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Northwestern Gardening

Edibles in a Not Full sun yard

18 years ago

I would like to incorporate a few decorative yet edible plants in my landscape. I am going to give kiwi a try since I need vines for privacy anyway. I was thinking about a couple of blueberry bushes. Hubby would really like a fruit or nut tree. Our backyard is "bright" but not in sun most of the day. It gets direct sun before 10am and then after about 3pm. The rest of the day it is dappled or filtered due to a stand of hemlock trees (high branches) in the greenbelt behind us. Am I just dreaming that we might get berries and fruit? Any suggestions for plants or varieties to try?

I have been trying to figure out how to post pictures on this site. Elsewhere, my photobucket hosted photos work, but not sure if they do here.

[IMG]http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a196/wa_trailrider/DSCN1864.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a196/wa_trailrider/cd32105d.jpg[/IMG]

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Comments (3)

gw:everett-reader
18 years ago
Doesn't totally make sense to me, but looks like I need to do it as a ling instead.

Here is a link that might be useful:
FogLily
18 years ago
We have alot of fog, the temp rarely gets over 70F for an extended period (= a week). When I say alot, I mean that sometimes its foggy for months on end with maybe a small break for an hour in the early morning or later evening depending on the heat inland. I take my children inland so they can get some much needed sunshine to keep them mentally and physically healthy!
This is our experience in what I have found that works for us and our poor sunlit deprived plants (everyone grows/leans southwards, no overhead canopy except the fog... and clouds when there is not fog!):
Native Huckleberries (red and blues/blacks) produce a bit more than the commercial/hybrid blueberries (except for 'Legacy' Blueberry: we have Misty, Brigitta, BlueJay, Top Hat also). The strawberries (everbear and June bear) do ok if the fog is not real wet (mold is a problem then). 'Liberty' apple is best out of our Matsu, red grav, waltana, gold delicious and various red fleshed apples. Our 'Frost' peach has never disappointed even on a bad year. The gooseberries are ok but not real heavy producers yet. My white currant is tops! The red currant and jostaberry are just a flash in the bucket compared to this wonderful bush with its multiple little clusters of tranparents pearls. They are truely beatiful. Our raspberries do ok, far better in number than the native thimbleberry or salmon berry. We have an almond, "All-in-one" that is great! One word of caution ... it could also be a Hall's Hardy as that I have helpful children and big winds on occassion (tag confusion). The other almond has never bloomed in the 6 years while its companion has been producing nuts for three. The fig is a Desert King: it produces two crops but the last crop comes too late in the year to ripen (Oct). The barlett and moonglow pears are ok but I think that the asian pear will work out better in the end (watching my neighbor who has an asian pear three years older than my asian and its producing well). We have an old plum that breaks branches every year even after I thin it twice! It is a santa rosa variety but I do not know exactly what (blooms earlt Febuary, fruits ripen end of June, the first part of July).
But this is my experience here in the eternal land of fog :)
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Schenk, COMPLETE SHADE GARDENER has chapter about edibles in shade. He is a local author.

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