Re: deep shade evergreens

Nancy,

What about Pieris japonica?  Lovely plants in all seasons who like
shade - they get lace bug attacks if in too much sun.  They are not
fast growing, but worth it, IMO.  Nandina is supposed to be hardy to
z 6.  I have had top growth killed off in bad winters, but they come
back.  They grow faster than Pieris and tolerate a lot of shade.

My experience with yew (Taxus spp.) is that, while they will survive
in deep shade, they become quite open and lanky, even with pruning.
There are several cultivars with different growth habits, but IMO
they all require a certain amount of pruning to be their most
attractive and none have what I think you mean by a 'natural' form.
If you have deer, I wouldn't bother as all yews are deer candy.

Box will tolerate a fair amount of shade, but also tend to not be
full in very deep shade.  B. microphylla cultivars are rated hardy to
z 6, but would probably need a protected spot.  Box are very subject
to winter leaf burn from winter sun and cold winds.

I managed to kill the Leucothoe I had several years ago.  Do not
remember why it passed on, but keep forgetting to replace it.  They
are nice, but also fairly slow growing.  Sarcococca hookerana will
get 4' to 6' tall, but is not as easy to find as S. humilis who only
gets about 2' tall.  I have just acquired that, so have no track
record on it.

Ilex crenata, Japanese holly,  will also grow in quite a bit of
shade, but, again, with a more open and less compact form than when
it gets some sun.  If you prune it faithfully, you could probably
force the form to stay denser in heavy shade.  Some cultivars want to
become large plants fairly quickly.  Not exciting - very like box -
but nice green plants all year around.

You might give Viburnum rhytidophyllum, the leatherleaf viburnum, a
thought.  It's supposed to be hardy to z 5, although it might be
semi-evergreen at the northern end of its range and a really severe
winter might kill it back, tho' Dirr says they will resprout from the
roots.  They do get quite large - maybe larger than you want - but
tolerate quite a bit of shade.  I do not have this one, but it's been
on my list for some time.

It's been my experience that virtually any evergreen shrub will
become more open in habit in really dense shade than if it is in
light or dappled shade.  This is not a necessarily bad trait on some
plants, but for those who are meant to be fully clothed to the
ground, it is not so marvelous.  Needled evergreens tend to lose
needles, which are not replaced, in dense shade...not really lovely.
Your best bet is for a broad-leaf evergreen, I think, since for most
of them a more open form with less foliage than they might have in
sun isn't so noticeable.

Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@clark.net
Editor:  Gardening in Shade
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> From: Nancy Stedman <stedman@RCN.COM>
> Date: Thursday, December 14, 2000 11:00 AM
>
> Gene has inspired me to plant more evergreens. Can anyone suggest a
> small'ish (six feet tops) evergreen shrub that would survive pretty
deep,
> dry shade? I have had great success in a similar area with Mahonia
> aquifolium and I'd be happy to plant another but they are expensive
and
> slow-growing. Hemlocks are out because they're all getting killed
by woolly
> algedid (or however it's spelled) and I'm just not the spraying
type. Does
> anyone have experience with Sarcococca (which is supposed to only
be hardy
> to zone 7 but I've seen it growing near me, in zone 6) or Leucothoe
> fontanesiana? Are there any yews that are short and natural-looking
(this is
> a real woodland area)? Any other possibilities?
> Thanks in advance,
> Nancy S. (zone 6, NYC)
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