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Old 07-02-2013, 08:43 PM
 
Location: Land of Free Johnson-Weld-2016
6,470 posts, read 16,331,850 times
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disclaimer: I dislike lilacs I have some new ones and some very very old ones. In general, the flowers are nice for the couple of days they're blooming, but they're duds in winter and fall. And in summer, they're prone to powdery mildew.

1. No lilacs - They need as much sun as they can get. With only 4 hours of direct sunlight, you probably won't get many flowers.
2. What kind of tree is the big tree?
3. Possible suggestions:
a. Virginia creeper - It is not a shrub, but it is a native, tree-friendly vine that will cover the fence without taking up too much room in the yard. Turns awesome colors in Fall, and has reddish gold new growth. Good in shade and sun. PAHippo is probably right about vines on a fence, though. But if it is an ugly old fence, I'd go for it. I have a fence that managed to rot even without any pretty vines.
b. Endless Summer Hydrangea - I do not have any of these, but I want some so badly. They bloom on old and new wood, so you don't have to prune them to get flowers! If the area is moist enough, hydrangeas may be a good bet.
c. Oriental/Trumpet cross Lilies - These are cold-hardier than regular orientals according to one of the places where I buy lilies "bdlilies.com" Lilies do well in partial shade, and orientals generally like soil a bit less acidic. You may need to stake them. I used to think "why would anyone ever bother to stake a plant?" With lilies, it is worth it (imo). These get pretty tall.

Quote:
Originally Posted by TinaMcG View Post
I love the idea of Rose of Sharon! We have a Blue Satin ROS way out back. (Of course, all the volunteers never bloom blue, so I paid good $$ for it.) I should have planted it nearer the house. They bloom for a really long time here. Would they do all right with that amount of light though? I think they prefer sun all day.
I inherited a house with dozens and dozens of rose of sharon. I have a white one with a red eye and a blue one with a purple/red eye. For me they're invasive and self sow. They'll grow Anywhere, even in the woods. The ones I have flower in sun and shade.
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Old 07-02-2013, 09:23 PM
 
Location: Aiken, South Carolina, US of A
1,794 posts, read 4,883,266 times
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Eve,
You state in your post that the sun will be PART sun, less than 6 straight hours a day, because
of the big tree you have out back.
What kind of tree is it?
It REALLY matters as to the species of tree.
If you find out it is a walnut or a maple, plant a fragrant vine on the fence.
Mabey a nice little fountain in front of the fence, with the vine behind it.
Go to a local privately owned nursery, (they usually have plant people with knowledge
of plants), and tell them you want something fragrant.
Personally, to be on the safe side, I would hunt a nice vine down.
There are literally hundreds to choose from.
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Old 07-02-2013, 09:27 PM
 
2,063 posts, read 7,737,261 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by EveKendall View Post
I hope I am not posting too many new thread on this forum, but I just started gardening this year and I absolutely love it. I really want to make my postage stamp-sized back yard as beautiful as it can be. At the rear of my property is a fence that is about 6' high and 7 ' wide. I want to plant something that will cover at least part of it, and I am more concerned with height than width (i.e., I don't expect something that is superwide but I would like something at least 4' tall). It is an area that gets about 4 hours of full sun and then about 4 hours of dappled sun from our large tree. Any suggestions for flowering bushes? I would love something that is also fragant but that may be too much to ask for. I was thinking about lilacs--is that a good choice? Does anyone have the rebloomoing lilacs? I am open to any suggestions for lovely Zone 5 growers.
Thank you.

I'll start with the question about lilacs. Lilacs need more sun than you say you have for that spot. Four hours of sun is, at best, part shade. Lilacs need sun for a minimum of 6 hours to bloom and thrive, no matter if they are dwarf or regular size.

There have been some pretty suggestions up to now and obviously everyone has some favorites. I had a similar garden and cold climate at my old place, and have some favorites that I'd love to suggest, but.... there are a few things I want to clear up so that the suggestions made might reflect your real garden climate. Your information says Pittsburgh, PA which, when I look it up falls more to zone 6a than 5b. If that is true it opens up some possibilities. Could you please verify your zone by looking it up here: Pennsylvania Interactive USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map My next question is how much snow do you tend to average in winter. A snowier winter acts as a better protection for borderline zones for some plants, whereas complete absence of snow can mean some plants won't make it even if listed for that zone. Do you have deer in the area, or have you had any deer damage to plants in any part of your yard? or your neighbors' yards? The last thing I want to do is recommend deer food, it can be quite heartbreaking.

If you don't have your heart set on a long bloom period there are some shrubs that can make for a beautiful backdrop. Since the yards sounds long and narrow and fairly shaded I thought some white flowering shrubs might be more visible. I was thinking of a single white rhododendron like this one: White Rhododendron or a couple of white azaleas like this one: Deleware Valley White Azalea Of course, as has already been suggested other colorful azaleas would work as well, but be aware that if you are truly zone 5 that many of the Encore Azaleas (rebloomers) are not recommended for colder than zone 6. Someone had mentioned Hydrangeas and a white version would also be stunning. For examples look at the following: Hydrangea macrophylla Blushing Bride<font color="RED">Fall Shipped</font> - White Flower Farm .. Hydrangea arborescens Incrediball®<font color="RED">Fall Shipped</font> - White Flower Farm


I love the idea of Rose of Sharon but think the amount of sunlight may make it have very few blooms. The same thing goes for all the rose suggestions. Knockouts especially seem to thrive in all day sun and bloom far less as soon as there is less sun available. With Rose Rosette disease spreading so much I've also stopped recommending Knockouts as a sure thing.

For more colorful shrubs I think Weigela might work. The following is a link to page listing many of the cultivars and varieties of one type that will do well in half day sun and zone 5. Family: Caprifoliaceae, Genus: Weigela, Species: florida

While looking up some examples of less common shrubs for woodland setting (woodland = shade) I came across a nice list already put together by P. Allen Smith that saves me the effort. You may want to look at it: P. Allen Smith Garden Home
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Old 07-02-2013, 09:58 PM
 
25,619 posts, read 36,527,488 times
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Buddleia
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Old 07-04-2013, 09:32 AM
 
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
510 posts, read 901,295 times
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Thank you all for the wonderful information. This is an incredibly helpful forum. J & Em, you are right--I live in Zone 6! I have no idea how I got this wrong. We do not get much snow here and it never goes below zero. We are in the middle of the city so we do not have deer, just the occasional raccoon and wild turkeys.
The tree we have is a Northern Catalpa and it shades a lot of the yard (though it is about 8' from the fence). Our yard is actually 25' x 12'--maybe a little larger than I described but I know a lot of you have acres.
I have a lot of research to do based on your posts. Thanks again.
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Old 07-04-2013, 09:38 AM
 
2,349 posts, read 5,414,294 times
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Hibiscus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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