skip to main content

Georgia Gardener

replacement suggestions - colorful shrub for partial shade

16 years ago

I've got several knockout roses that aren't happy where they are. It's next to the walkway near my house, and it's a little too shady and dry for them. They bloom, but they're scraggly and unimpressive. Any suggestions for a colorful evergreen shrub to take their place? Partial shade, watered sometimes but can get dry. Plants that thrive nearby are rosemary, bearded iris and mums, and gardenia if I water it. I would love something with fragrance and/or color, that doesn't get more than four feet tall.

I considered Miss Huff lantana and miniature gardenia. Any other ideas?

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (8)

buford
16 years ago
Lantans need sun (I think). Camellias are evergreen and colorful but don't have scent.
esthermgr
Original Author
16 years ago
Hmmm... I hadn't thought of camellias there. Are there any camellias with a shorter, more rounded habit?
Related Discussions
Edible/wildlife-friendly shrubs for partial shade?
Q
Comments (1)
-High bush or half-high bush blueberries provide blooms, fruit, and autumn color if your part of MN has acid soil. -There are several other native Viburnums besides high bush cranberry that could be used such as V. acerifolium which likes shade or V. lentago or V. recognitum. All also have short-term spring blooms, fruit and fall color. -Aronia (chokeberry) also has blooms, berries and fall color. -Bayberry (Myrica pensylvanica) has nicely scented foliage and waxy gray berries that provide early spring food for birds -Winterberry holly (Ilex verticillata) has smooth green deciduous leaves and holds its bright berries on bare stems through most of the fall around here. -Crabapples might not work in your hedgerow, though I have a couple of bird-planted ones growing in quite a bit of shade, but they provide food in early spring as they thaw for robins, grouse, and cedar waxwings IME. -Pagoda dogwood also might be a bit large but has the same combination of spring flowers (small and lacy not like typical flowering dogwoods), bird-friendly fruit, and nice fall color. Several of these plants have 1 sex per plant (holly, many Viburnums, and the bayberry) so you will need to have both sexes for fruit. These are all plants that grow well for me in half-day sun, give or take a bit, but you are a bit colder and so should check hardiness. I have several of the plants already on your list, including elderberries, Techny arborvitae, Juneberry (Amalanchier), and hazelnut, some growing wild and some planted in garden areas. All are doing well.
...See More
Suggestions for grasses for partial shade z6?
Q
Comments (3)
Good suggestions so far. Some cultivars of Miscanthus sinensis do tolerate partial shade; the best of these for that condition are: M.s. 'Variegatus' and 'Gracillimus' (the latter does fine for me with only afternoon sun). 'Adagio,' as noted, is okay, and I have read that 'Strictus' will take a bit of shade. Miscanthus 'Purpurescens,' ("Flame Grass") will do okay too, but it will not take on its fiery fall color. Partial shade for grasses still means at least 3-4 hours of direct sunlight with bright shade the rest of the day. As far as full shade, don't waste your hopes; even Chasmanthium struggles there, perferring partial or very bright shade; the same for Deschampsia, although the more sun it gets, the better it performs. Calamagrostis brachytricha ("Korean Feather Grass") grows attractively lax in [bright] shade. Check out the Hortiplex pics (linked to this site) for the grasses we've mentioned, or do yourself a bigger favor and get Darke's book, as Donn suggested. As far as deer are concerned (a big problem for me too): they don't touch the grasses. But in winter, they will eat whatever is available, even toxic plants like rhododendrons (as you probably already know), so evergreens, not a preferred food in summer, would have to be protected from late fall to mid-spring in z6a. The dried foliage of grasses if browsed will be cut back come spring, anyway. Good luck.
...See More
Vine suggestion for partially shaded West wall
Q
Comments (0)
All, I am looking for a vine suggestion in San Diego. Here are the requirements. 1. Partially shaded East wall 2. Must climb by itself (no trellis) 3. Must be non destructive to the stucco wall 4. Would like some color I have had suggestions of climbing hydrangea, but was told it won't support itself. Any help is appreciated.
...See More
Shrubs/ground cover for shade/partial shade slope
Q
Comments (2)
I've been really happy with Sarcococcas humilus on a site similar to description. A bit slow to spread to total coverage, but a nice low evergreen that has good weed blocking coverage. Another for such a site though not evergreen is Epimedium XFrohenleiten. Lovely dense leaf coverage about 8-10 inch and golden flowers in spring. Seems to like 4-5 hours morning sun but an also stand medium shade all day, and forms a dense root mass that holds back vitrually ever weed around here except garlic grass(Allium Sp,?).
...See More
razorback33
16 years ago
I have 4 Daphne odora 'Aureomarginata' in similar conditions along the path near my front entrance. They prefer dryish conditions, won't tolerate wet feet and they bloom in late winter...very fragrant! Available with white or pink/rose flowers.
Rb
debbieo
16 years ago
How about some lenten roses? They don't have a fragrance but are evergreen and will meet your requirements.
gayle710
16 years ago
How about rainbow leucothoe? It doesn't flower but it has green, white, pink and yellow variegated leaves that are very colorful, by shrub standards. The lenten roses are pretty and evergreen, but they're not colorful.
Kathy Bochonko
16 years ago
there are some varieties of camellia that are more compact in growing habit. I have a white one "snow" something, but I can't find the name right now. If I find it I will post it.
girlgroupgirl
16 years ago
There's always the gumpo azalea.
This from U of Arkansas division of Agriculture "The Gumpo azalea is a spreading evergreen shrub seldom over 2 feet high and 3 feet wide. The leaves are of the typical azalea type, but on the small size, usually less than an inch and a half long.

