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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.
Lilacs can grow to 10 ft tall or so and may be too large for your space. A local nursery should be able to give you some info on miniature lilacs that could be a better choice. Another suggestion would be Rose bushes. Many of them get to be five feet tall and if you planted a couple of them you could have a mix of colors, fragrances and blooming times. If the fence will support vines, either climbing roses or clematis vines could be very attractive.
I don't believe you will find a large shrub that flowers repeatedly throuout the season, but I do believe some kind of Viburnum would fit great. You say you're in Z5, but where? Most Viburnums would provide at least three seasons of interest with that kind of exposure. They flower in spring or early summer, some have beautiful fall color, and some are evergreen. Viburnums also produce berries that follow the early-season blooms, they require little if any pruning, and they are typically not bothered by pests of diseases. They are my favorite shrubs, can you tell?
My favorites are the Arrowwood, Blackhaw, Burkwood and Doublefile series. You will find websites that say they prefer full sun, but it varies, and many viburnums would thrive with morning sun and dappled afternoon shade.
The other family of shrubs I'm thinking would do well are Hydrangeas: Limelight, Oakleaf, etc. Oakleaf is my favorite, but Limelight seems to be the most popular: Hydrangea paniculata Limelight
Are you looking for only one kind of plant to plant all along the fence? I personally wouldn't do that cause if one dies then you have a big hole and plants of different ages can be unattractive if you replace it.
If you plant a nice combination of shrubs along the fence line you can do some evergreen and some deciduous. I love Rose of Sharon of the beautiful hollyhock type blooms and they can get tall enough to hide your fence. the viburnum doublefile is a wonderful idea as well. If you are mixing remember to vary colors as well as texture for more interest and to create some necessary tension.
Fellow Zone 5-er here: I agree with the suggestions for Rose of Sharon and Hydrangeas. I also remember a peony bush in our yard when I was growing up--I loved that thing! I would also research some sort of boxwood evergreen hedge that sprouts colorful berries, unless you have pets that may eat them.
If you don't mind not having an evergreen, have you looked at a butterfly bush? Fast grower, pretty colors, and it does attract butterflies. If your 4 hours of sun are afternoon sun, I think that would be ok. We have one here in Virginia that does well without "full sun."
Or, knock out rose bush. We have some approaching 5 feet, which we actually need to cut back. Easy to care for.
I like the suggestion of asking a local nursery. If you've just started gardening, you may only think you want a bush. (Sounds to me like the area is too small for a tree, a bush, and people.)
If you go for a vine, I'd recommend not letting it grow on the fence. The roots will eat a wood fence. Not literally but they'll rot it out pretty quick.
Are you looking for only one kind of plant to plant all along the fence? I personally wouldn't do that cause if one dies then you have a big hole and plants of different ages can be unattractive if you replace it.
If you plant a nice combination of shrubs along the fence line you can do some evergreen and some deciduous. I love Rose of Sharon of the beautiful hollyhock type blooms and they can get tall enough to hide your fence. the viburnum doublefile is a wonderful idea as well. If you are mixing remember to vary colors as well as texture for more interest and to create some necessary tension.
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.
How about Azaleas? Encore Azaleas are a bit hardy, but don't need a ton of water, and bloom multiple times throughout the warmer seasons. They can be grown to reach nearly any size (although they seem to do better as hedges) and I think they are quite pretty. I like hydrangeas but often they are a lot of work, require a lot more water and are sensitive to too much sun. Plus, when winter comes around, they look horrible.
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