Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
We have a flower bed that runs the length of our house on the northwest side that is in shade in the winter and some sun in the later part of the day now.
We've only been here in the Upstate SC area for 6 months, so we don't know exactly how sunny this bed will become but can assume it will see in increase as the sun moves higher overhead in the coming weeks.
I want evergreen perennials there. Flowers would be nice but not mandatory. Preferably it should be disease and bug resistant and stay about 2-3 feet high.
We have Indian Hawthorn and a dwarf holly in the front but feel we have enough of those already and want something different.
This bed is just mulched right now and quite dull looking but I have no idea what would be able to adjust to seasonal changes of light.
Before you can't plant anything wisely you will need to truly understand how many hours of sun and what kind of sunlight intensity you have in that garden. It can vary from one end to the other enough to make a difference in planting various shrubs and plants.
You will also need to do a soil test because some plants/shrubs will require a more acidic soil and others a more alkaline soil and many need to be in fairly neutral pH. The test will come back with recommendations on what to add in the way of amendments (compost, lime, fertilizer, micronutrients and so on) to prepare the soil for planting.
Once you know for sure what conditions you have you can pick quite a few shrubs that should fit the bill. I can envision some dwarf gardenias (like creeping gardenia) and possibly some of the smaller camellias, Plum yews, Fatsia, Glossy Abelia (sunnier parts), dwarf loropetalum (Purple Pixie), and of course the standard Ilex or Hollies. Some of these can handle a lot of variety in sun exposure and others will get burned in hot afternoon sun. This is why both hours of sunlight and sun intensity will be important to know.
I normally amend my soil with mushroom compost because we have mostly heavy clay, which I am assuming will be more acidic than alkaline. So far so good.
That said, I would like to send some soil samples in to be tested soon.
My confusion is related to the changing light conditions between winter and spring/summer. I've never had this kind of thing before, where an entire area is in shade for months and then in sun. The shade in this flower bed is what I'd call part shade because although it is out of the sun in winter, it is not under any trees and still gets lots of light.
Right now I have seen that this bed is receiving afternoon sun for a few hours, and it feels like a very warm time of day. I can see the sun moving overhead a little each week and I am guessing that by summer it will get several more hours of hot sun each day.
It sounds like I am better off to avoid the plants that would be burned by hot afternoon sun in summertime. Can you say which of the ones you suggested belong in that category?
My neighbor has some very pretty hollies with bright red berries that look quite healthy and thriving. However, he faces east and gets only morning sun and afternoon shade.
Since you will be observing the patterns of sun and shade I highly recommend you keep a little journal to record the sunlight hours once every couple of weeks and when they occur. You may find the sun is dappled at times and not concentrated or that the sun hours never really increase much in the places you will plant. There are plants that can tolerate bursts of hotter sunshine as long as they are protected for a portion of the day and others that would scald if exposed to the sun in the mid afternoon (between 1-3). Even within different plant family or species you will find one cultivar, or one type has better tolerance than others. An example of this would be Oak leaf hydrangea which is much better suited to taking dryness and hot sun than standard hydrangeas. Both might do well but the chances are slightly better with the Oak Leaf. Hydrangeas are, however, deciduous so they would be bare in late fall to early spring.
In trying to find a good guide specifically for your area I cam across the following site that may be a good way for you to read up and match your conditions and your taste: Common South Carolina Shrubs
Most hollies prefer full sun but a few varieties may tolerate less sun, like Blue Princess. To get those berries you will need both male and female bushes. A Dwarf Burford Holly would also work (and be in the right size range) since they thrive in most sun conditions including nearly full shade.
Thanks again. I'll be watching the sun exposure there closely. Yes, I need to start a gardening journal asap. I am doing so much each week that it would help to keep track.
I'll look at that site. It's fun shopping and planning. I wish I could have oleanders here but I do believe we have too much cold weather for them. I had 2 in SoFL (Zone 9 or was it 10?) and enjoyed them despite their poison hazards and Uncle Sam moths each year. Their leaves are beautiful.
My next door neighbor has every kind of Southern flower imaginable and I get to enjoy marvelous views from my windows, including those hydrangeas. You are right; they are bleak-looking in the winter. My taste runs more to varying kinds of different colored and textured evergreen foliage. I have one main annual flower bed up front that I just planted with sunflowers and in another bed planted 5 "Autumn Joy" sedums. They seem to really enjoy the clay soil and long hours of sun.
