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Suggestions for screening specimen shrub or small tree on clay soil in part shade?

AcuwellAcuwell Posts: 87
in Problem solving
Hi we have a new small border next to a Summerhouse (see photo - apologies can't get it the right way up!) which is clay soil, South facing but really part shade due to trees and house and Summerhouse shading the area part of the day without completely shading out the rest of the relatively small border (approx 8 ft front to back, 10 ft side to side).  Most of the trees/shrubs I've thought of are either too tall or too widespreading. I'm aiming to plant cottage garden style plants also.  Many thanks.

Posts

  • NollieNollie Posts: 7,529
    The right way up 😃


    These are the small trees/shrubs I chose recently for my part shade border in clay soil if any of these are of interest. Mine is north facing but my light levels are brighter than the UK so probably works out about the same. I went for bright lemon/lime foliage to brighten up the area:

    1. Cotinus Coggygria Golden Lady (2x2m, can be hard pruned smaller)
    2. Philadelphus Lemoinii (to 2m, also can be pruned)
    3. Berberis Maria (1.2m high x 50cm)
    4. Hebe Green Globe (30x40cm)
    5. Potentilla Bella Sol (75 x 1m)

    There are climbing and shrub roses in there, plus cottagy perennials like aster, hardy geraniums, geums, foxgloves etc.

    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
  • TopbirdTopbird Posts: 8,355
    edited April 2022
    How small is small for a tree? I love crab apples and find that Malus 'Evereste' does particularly well in my part shaded heavy clay border. At the moment it is an absolute mass of white blossom. Then it's a tad boring for a couple of months and then in August the fruits start turning a lovely mottled orange colour. Once the leaves fall the fruits are lovely tiny orange balls and often last well into January (depends what else is around for the blackbirds, pigeons and squirrels). Small birds hoover up the dropped bits.

    I cut the leader on mine a couple of years ago and expect it stay at about 4m high with a 3 - 4m spread (I just trim back branches if they get a bit too long). It's underplanted with a Cornus Midwinter Fire, a yellow physocarpus, hostas, epimediums, evergreen ferns, foxgloves, aquilegias, thalictrums, asters  and lots of different hardy geraniums.
    Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    The golden varieties of Sambucus [Elder], and Cotinus, are also good.  :)
    Weigelas, and Spireas are fine, and any white flowered plant is good in a shady aspect. Both of those are available in white flowering varieties. Potentillas also come in white. The soft lemon varieties of them are good, and very free flowering. 
    If the soil isn't too dry, some of the Viburnums would be fine. Some are evergreen if you need that. All the others are deciduous. 

    Hamamelis [witch Hazel] would be good too.  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • AcuwellAcuwell Posts: 87
    Thank you all for your suggestions - we decided on Viburnum in the end, an evergreen one, so fingers crossed.  I love some of the other suggestions too and have added Hebe and Potentilla to my potential "clay soil in shade" wish list (which is quite long!!!)
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