really need advice

20 years ago

I am trying to shade an area about 5 feet long on my deck that gets ferocious sun on the West side for most of the day in summers.

Since it is on the deck, it needs to be in a container.

I am looking for an upright plant (or plants) that will grow tall (ideally 5-6 feet and thick for the hot season (which is usually high 80s to low 90s).Which means it has to be a fairly fast grower. It will have to contend with wind. It can be annual or perennial but I will not be able to bring it into the house in cold weather. Does such a plant exist? I am considering native grasses as possibilities also. It can have as much water as it needs.

Thank you for any ideas you may have!

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Comments (4)

watergal
20 years ago
Cannas are quite wind resistant. Tall varieties can grow 5 feet or more with lots of water and fertilizer, and you can save the tubers over the winter to reuse.
ianna
20 years ago
There are several choices: Note that you'd need to prepare your container for winter by adding some styrofoam to the inside parts of the pots. Saves the trouble of having to move your pots later on.

Containered evergreen trees of the thuja kind like emerald cedars which are tall and thick. If not containered, they can grow upwards of 15 feet. It's a popular green wall plant material. This will help break the wind and provide shade.

Containered vines like wisteria 'Lawrence' (which will need another season to begin growing quickly and will need aggressive pruning), clematis, dutchman's pipe, etc. Some climbing roses may work well, but you'd need to check zonal requirements.

For vines, I suggest using a grouping of 2 or 3 large container with posts or poles to allow the plant to grow upward. I also suggest putting a cross beam from one post to the other, to allow the vines to meet at the top providing good shade.

For an immediate solution, choose some annual flowering vine like moonflowers, sweet peas, hops.

Why not do a mix of containers? In the middle of the 2 vines, placelarge pots with tall ornamental grasses, bamboo, ornamental millet. Add some flowering types like lilies or lavender.

There are tons of solutions to solve this problem so I hope this helps you.

Ianna
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nagamaki
20 years ago
Hi, an Alberta Spruce (dwarf) may very well suit your needs. They're slow growers, however, perhaps a nursery in your area might have older taller trees available.

ciao
Ina Plassa_travis
20 years ago
: ) I'm lazy...I tacked a section of cheap lattice to the back of a wood planter the guys knocked together for me, anchored it with fig suckers I'd jsut cut out of the monster in the back-back yard, and planted sweet potato vines. trained them up the lattice, and then stuck some of my ever-spreading Lemon Balm at the base to fill it out...those big leaves make good shade, and left me a place to sit and contemplate the next step...I'm currently torn between making what I have permanent, moving my young wisteria into the planter, or changing it out for a pot full of bamboo (which DH is rooting for...if I didn't stop him, he'd turn the whole back yard into a bamboo grove)

even the tallest grasses are only so high...I think they'd look great as accents, but not provide the shade you're hoping for.

really need advice

Comments (4)

watergal

ianna

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