I have a shade garden in a back yard.shaded by a dying box elder tree the neighbors are going to cut down. because of the danger it poses and because its dying. my question is is there a devise you can get that shades things for you if there are no large trees to shade your property. I was thinking of growing lab reared lady slippers in the full shade under it by the house but am holding off until i know if such a thing exists. why spend that kind of money if they die from the hot sun.

There are shade sails available but you might also look into the DIY options for building shading structures.

okay......... will have to check with the people who own the home on that but thanks that relieves me greatly.

They okayed it so I'm not concerned about it

Yea! I saw some interesting small DIY shade structures built in the southwest or west to shade succulents. Can't remember exactly where (might have been the "other" gardening site) but it's been a while. I'm sure you can find dozens of inexpensive ideas to suit your site.

Okay will keep tabs on it.

yes, shade covers can be found & it is so good that you could check with the neighbors.

Look at 'Garden supply'.

I was thinking of possibly planting a red elder( Sambucus pubens) as a sort of shade caster for the slippers. then i wouldn't have to build and it would shade the area naturally should the tree get cut. Plus the scarlet berries draw in birds and look nice.


my question is this, if a shrub, the nurshery says it gets around 10 to 12 feet tall and wide. is planted right by a house will it damage the foundation or cause other problems. This is just an idea i have to get the okay too.

I like them too.
You should be a bit careful about planting a large shrub too near the house. Don't let it rub on the siding, or up under the eaves, and don't let it be a route for unwanted critters to get on or in the roof. Also many large shrubs can root so strongly they are not good for the foundation.
Red Elderberry (a synonym for this is Sambucus racemosa) can get taller, although perhaps in your frozen north this would not occur. In the wild, I see this in thickets and I think it may get wider with time by growing suckers from the roots, although again maybe not in your area.
I think it is a general landscaping rule, to plant no closer than half the ultimate height of the shrub. Red Elderberry can ultimately get 20 feet tall, so that would be 10 feet from the house, bare minimum. But if in MN it only gets 12 feet tall, that would be a minimum of 6 feet.

Tree and shrub roots can also damage sewer pipes so out from house is good!

Yeah guess I'll build a lean too then when the tree is cut or comes down, Mike and Gabe haven't gotten back to me on the bush idea yet anyway. I looked over the site and power lines come up around the top as well as our electric meters, good for low growing ladyslipper's they only get around 24 inches tall tops but not for elder bushes.

I decided to cancel my order on ladyslipper's too much money anyway.

I am faced with new sunny spots in my used-to-be fully shaded yard. I remember when the mighty oak was touching the roof of the house and DH fretted over that. Now it towers at least 30 ft above the roof. My "shade" garden gets a fair amount of sun now enough to place a banana tree in the sunny path! The ferns and Elephant Ear on the pond are growing faster. Algea is in the pond. The hosta that have been therefor years have dimonished. They are somewhat suffering but still trying to make a go of it. This summer will be the real test. I may be moving a bunch of plants soon and reworking the whole space! For the first time in almost 30 years, I've considered covered gazebos and umbrells in my yard! Nothing stays the same in gardens.

We have the 'hay scented fern which doesn't mind sun.

There are shade sails, I think my sister uses them in AZ.
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