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Plants needed for heavily shaded area under fir trees
green fingered finch
Posts: 278
I have an area of about 5x5m at the back of the garden, under fir trees (so fairly dry), and pretty much never gets any sun. At the moment there are bluebells growing there, the odd ornamental grass (which I don't really like) and some sickly looking yellow iris things. Any idea of what plants I could put in that would spread and cover the ground, but also would not invade other areas of the garden, and if possible be robust enough for a dog to run through!
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Hi
As your profile says the garden is new to you, it may well be worth seeing a whole year through to find out what else apart from bluebells is growing there. If the soil is just dense conifer needles rotted down it will be very acidic and limit what can grow there. Is there any potential for removing some of the lower branches to let in more light?
In dry shade you could try shrubs such as Viburnum tinus (white flowers Apr-Dec, evergreen), Skimmia (scented white/pink flowers late winter earlySpring, evergreen), Pyracantha (orange berries in Autumn), and for groundcover Ivies, Lilyturf (Liriope muscari, purple flowers Autumn, grassy evergreen leaves), Lily of the Valley (invasive but beautiful scented flowers this time of year and the more you pick the more they flower), perhaps some ferns (make sure they are ones that can tolerate dry conditions). Suggest you take a look at a natural fir tree woodland locally and see what nature is doing beneath the canopy to give you ideas. Good luck!
Oops, sorry its not new any more, been here 3 summers now! Sorry, will update profile.
Thanks for the ideas though... I don't really want any shrubs there but will look at the other ideas.
If you look in a coniferous forest, absolutely nothing grows under the trees. You are lucky that you've got a few things growing there already! Perhaps some ferns?
Periwinkle will just about survive - I doubt if Lily of the Valley would though, too dry.
I'd agree with landgirl - coniferous forests are incredibly quiet and covered in mosses and lichens (quite beautiful sometimes) but the shade is too dense for much else. It's a bit soul destroying to plant things and watch them struggle vainly to establish. If you have room to plant on the edge of the shaded area, you might get some success though
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Thanks for the suggestions. Its not that dense, it does get some light but just minimal sun. The plants that are there look pretty ropey! I will try periwinkle, that's the kind of thing I'm after... any others similar?
It sounds like it's not quite as bad as a forestry plantation floor, and gets a little bit of light. Geranium phaeum tolerates those conditions, I have 'Samobor' in my dry shady spot. The flowers are elegant in a subtle way, but nothing to get too excited about, but the foliage is excellent! It's very easy to propagate by division.
Hart's Tongue Fern and foxgloves also do well, there's a Gillenia trifoliata in there too but only planted last autumn so can't say how it will fare long term.
Japanese anemones will work, but some varieties do get a bit invasive!
Take care to work in compost at planting time and really water the plants well as they establish.
The two in the centre work well for me in a similar position, dry soil under a border of conifers. I cut the conifer branches at the back to allow rain and light in but it's still very dry. I know these as lamina, but Google doesn't so not surecabout their real name. (FB might help as they started life in her garden
). Lovely little flowers too. ignore the forgetmenots, they've only gone in this yearso not sure how they will fare, berginia struggles and hasn't flowered.
Ive also found pulmonaria works well, as do dandelions it seems
, the helebore has done ok but not sure it's meant to like these conditions.
Further forward I have geraniums, there are several varieties which may be ok for dry shade.
I have anothre spot where I'm waiting to see if 'lords and ladies' will survive, thought I'd lost them (only planted last year) but just seen some coming back now. Same with ferns.
If you find the perfect plant let me know.
Lamium Mrs G. I like the one at the back.
Reminded by Will's G. phaeum, Geranium macrorrhizum is a good one as well and if you're willing to risk it, green alkanet, Pentaglossis sempervirens, a bit invasive though.
Too early to see what happens but I have a mass self-seeding of Eryngium giganteum under a group of pines. They look very healthy as foliage plants and can stand the dry
In the sticks near Peterborough
Thanks Nut, I was nearly there!
Will, harts tongue is failing in my spot and I'll need to move it, but I'll look up the other suggestions. not sure which geranium I have.
Thanks WillDB. Excellent ideas. I never thought of geraniums there, I love them. I also love Japanese anemones. Quite happy for them to become invasive!
MrsGarden, I like pulmonarias although they don't seem to have done very well anywhere in my garden! Lords and Ladies, I have some of those, they do ok but are quite delicate and susceptible to dog damage! No idea what Lamina is!
Nut, is Geranium macrorrhizum a weed?, then again Pentaglottis sempervirens could be called as one too but its very pretty.
Think I might get Mr Finch to cut back some of the lower tree branches to give the plants more of a chance