-up maple
with a brick wall on the west side. The plants are growing, but they haven't been
in the ground long enough to determine if they receive enough sun to bloom well.
I'll just have to wait and see. I love almost any fern- particularly the royal
fern, the maidenhair fern, and the ostrich fern. I hope these suggestions are
helpful. Good luck!
Merry
Zone 5
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@mallorn.com with the
> message text UNSUBSCRIBE PERENNIALS
---------------------------------------------------------------------
To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@mallorn.com with the
message text UNSUBSCRIBE PERENNIALS
