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Landscape Design Gardening in Shade

tree/shrub to act as screen in deep shade

4 years ago

I live in northern Colorado along the front range. I am trying to find a tall columnar tree or tall bush that could be happy against our fence to help shield the view of the neighbor's house and satelite dish! I planted an arborvitae 5 years ago, but as you can see it has not been happy. Probably too little sun? Even though you can see a huge arborvitae just on the other side of the fence that is happy. We have a dry climate but I can hand water when needed. Any ideas on a good screen tree or bush that would be happy in that much shade? It is a south facing spot that is mostly shielded from the sun by our house, probably just a few hours sun per day. Please see photos.
Thanks for any advice!

Featured Answer

Christopher CNC

4 years ago

I feel better about the planting space now. Like your decorating on the fence. One possibility is a columnar yew, Hicks Yew, Taxus x media ‘Hicksii’.

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Comments (7)

Christopher CNC
4 years ago
How wide is the planting strip for this? I'm not seeing a whole lot of earth between the pavers and the fence. You can't really grow a tree or shrub of any substance in a thin crack.
Hillary James
Original Author
4 years ago
The area opens out past the patio, but it still needs to be more columnar shape for the space, or pruned that way
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Aucuba japonica (Japanese laurel) is often recommended for situations like this. Very tolerant of shade - even full shade - and dry soil conditions. Also will compete quite successfully with tree roots, so easier to establish than some other shrubs. And variegated forms can bring some color and brightness to a deeply shady location. Here is a link that might be useful: Aucuba links
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It is not easy to determine from your post exactly how much shade you are working with but a good many shrubs will grow quite happily in partial shade including all those you mention (most hydrangeas are really 'shade' plants and Japanese holly can grow well in nearly full shade). A visit to a local garden center should broaden that selection significantly, based on what they stock for your area. FWIW, your limiting factor may not be the slope or the shade but rather the proximity to the maples. Planting within the primary root zone (under the dripline) of an established maple is problematic at best. Start small and provide some TLC to get things established rapidly (starter fertilizer, terrace the plantng holes, plenty of water). Plants that can tolerate considerable shade and are relatively drought tolerant when established include aucuba, English laurel, yews (Taxus species). These are all evergreen as well, providing a more ideal screening function. You could also look at the Japanese holly or boxwood, even evergreen euonymus, although these may be much slower growing and less effective at screening in th short term..
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Comments (23)
Diane and everybody--The arborvitae that grows in shade is actually a cultivar, not a species. It is Thuja occidentalis 'Nigra'. It will take a lot of shade but absolutely must have ample moisture--it won't do well in dry shade or competing with tree roots. It's a very common cultivar and should be available at any good nursery. It gets very big but can be sheared or pruned. And of course it suffers from a heavy snow load. Both yews and arborvitaes are deer candy. I wouldn't plant either in an area with deer. I have shady areas that flood periodically and are fairly saturated much of the year. Nigra has done fabulously under these conditions. But they are high maintenance with pruning and the snow load--must be tied up etc. I'd go with Hicks yews myself for an evergreen screen in shade, unless the soil is too wet.
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Comments (8)
it is so impossible.. to define shade in words.. or even in pix... i have light sensitive glasses.. i have been in full shade hosta gardens.. and the glasses remain dark.. because it is so bright .. and plants can thrive in that ... usually the canopies of the trees have been raised 20 to 40 feet ... i have also been in full shade gardens.. that are like a cave... and the ground is bare .. because there is no light.. the best suggestion.. is for you to ID the plants that are growing under there... NAME THAT PLANT FORUM .... or here ... and from there.. along with a picture.. you and us [we?] can intuit.. what might be successful there... all that said... its one thing to get things to live.. it might be another thing to get them to grow to 14 feet .. and big transplants may not solve that ... at least give us a pic .... plus the other requested info.. if you can... i have
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Hillary James
Original Author
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
A better sense of the space
Hillary James
Original Author
4 years ago
Thank you! You think it would do ok in full shade?
Christopher CNC
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
Yew are more shade tolerant and the shadow of your house isn't the same as overhead or deep shade. Look around your neighborhood at what folks have growing on the north side of their houses for ideas.

Other options are columnar/fastigiate trees. You would likely buy that at a height already above the fence with the tree canopy already above the shadow. Here is a short list to give you an idea. A good local independent nursery would be the place to go look for selections best suited to the front range.

https://www.uaex.edu/yard-garden/resource-library/plant-week/columnar-fastigiate-trees-3-22-13.aspx

Here's a wild idea and craft project for you. Hang drapes. Do you know what prayer flags are. You could hang a line of those. Or literally drapes of sorts, a fabric art installation. Think cloth panels with a heavy dowel in the bottom hanging from a clothesline. Repeat that fabric panel three or four times down the fence line.
Hillary James
Original Author
4 years ago
Will try it out!

Something like this?

Thanks a lot for the idea

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