It's a slow process but it's nice to have a blank slate to create with. I appreciate the ideas a lot!
That was quick! I just came back in from working on my garden because rain was threatening. While I was out there I thought of a site I have used a couple of times when trying to fill a trouble spot or just to think about something I haven't tried before.
Monrovia has a kind of spread sheet where you can fill in the things you want and what kind of garden spot you have and plants that fit all the inputs come up. Sometimes if you get too specific nothing comes up so I did a quick and dirty version and came up with this: Monrovia Plant Search - Flower, Tree & Shrub Search Results Along with the standard azalea and boxwood were daphne, fetterbush and a good choice of Camellia. Depending on how much afternoon sun really hits them they could all be contenders. You can reset the input by going to the top left and starting a new search. It's not perfect but one of many ways to get some information and some pictures to help you visualize what you want to have on that now blank canvas. Nothing like a little dreaming while you start your journal.
I'd also forgotten another shrub that I have that would be good. In the sunniest spots you could also try a spreading plum yew. Despite what the following says it prefers more sun than full shade -mine seem to grow in all different lighting, including full all day hot sun. They have a beautiful almost fern like appearance for an evergreen. Cephalotaxus harringtonii 'Prostrata' (Plum yew) - Fine Gardening Plant Guide It will spread outward quite a bit from when you get it but can be kept smaller with trimming once a year.
I couldn't calculate sun exposure today as it rained all day long! And more predicted for tomorrow.
The Monrovia site looks like fun. I couldn't get it to cooperate in a new search just now but will try again. That kind of thing could really be a lot of help. The fetterbush also is very pretty.
More and more I'm sure that I want to build a strong foundation of evergreens first before venturing into many flowering perennials. I think that could be a good beginning, and give me more time living here to observe the various changes of light and sun.
I visited a beautiful and old nursery here and saw many temptations. The owner discouraged me from buying any kind of spruce or other Christmas type of pines, much to my disappointment. He said they are quite prone to spider mites and don't take our heat very well.
However, I can look at several varieties of arborvitae which can fit the bill for something evergreen and pyramidial. This winter I realized that I want as much greenery as I can get to help pass the gloomy and sometimes gray days.
The owner of that nursery you visited sounds like a gem. He is right. Do go back and when you buy plants or shrubs from him make sure you pick his brain for more ideas on what would work. There is nothing like local knowledge combined with real experience. It is hard to come by these days as we loose more and more of the small nurseries. You are also wise to wait and see and observe rather than get all impatient to plant.
I have too may interests and hobbies so I actually don't mind the short down time between late fall and late winter and also don't notice the gray so much. The garden has a base of shrubs and plantings that are evergreen or have some dramatic punch over winter that disappears once the perennials return. What you are planning will keep the gray blah to a minimum. One of my "Emerald Green" arborvitae has been the home to a purple finch nest this spring. They are pretty and not super fast growers in the garden. This rain today has been a blessing for my garden so I cannot complain but I do see why you might not enjoy it so much!
So true. I always seek the knowledge of others more experienced than myself, and wouldn't want to plant anything that wouldn't thrive. It's just too expensive and time consuming to try forcing something to work where it will be a lot of frustration.
I know it's not common anymore especially at big box stores but I found a wonderful employee to help me at my local Home Depot too, who gave me a lantana cutting last week from her own garden. I made fast friends with her and each time I go I learn something new.
When the city came in with a bush hog and shredded up a 25-foot-wide swath of easement we lost some of our woodland view behind the house. We've gotten over it now but it was upsetting the day it happened without any notice to us.
I bought two cleyeras and put them in to block the hideous view of the sewer manholes down in the easement. With the native clay soil it was a big effort digging the planting holes. I'm from SoFL and holes there are very easy to dig by comparison, mostly sandy soil that practically collapses as you're digging, so aside from an interest in incorporating things that will do well, I am not quick to dig here too hastily.
Actually I know we don't get many truly gray winter days in the Upstate but coming from FL it sometimes seemed like New England to me. I mean, I had to put lights on in the house several days running! LOL Only during a tropical storm did I have to do that before.
Next year I will get into the groove and cocoon like I am supposed to. Read gardening books by the fire!
Tomorrow I will tiptoe out and see what the long rain has wrought.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I just came back in from working on my garden because rain was threatening. While I was out there I thought of a site I have used a couple of times when trying to fill a trouble spot or just to think about something I haven't tried before.
