I am not sure any green living plant will do well or be happy in your space because they all need light. Anything you plant will struggle to grow up to the light so will grow spindly and they will all be pale and sickly in colour because of poor photosynthesis. We gardeners are always up for a challenge trying to make plants grow where they should not really be growing but sometimes we just have to bite the bullet and admit defeat. The other alternative is to buy something you fancy and give it a try. If it dies or does not do well you will have to keep trying diferent plants until you eventually find something or give up your quest.
Does the space count as part-shade or full shade? Although it won't get direct sunlight, it's not a dark area and gets quite bright in the afternoon. I put couple of small yew trees there temporarily and they seemed to grow quite happily, so if I can't find anything else I might just put a yew tree there.
If I accept that I'll have to prune to maintain the right spread, which plant would you choose for this location?!
Taxus baccata fastigiata. Evergreen. Naturally upright. Takes pruning better than most shrubs.
Apologies if I missed it, but did you say how wide/deep the soil in the planting area is? Many shrubs will need a decent root run if they're going to get to 3m tall, even if you prune to restrict the width, and the spaces left next to buildings are sometimes just shallow little pockets of soil with foundations or rubble underneath.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
@GardenerFromMars .. finally remembered to take a photo of my Italian Cypress. Technically faces west but in reality faces a garage wall. The gate opening faces southwest so gets pretty hot but mostly in the shade. Been repotted once in abt 4 years and seems to thrive on neglect because I forget it's there. I was trying to hide the hideous concrete block s.
Thanks all. I might give one of the golden yew trees a go. It will be in a pot, so if it looks very unhappy I can always move it. Plan B could be some sort of ivy and fern ensemble with an obelisk to add some height...
A pot brings its own potential issues, particularly restricted root-run and keeping it sufficiently watered.
Make sure you choose a wide and deep pot, and one that doesn't get narrower towards the rim if you might ever want to take the plant out without destroying either the pot or the plant. Choose a soil-based compost such as a John Innes No. 3 formula rather than multipurpose.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
Thanks all. I might give one of the golden yew trees a go. It will be in a pot, so if it looks very unhappy I can always move it. Plan B could be some sort of ivy and fern ensemble with an obelisk to add some height...
Golden yew tends to be an ordinary plain green in poor light.
I had one in a shady northfacing garden and it lost all its gold colour.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Thanks all. I might give one of the golden yew trees a go. It will be in a pot, so if it looks very unhappy I can always move it. Plan B could be some sort of ivy and fern ensemble with an obelisk to add some height...
Golden yew tends to be an ordinary plain green in poor light.
I had one in a shady northfacing garden and it lost all its gold colour.
Very true. The Golden yews are incredibly slow growing.
Many years ago, 35 years, a friend gave me a miniscule Upright Golen Yew telling me it was very rare. I planted it in a alpine trough. It has survived neglect and nurture and is now around 5ft tall. It is planted in a sunny position with the sunny side a lovely golden colour while its shaded side is definitely lime green. My soil is very shallow where it is growing which is probaby why it has taken so long to establish. It is growing well now, making a few centimetres growth each year. I think if you use a golden yew in a shady position it will never keep its original colour, it will revert back to green.
A yew of any colour is okay. I don't actually think the area is very shady - the plant won't get much direct sunlight at first but it won't be under a canopy of evergreen trees either. Also, if I buy a fairly tall plant (1m+), it won't have to grow much before it does start getting some direct sunlight. But i still haven't decided what to buy
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We gardeners are always up for a challenge trying to make plants grow where they should not really be growing but sometimes we just have to bite the bullet and admit defeat.
The other alternative is to buy something you fancy and give it a try. If it dies or does not do well you will have to keep trying diferent plants until you eventually find something or give up your quest.
Evergreen.
Naturally upright.
Takes pruning better than most shrubs.
https://glendoick.com/GardenCentreShop/Shop-Taxus-Baccata-Fastigiata-YEW-3-Litre-id4034
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
The Golden yews are incredibly slow growing.
It has survived neglect and nurture and is now around 5ft tall. It is planted in a sunny position with the sunny side a lovely golden colour while its shaded side is definitely lime green. My soil is very shallow where it is growing which is probaby why it has taken so long to establish. It is growing well now, making a few centimetres growth each year.
I think if you use a golden yew in a shady position it will never keep its original colour, it will revert back to green.