The true Gumpo azalea has white, ruffled 3-inch wide flowers that are irregularly splotched with flecks of pinkish-purple. Color sports have been selected with the light pink ÂGumpo PinkÂ being the most common. ÂGumpo WhiteÂ is also common. ÂGumpo FancyÂ is pink with a white margin. Of course, there is also a ÂGumpo Red.Â

GGG
esthermgr
Original Author
16 years ago
Are daphne odora very fussy? For some reason I've gotten the idea that they're hard to grow. I'm going to go look up the rainbow leucothoe online.

Related Stories

LANDSCAPE DESIGN 7 Great Trees for Summer Shade and Fall Color

By Tiffany Carboni

These landscape-pro faves straddle the seasons beautifully. Could one enhance your own yard?

GARDENING GUIDES 8 Native Shrubs for Year-Round Bird Feeding

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

It’s not just about berries. These plants provide insects for birds and seasonal interest for gardeners

LANDSCAPE DESIGN 5 Berry-licious Shrubs to Plant Now for Winter Interest

Showy color during snow season? You bet. These shrubs will wake up a garden with colorful berries when other plants are asleep

FLOWERS AND PLANTS Kalmia Latifolia’s Origami-Like Flowers Shine in the Shade

By Falon Mihalic

This shade-tolerant shrub, also known as mountain laurel or calico shrub, thrives in East Coast woodland gardens

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Axminster Gold Comfrey for Sun or Shade

Plant this perennial for bold color that will light up shady spots, sparkle in the sun and add interest from spring until fall

GARDENING GUIDES 10 Essential Native Shrubs for Southwestern Gardens

By Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

Look no further than these Southwestern beauties for a colorful, low-maintenance landscape

FALL GARDENING 9 Deer-Resistant Flowering Shrubs to Plant This Fall

These exquisite shrubs will attract your attention but won’t tempt the deer that roam your neighborhood at night

LANDSCAPE DESIGN Great Design Plant: Sun-Loving Ninebark Puts on a Color Show

By Jay Sifford Garden Design

This tall, dark and handsome native shrub is equally at home in jeans and boots or in a suit and tie

GREAT HOME PROJECTS How to Replace Your Lawn With a Garden

By June Scott Design

New project for a new year: Lose the turfgrass for energy savings, wildlife friendliness and lower maintenance

GARDENING GUIDES 10 Cold- and Heat-Tolerant Perennials and Shrubs for the Arid West

By Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

These flowering native plants shrug off the cold of winter and heat of summer while adding beauty to the drought-tolerant landscape

Sponsored

Rock Solid Creations

Industry Leading Countertop in Franklin County