My friend just bought a new home and is looking for a single accent plant to screen a portion of her neighbor's house. She has a smallish triangle area with a mature evergreen (I didn't look closely, perhaps a fir) that has been limbed up, about a 3' azalea on one side of the evergreen, and a blank spot on the other side of the evergreen. Further along, the neighbor has a row of arbs. So, there is just one 'hole' she is trying to plug. Although this is on the south side of her house, it is shaded by both her tree and neighbor's house (probably 6' away). I'm guessing the soil is acidic.

I suggested a tallish mahonia, rhodie, or laurel. I'm guessing she already has plenty of rhodies (a staple here in the Pacific NW), trying to come up with something with a bit of pow to it, as it is what she will look at from her kitchen window. There is a local nursery which has bred a 'Mount Vernon laurel' which I've heard rave reviews of, but have not seen one in person. I figure this month is a good time for a bargain, and also a good time to plant.

Hi Deb,
How about a Pieris japonica? I like 'Fire on the Mountain'. So much interest in all seasons.

Good idea, I'll add that to the list. She is a recent transplant to Mount Vernon (from Snohomish) and I plan to take her out to Christianson's to introduce her to her new favorite nursery! Seems they have a good sale toward end of October, I think we'll just see what they have in a fairly mature shrub, she's anxious to get the screen in place.

And, double bonus, Pieris is supposed to be a magnet for the mason bees.

https://www.google.com/search?...
Aucuba Japonica Gold Dust Plant. Adds a bit of color to a shaded area.

Hydrangea? That's the largest plant that I grow under my evergreen trees.

chelle said:Hydrangea? That's the largest plant that I grow under my evergreen trees.

Well, duh! Guess hydrangea aren't an option...they're not evergreen.

No worries, Chelle, all suggestions tend to trigger other ideas. Barn-storming, I think they call that.

Ha ha myself -- in retrospect I think it is brain-storming (although barn-storming sounds more garden-y...)

Funny how word associations get skewed sometimes, isn't it? Then it is kind of like barnstorming; which direction/word to fly/use do I choose...



>>So...a screen-sized evergreen for planting under an evergreen; that's a tough one when it's also in deep shade.

The only solution I can think of right now is maybe a decorative fence section for the actual screening, with smaller plants of either type (more choices here) shade plants in front of it?

I've also thought of a thread-leaf cypress or perhaps even a shade-tolerant tallish grass, leaving the stalks standing over winter.

I have several tallish grasses growing as screens in part shade here; they're pretty enough, but they do flop. Hey! That's right! I nearly forgot that we made some taller prop panels that we're going to use for that purpose next year. I figure if I can get some support up to mid-height some of the grass blades will grow through it but the main part of the plant and the blooms might stay more upright. As it is now, once we get a decent rain they lay over on the plants in front of them. I don't want to move them out; I really enjoy watching the sun play through the swaying seed heads all winter long.
Bet something like that might work very well if you do decide to go with a grass.

I really do need to get those panels out, get them painted and put the hinges on while the weather's still cooperating!

I think these are all great suggestions and I would just like to add that I grow a Nandina, 'Heavenly Bamboo' that gets 8 feet tall but you can prune it any size you want, it has beautiful neon red berries and year round interest, and other evergreen shrubs like 'Golden Mop', 'Emerald Green' arborvitae which is the only one you can prune, also I love my Camellia Bush.

The one Bob suggested is something my mother had and I never knew what it was she just called it the
'Speckled Bush', but I do know it grew fast because I was always pruning it!



Heavenly Bamboo (Nandina domestica)

My friend and I are going to nurseries on Tuesday and I'll let you know what she decides on. I will go armed with a list of all your great ideas.

Have fun, Deb!

Well, I thought I would be reporting a successful purchase, but my friend is having a hard time making decisions. She and her husband recently sold their family home and seriously downsized which has somewhat paralyzed my friend emotionally. They bought a much smaller house close to their grandkids, but it is definitely a project house rather than move-in-ready. She is at times overwhelmed by it all...

One combination we liked was a good sized fatsia flanked by a couple lightly speckled gold dust plants (aucuba) with Japanese forest grass at the forefront. I thought that all meshed well together and was bright. Vick had a fatsia at her old house and was troubled with the leaves getting eaten or diseased and looking ratty. She would pull them off, then had holes in the shrub. Has anyone had this problem, and if so, how did you address it?

Nope. Not me. I didn't even know this plant, but I guess that's because it's so far out of our hardiness zone. It's gorgeous though...wish we could grow it here.

Deb ~ Has she seen the Leucothoe fontanesiana 'Rainbow' (Drooping Leucothoe)?

I don't have a picture of it but it may be in the database.