Shrubs or Small Trees for Narrow Shade Garden
DBGardener
13 years ago
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lolagardner
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agohottohort
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRelated Discussions
Tree or shrub for narrow strip near driveway; northern exposure
Comments (4)Hydrangea not appropriate for here. If you can give plenty of water, Clethra alnifolia and prune. Cornus might do there, but big. Some Mahonia. You might be better off going over to RMG forum. Dan...See Moretall narrow trees/shrubs for really small space?
Comments (9)Sky Pencil Holly is really hard to find in the UK. I've tried. Degroots Spire also. I've not found any sources for it. Juniperus Sky Rocket will get much more than two feet in time and can end up 25 feet high. Is it your fence? If so I'd really consider getting that fixed first. Even a narrow plant will have roots going under the fence. And how will you maintain a ramshackle fence with something growing in front of it? You could try pleaching something i.e. having the trunks in front of the fence and the tops above it. Alternatively how about trellis and some sort of climber? Or I've seen a really successful fedge using ivy trained on wire netting. (And before we get a chorus of ivy hatred remember the OP is in the UK where ivy is native and not a problem.) I have a Cupressus sempervirens 'Totem' in a similar position but that is 90 cm from a well-built wall. Here is a link that might be useful: Totem...See More8'-12' tall very narrow tree, shrub
Comments (10)Schefflera pueckleri does develop some rather aggressive surface roots with age, and may be perfectly safe it your wall has a properly reinforced foundation of concrete with rebar, but not enough info here to advise you in your circumstances. In general Podocarpus latifolius or another species is probably a safer choice if your retaining walls are of questionable construction.I've also seen Magnolia grandiflora dwarfer cultivars used as trained espaliers in narrow planters without foundation problems. As to just one 2 month drop of flowers for Bougainvillea, not how I see them work here in northern California where most cultivars have two to three waves of bloom throughout the year, and drop massive amounts of flowers. Not a vine I'd use by a pool without a pool cover....See Moreneed a shade-loving small tree or shrub
Comments (8)There are few, perhaps no, shrubs native to the mid-Atlantic that actually grow better in deep shade than in the sun. All shrubs I can think of grow better with more sun, and I can't think of any shrub that won't tolerate full sun when grown in its native range. Some shrubs wouldn't do well in dry, hot, windy locations, but given suitable soil and enough moisture, I think all would grow fastest, bloom best, and in general grow best with full sun. I think that is why you see shrubs described as "shade tolerant" - they tolerate shade but will do better in sun. Shade tolerant is the strongest endorsement a shrub can receive with regard to growing OK in the shade. Of course there are lots of shrubs that will grow fine in shade. Great Rhododendron commonly grows in very shade places, and will even bloom in the shade. I think that is a good choice. As for the feeder, I'd put post in the ground to hold the feeder, and have the shrub nearby for cover. It will be a few years before a shrub is large and sturdy enough to hold up a feeder, which should be four or five feet off the ground, since there are certainly lots of cats in your neighborhood....See MoreDBGardener
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