more deep shade evergreens
Some of my shade plants have not been mentioned yet. I have checked
the hardiness of these plants according to Roger Phillips and Martyn
Rix in Shrubs. They are all pictured there. These are hardy to
minus 20 celsius which is minus 4 Fahrenheit, or minus 25 celsius
which is minus 13 Fahrenheit. I will give a few commonly grown
plants for each of those temperatures, and if you are able to grow
those, then perhaps you'd want to try these less-common plants.
Common plants for minus 20 - most Forsythia, Pieris japonica, Mahonia
aquifolium
Common plants for minus 25 - Pieris floribunda, Rhododendron yakushimanum
Common plants for minus 30 - Rhododendron maximum
Elaeagnus x ebbingei shiny evergreen leaves, white underneath. I
grow the common plain green one which is rampant here - it seems to
be part vine and sends great branches out at all angles. It is hardy
to minus 20, so might be less enthusiastic in a colder place than
here. There is one with a broad cream edge "Gilt Edge" that I
haven't grown yet.
Daphne laureola shiny evergreen leaves, clusters of green flowers in
February which are supposed to be scented in the evening, but I
haven't yet caught them at it. Of course, I don't spend much time
outside at that time of year. Black berries which are eaten by birds
and the seeds dropped under trees. No one in this area has ever
planted this, but everyone has it and thinks it is a rhododendron.
It quickly puts down a deep tap root and thrives in dry shade. It is
a very handsome low shrub immune to everything. Minus 20
Osmanthus x burkwoodii has small tubular white scented flowers in
each leaf axil in the spring, and small dark green evergreen leaves.
It used to be considered a bigeneric hybrid, x Osmarea when it was
thought to be a hybrid between Phillyrea and Osmanthus, so your books
may list it as that. Minus 20
Its parent Osmanthus decorus is also minus 20, with fragrant flowers
and deep purple berries. I haven't grown this yet.
Prunus lusitanica, Portugal laurel. Dark green leaves, long racemes
of white flowers, black berries. This can form a tree if it is
pruned correctly. Mine kept growing branches down to the ground
where they would root and grow another tree, so I ended up with a
small forest. Minus 20
Rhododendron sutchuenense - well, I grow lots of rhododendrons, and
have been hybridizing them for about 30 years, so I won't mention
them all. This has just ordinary leaves, and clusters of
unexceptional pink flowers but is totally dependable. It has never
missed flowering in mid March. It forms a small tree. minus 20
Gaultheria shallon, salal This is a suckering native from here south
to California. It grows in our dark conifer forests and is picked in
enormous quantities and shipped out to be used as "lemon leaves" by
florists. It is a member of the heather family and has pretty pink
flowers followed by purple berries that make delicious jelly. minus
20
Euonymus fortunei forms. Some of these climb but the ones I grow
just form a mound. These come in the most incredible range of
coloured evergreen (evergold, evergreenand white etc) leaves. They're
probably gas station plants, and maybe some people are snobs about
them, but I love the cheery brightness of 'Emerald'n'Gold on a gray
winter day. minus 25
Hedera helix - I buy houseplant ivies and plant them out. The ones
with broad green leaves can be a menace, and even ones like Goldheart
will take off. (My Goldheart climbed the neighbour's housewall up to
the eaves on a side of the house where they seldom went. It was the
prettiest thing in their garden until a friend of theirs visited and
cut it off at the base. Now for several years I have had to look at
the dead plant, still up to their eaves.) But ones with tiny little
leaves don't grow too much. minus 25
Diane Whitehead Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
zone 8, Sunset zone 5, rainy winters, rainless summers
