Evergreen screen for shade and clay soil

17 years ago

Hi --

I'd like to plant an everygreen screen to block out the view of the neighbor's dog run. The area is 100 feet long and there are 4 large mature maple trees shading it already. I'm in Southern Indiana, so I've got heavy clay soil. This site is at the top of a small rise (3 feet, apx.) so it should be well-drained, as that goes around here!

Of course, I want this to grow as fast as possible, as in yesterday. :-) I'd like to go for a more natural, woodsy look, rather than a straight line of arborviate or a trimmed hedge. One last requirement -- I'd rather the trees not get too huge, since there are power lines right over the property line. (So white pines are out) Oh, and I have a toddler, so nothing poisonous -- Yews are out too.

What would you recommend?

Thanks!!

Jeanette

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Comments (9)

picea
17 years ago
I have had good success growing hemlocks in that type of location. As long as it drains OK the soil shouldn't be a problem. Just mulch well to make sure they don't get to dry until they get established. David
joydveenc7
17 years ago
Hemlocks sound really nice. Another choice is chamaecyparis pisifera - some are soft with trailing branch ends and come in a variety of sizes, shades of green to gold.
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My garden soil is rocky clay & I've just lasagna layered right over it planting these plants (without repeating what others have listed) -golden creeping Jenny - Lysimachia -lungwort - Pulmonaria -shasta daisy, older cultivars -forget me not (biennial) -wild sweet William -Heuchera 'Firefly' -hardy wild ginger - Asarum -hardy bigroot - Geranium macrorrhizum -Dusky Cranesbill (mourning widow) - Geranium phaeum -other hardy geraniums - think it's G. x oxon... bloomed all summer - cut it back several times thinking it was done & it bloomed again) -Darmera peltata - Indian rhubarb -hardy ferns esp varieties native in your area -hardy fuchsia -Meconopsis Cambrica - Welsh Poppy -bee balm - Monarda (flops in shade, but still blooms for me & looks great next to daisy for later summer/fall color, so they can flop together near hydrangea, rhodendron, & crocosmia 'Lucifer') -Japanese anemone for fall color! -Brunnera - species, not the fancy white leaved types -monkey flower - Mimulus -Bergenia -sweet flag - Acorus (grows in heavy clay soils) -Carex 'Ice Dance' - variegated grass -Columbine -Ligularia -Astilbe - loves rich soil, so do give it compost/manures, etc. -Persicaria virginiana 'Variegata' (Tovara virginiana 'Variegata') -Vinca major (larger leaves than the minor) -sweet woodruff -Carex, brown (not sure the variety I have) -daylily (though less blooms in shade) -Miller's crimson Japanese primrose -English primrose 'wanda' - fast growing spreader, divide every few years to keep it happy (I just take chunks out to give to other gardeners & call it good) -Euphorbia amygdaloides var. robbiae - Robb's Spurge -plants native to your area should also do well (I have red huckleberry, fringecup (Tellima), piggyback plant, Indian plum, low oregon grape, red currant, & various ferns doing well on the far right side in the pic below. Mid July pic of garden planted in late March on clay soil (my manure makers: chicken, duck & rabbit coops in the background) Most of what you see was winter sown, divisions my other gardens, or from plant swaps & just took off in our prepared soil. Composted manure + bedding is awesome! Be sure to remind her to use mulch to help the plants not dry out in summer.
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It seems like you're more interested in screening than maintaining the integrity of the woods.
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I'm not sure you are all that limited by plant choices. Clay is really not as much of a hindrance to plant establishment as many folks think. The only real caveat is to dig a wide, shallow planing hole and plant high, bringing the soil upto the crown of the plant in a small mound. I would encourage you to do as much amending/improving the soil as possible while it is cleared before planting. So much easier to do what you can to change soil conditions while the area is empty than after the fact. I'd bring as much compost or other organic matter as I could and work it in as best you can. You can also bring in just decent garden soil (check out bulk soil suppliers for this and the compost) and raise up the planting area. FWIW, plants with purplish foliage tend not to hold that color well in much shade. And plants with that coloring also tend to disappear in shade. Try things with yellow or gold foliage or variegated leaves. They really pop in shade and seem to glow. I am not all that familiar with works in z5 so check to see if these are hardy for you: hostas - a given!! epimediums heucheras, heucherellas and tiarellas Aralia 'Sun King' Pieris 'Little Heath' Tradescantia 'Sweet Kate' or 'Blue and Gold' Kerria japonica 'Pleniflora' Aucuba japonica 'Variegata' or 'Mr. Gold Strike' Hydrangea serrata 'Golden Sunlight' Hydrangea quercifolia 'Little Honey' Saxifraga x urbium 'Variegata' (nice groundcover) Lamuim maculatum 'Anne Greenaway' (another excellent groundcover) Carex morrowii 'Aureovariegata' Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola' or 'All Gold' Dicentra spectabilis 'Goldheart' and of course ferns - Japanese painted fern or 'Ghost" fern will add color as well.
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klimkm
17 years ago
I am having good luck with eastern red cedar (juniperus virginiana) in shade near sugar maples, clay, alkaline soil. Going on 2 seasons now they are growing very well.
conifers
17 years ago
That sounds like a local nursery purchase and a pricey one. To plant species trees, you'd be planting the wrong thing as they'd reach into the canopies too soon and just aren't the right plant.

You'll need a mixture of larger potted plants like PJM Rhododendron, Thuja occidentalis 'Smaragd', Thuja occidentalis 'Golden Globe', Tsuga canadensis 'Pendula' (staked to achieve height), Pinus strobus 'Blue Shag', Any large-sized broadleaved Rhododendrons, Tsuga canadensis 'Gentsch White', any Tsuga canadensis cultivar; you could add Physocarpus opulifolius 'Diablo' as it's deciduous branch structure is dense. Large Potted Hollies & Boxwoods. You could tuck in Japanese Maples. Then again when winter strolls along, all the leaves on the Rhodies will curl up.

I don't know. Hemlocks would be your overall best choice.

Dax
inbloomington
Original Author
17 years ago
Thanks for the advice. Looks like it will be hemlocks, but maybe I'll get creative and mix it up a bit.
midwestjeff
17 years ago
what about the wolly adelgids; that may threaten them and they don`t tolerate drought well either.
picea
17 years ago
American holly looks nice in that setting. They are slow growing but if you are going to mix thing it might work. You could also mix in a Bracken Brown Beauty Southern magnolia if there is not to much wind. David
mrgpag SW OH Z5/6
17 years ago
not a conifer but a broadleaf evergreen that would add some diversity to the conifers - Viburnum 'Pragense'.

Evergreen, but can defoliate from sever winter conditions (as can the holly), but re-spouts new foliage and stems the following spring. Can go about 10-12 feet tall and as wide. Google can provide you more info. This plant has proved to be reliably hardy here in the Dayton Ohio area.
csdaur_netscape_net
16 years ago
Junipers won't grow in the shade they will eventually thin and look spindly.
You can use Cryptomeria japonica 'Yoshino' /Japanese Cedar (fast growing) but must have good drainage. add sand and/or gravel to soil when planting or Leyland cypress and trim them ( they get tall) I hand prune mine for a natural look. These are not heavy evergreens so they shouldn't interfere with wires.

Evergreen screen for shade and clay soil

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picea

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Evergreen screen for shade and clay soil

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