Suggestions for Shade Loving Privacy Bushes or Hedges?

[Ramona]

I need to find some quick-growing bushes to plant in Spring, that will grow to a minimum of 5 feet; preferably flowering. The problem I have is that where I want to plant them is very shaded. Does anyone have any suggestions?

[pk]

http://www.tytyga.com/category/image...jpg?1166738298
This Flowering Azalea plant improves any landscape gardening to add beauty with ease and a privacy screen when the gardener uses larger cultivars of Formosa Azaleas.

http://www.tytyga.com/category/image...jpg?1166738297

http://www.tytyga.com/category/Azalea+Plant+and+Shrubs

[pk]

Butterfly Bush.
It states to plant these in full sun except I planted ours in partial sun/shade and it did fine.

Fast growing and has flowers most of summer into the fall. Attracts lots of butterflies.

Word of caution. Will die off if a walnut tree is close by. Or if squirrels plant walnuts near it.

Planted close together will grow quickly and cover a large area fast.

[pk]

http://landscaping.about.com/od/hedg...dge_plants.htm

Here's an interesting and informative website on hedges etc it also lists other 'suggested articles' to check out.

Hope some of this helps.

pk
:J

[Ramona]

Thank you for your replies. They have been very helpful.

[AJE]

Sambucus nigra 'Black Lace' (Black lace elderberry)

The range of colors and leaf forms of the European elderberry continues to grow.


The newest cultivar, 'Black Lace,' takes on the fine foliage of forma laciniata and the best dark color of 'Black Beauty.' Sambucus nigra 'Black Lace' forms a tall shrub that grows to about 8 feet high and half as wide. In early spring, the bare branches break into leaf; the foliage begins green, but quickly darkens to purple-black and stays that way throughout the summer.

The leaves are finely divided, and the whole plant resembles a cutleaf Japanese maple -- except for the flowers. They appear in May in flat-topped clusters that are at least 6 inches across. The flowers are pinkish in bud and open to white; black berrylike fruit develops during the summer.

Sambucus 'Black Lace' grows best in full sun to part shade; once established, it needs no summer water.

[CarolsCritterCare]

The American Holly is perfect if you are looking for an easy-to-grow hedge or specimen tree. They require minimal watering and grow in a variety of climates. Resists mildew, disease and insects. Even pruning is easy.

Dense branches grow out from top to bottom, making it great for screening and privacy. Plant 5-6 ft. apart for a dense wall that blocks out neighbors and noise. Matures to about 20-30 ft. tall.

This tree received the coveted Gold Medal from the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society in 2001 for its ability to easily grow in a variety of conditions.

This tree is a delight –

• Enjoy bright red berries against green foliage during the winter.
• Clip off branches to use as beautiful live decorations for the holidays!
• Attract wildlife and birds – including bluebirds, cardinals and thrashers – in search of food and cover.

The creamy white flowers bloom in the springtime, giving you a variety of color over the seasons.

Grows in full sun or partial shade, moist or drained soils, including clay, sand and everything in between. Prefers Growing Zones 5-9.

If you love hollies and need privacy, this is the evergreen for you.

5-7 ft.

[Lauri]

Hi Ramona,
You had many good suggestions for your quick growing privacy hedge. Here are two other thoughts.

If you live in a Zone 5, or warmer, area, consider planting some small, very slow-growing, shade loving, bloodgood (red) Japanese maples to begin to fill in when the other shrubs die out. The magenta color is great all season long...but no flowers. These maples can be trained into a short, short tree, or pruned into a shrub. Either way, they are delightful. Mine are growing only about 6 inches a year. I planted one of these directly underneath a blue spruce where it only gets very late day sunshine. As a matter of fact, too much intense sun will tend to "burn" the leaves. I suggest protecting them from rabbits with a wire "fence" as the critters will nip off the ends before realizing they don't want to actually eat the plant.

The other thing you might consider is planting if the area isn't deep shade, are white cedar for year round privacy, knowing you will have to keep them pruned to keep them a "hedge" size, or you will end up with huge, forest trees. We planted 300+ little cedars 30 years ago to create a privacy screen since we lived in town. One next door neighbor didn't like it because it prevented him from looking down into everyone's backyards for the entire block. Another neighbor said "if we wanted privacy we should have built in the country"...but he later changed his mind and planted the same hedge in his yard. A third neighbor also planted cedars to flank the other edges of his yard. Today, it provides us with a backyard sanctuary where we can enjoy its beautiful serenity. The cedars are used by multitudes of songbirds all year long for shelter and nesting. But it is a lot of work to keep it trimmed...we use a ladder to trim it every couple of years. It created the perfect backdrop for a garden wedding. Good luck, Lauri

[Lauri]

Hi Carol,
Is the holly for shade?
Lauri