Re: Fast growing shrubs & shade. also seed started flowers....
- To: s*@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU
- Subject: Re: [SG] Fast growing shrubs & shade. also seed started flowers....
- From: D* B* T*
- Date: Mon, 9 Apr 2001 21:23:04 -0500
- Importance: Normal
Now THERE's a resourceful shade gardener!!
Diann
-----Original Message-----
From: PRIMROSES [s*@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU]On Behalf Of
Marge Talt
Sent: Saturday, April 07, 2001 1:12 AM
To: shadegardens@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU
Subject: Re: [SG] Fast growing shrubs & shade. also seed started
flowers....
You don't say how deep or wide this area is. Have you considered
installing a section of wood fencing?
In my experience, hollies will tolerate shade but they grow loose and
open, not compact. Mahonia, as was mentioned, stays more compact,
but is a very slow grower. Lightly dappled shade is fairly deep
shade where shrubs are concerned, really.
I actually find yew to grow a lot faster than you'd think..puts on a
foot or so a year. Has, if you have a female, nice poisonous red
berries:-) However, it, too will open up in intense shade.
Pieris japonica is beautiful in every season, but very slow
growing...am having difficulty with the 'fast' part.
Hemlocks will tolerate a fair amount of shade and grow pretty
rapidly, but become quite large if not regularly sheared. I would
start out with at least a 4' tree to get to 6' in a decent amount of
time.
The common boxwood, Buxus sempervirens, will tolerate a fair amount
of shade and still stay relatively compact. It puts on about 6" of
growth a year...no berries. Needs protection from strong winter
winds and sun or it will burn.
IMO, dense and shade are mutually incompatible terms when it comes to
shrubs, really...all of them tend to be more open in shade than they
will be in sun.
If you have the space, you could layer shrubs two or three deep.
Even if they grow more open than normal, or are deciduous, they will
make a pretty good screen.
Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@clark.net
Editor: Gardening in Shade
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----------
> From: JNJ <jnj@POBOX.COM>
>
> I have a particularly shady area that I'd very much like to get
covered so
> those wonderful little neighborhood angels do not find it so easy
to see
> into my yard and throw things at our dogs. :) To be perfectly
honest, the
> key to our desire on this is fast growth and something that's
fairly thick
> for the off season -- berries are a plus (would be nice to get
something for
> nature) and if it's invasive, all the more better. We're in SW
Ohio, Zone 6
> and the area gets dappled sun at various times during the day.
>
> I also have another area in addition to part of the dappled shade
area that
> I'd like to plant some flowering plants -- something to attract the
general
> butterfly, hummingbird, bumble bee, etc. population. Two spots
here -- one
> that is somewhat woodland and gets little to no direct sun and
another that
> gets dappled (same as above). I'd really like to start these off
from seed.
> I'm thinking of basically spreading them about in a somewhat random
pattern
> to give a sort of devil-may-care design.
>
> All thoughts welcomed....
>
> James
> jnj@pobox.com
