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Texas Gardening

Need idea for replacing evergreen shrub in shade

9 years ago

I pulled out a pittosporum that was in a shady spot in my garden. It just wasn't doing well in so much shade. It had more sun when I originally planted it there, but as you know...trees do grow. Anyway, this spot is along my cedar fence and there are about 8 feet from the fence to the next significant shrub and also to my crape myrtle. I would like to put something like a Fatsia japonica there. I live in Allen (between McKinney & Plano, north of Dallas) and was wondering if this would be a good choice or if you have other ideas that might be better. I know that Neil Sperry usually suggests different varieties of holly for shady areas, but not sure if I want a holly. This is also near my backyard pond, so I wouldn't want to back into anything prickly while trying to get around to where my pond filter is located. ;-)

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Comments (8)

PKponder TX Z7B
9 years ago
I don't have fatsia japonica, but highly recommend American Beauty Berry.
jardineratx
9 years ago
I grew Fatsia in a shady spot in my former garden and I was very pleased with it. I have a loropetelum that is in a shady area and, although it is less full than the ones grown in sun, it blooms a couple of times a year and has really nice foliage. I grow this one as a multi-trunk small tree rather than a shrub.

Molly
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What height do you envision for the replacement plant? I agree with mad_gallica that baptisia/false indigo & ornamental grasses could work since both are practically indestructible and require almost zero maintenance. Peonies are lovely--and I do incorporate quite a few of them in my garden designs--but I don't think of them as feature perennials (at least not where I am) aside from when they're in bloom. You might consider Hellebore/Lenten rose as an anchor perennial--it's been my experience they're evergreen, low maintenance & nigh indestructible. How much sun the area gets will likely be a factor when selecting a replacement shrub or perennial. One tough--though not particularly tall--perennial is variegated Japanese sedge grass. The cultivar I have growing in several beds is 'Ice Dance.' It's indestructible near as I can tell and apparently thrives in full shade, part shade as well as a fair number of hours with full sun. If height isn't a concern, perhaps Alchemilla mollis/Lady's mantle or Stachys 'Helen von Stein' might be worth considering.
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Bareness under groupings of tulip poplars is usual. Being magnolia relations they likewise probably won't be wild about planting holes being dug out of their root mats. How much maneuvering room do you have? To a large extend the best quality hedges are still yew, holly and box. Yew is of course poisonous to anything that might eat the seeds. You could get around this by planting a known male clone. Yew also must have excellent drainage, so does box. You may find more tolerance to clay-like soil among the great many different kinds of holly. Never use soil conditioners as in bark, compost, peat or sand when planting long-lived plants with large root systems such as shrubs and trees. Always refill the planting holes with the same soil that came out of them, without modification.
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A variety of evergreens and deciduous flowering shrubs would most complement a cottage style garden. Boring straight lines of the same plant used as a hedge is icky. Be creative. Use groups of odd numbers. Play light foliaged or variagated plants off of bugundy foliaged or dark green foliage. Many china roses will be virtually evergreen in your climate and will bloom from April through November. Look at Cramoisi Superieur, Old Blush, Ducher, Louis Philippe, and Hermosa. These are well foliated shrubs with blooms, not leafless thornsticks with candy apples on the ends.
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Hollys are, I think for the most part, OK in shade. There are such a range of heights and widths. Most of them might get taller than 7 ft. There is one I'd like to have called "Castle Wall" that only gets about 5-7 ft and 3 or so wide. Yews are perhaps my favorite evergreen shrub and can take shade to full sun. They are so beautiful, and so versatile. A word of caution about them, though: They are extremely poisonous. Something like .2% body weight can be deadly (that's pretty toxic!) I have dogs who tend to explore with their mouths, so I have eliminated yews from the roster. I just mention this because you said you had a toddler :) Hey, what about Skip or Cherry Laurel? I think that would be about right in terms of height, and they'd like the filtered light.
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bostedo: 8a tx-bp-dfw
9 years ago
The aralia/fatsia japonica we've had growing in full shade and unimproved Dallas clay flowers well, but has never gotten as large or robust as they did in Houston. Winter die back here keeps it less than about 3 ft tall and wide, though it has only recovered half that size after last year's unusually tough freezes. Acuba japonica does much better for us in the same environment.

Lots of choices on size with nandinas, but their red coloring will usually not be as good in heavy shade. Nothing prickly with dwarf yaupon holly which will eventually grow to about 4 x 4 ft, but can be pruned smaller.

Agree American beautyberry (Calicarpa americana) is a great option if deciduous will work for you. Birds really seem to like the berries - especially the mockingbirds. Turk's cap (Malvaviscus drummondii) is another good one for shade.
southernseasons
9 years ago
Leatherleaf Mahonia. They are shade lovers, they make pretty berries and look very interesting. Oh, and you can't kill them.
jardineratx
9 years ago
Oh, my goodness, I forgot about my leatherleaf Mahonia! Yes, it is an excellent shade shrub that is indestructible and is very attractive. The leaves have a bit of a sharp tip, but they are so well behaved that I have had no problem with that whatsoever....particularly since these shrubs require no pruning. If that is an issue, however, you can always opt for Chinese Mahonia (Mahonia fortunei) since it has smooth, narrow leaves. An excellent shade shrub as well.

Molly
denisew
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks all for the ideas. I also had forgotten about the leatherleaf mahonia. And, that is after I just spoke to a fellow gardener commenting on how pretty his mahonia looked. Duh! That will be a nice addition to my garden and add some nice texture variation. Thank you!
joann5
9 years ago
Sweet olive is a good choice for shade. And I love the look of fatsia japonica also. holly ferns will flourish in shade and have taken the hard freezes here near Brenham. Sade gardens are beautiful.
jardineratx
9 years ago
Ditto on the sweet olive.

Molly

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