Suggestions for a shrub for a shady spot?

I'm considering planting a shrub in a moderately shady spot - under a spreading Sycamore, which means it gets only a little sun in summer months, but plenty in winter months.

It must be resistant to maritime exposure, since I'm less than a mile from the coast.

I'd like it to be a flowering shrub - which is capable of flowering despite not getting huge amounts of sunlight.

I've a few ideas, but wondered what the panel thought.

 

Uuuurrrrmmm - rather a tall order there, Wildernessman. Sycamores don't leave much behind for others to eat. I can't come up with anything - it will be very interesting to see who can.
Good luck,
Jenny

 

I wonder if Hydrangea's would work in that position.

 

Hydrangeas. Hmmmm. There is an idea. Any particular reason why Hydrangeas might be a good bet?

One of the shrubs I was wondering about was Viburnum x bodnantense 'Dawn'. I thought that the fact that it would be flowering when the sycamore had no leaves might mean that it would be more likely to flower than a summer flowering shrub.

On the other hand, maybe the idea of planting something underneath the sycamore is just not a good idea.

 

Hydrangea's will put their roots down in most situations and I don't think they'd be too bothered by the shade of the tree.

I'm not sure about the Viburnum. I'm assuming like me (I live on the coast too), you have a sandy soil and I don't know whether it would cope with that.

 

I think a rhododendron will do fine there as long as the soil is at least slightly acid. If it isn't, there are rhododendrons on some other rootstock that can even tolerate alkaline soil:

http://www.rhododendrons.co.uk/Category/41/lime-tolerant-rhododendrons.aspx

 

Thanks for those comments.

Rhododendron is an interesting idea. I find that they don't do that well with us, largely because of salt spray from the sea. A few years ago, I put in a Rhododendron ponticum about 10 yards from the spot that I have in mind, and (considering the reputation of R. ponticum) it is still pretty small - roughly two feet high, two feet in diameter. A few miles inland from us, R. ponticum is seriously invasive, but in our garden, it seems to struggle to survive. And while my one looks pretty reasonable at the moment, it tends to look pretty moth eaten after the winter gales that come in off the sea. Still, worth thinking about.

Our soil, for what it is worth, is peaty rather than sandy - and definitely not alkaline.

Sheal - I don't know anything about Hydrangea cultivation, but if a Hydrangea macrophylla would be likely to produce nice blue flowers under my sycamore, then I'd definitely be interested.

 

Sycamores are greedy feeders :(

Dunno what would grow under it (although Hydrangea might)

1. Cut the Sycamore down and plant something less of a thug? (Bit radical, I know!!)

2. Raised bed? so that the plants don't have to share their soil nutrients with the local bully! (you'd need to line it to keep the Sycamore roots out, of course).

 

Sorry, Wildernessman, I don't know anything about their cultivation either. I won't have any in my garden because I don't like them. But my neighbours have them.

Hopefully another member can help you out with this.

 

The following is taken from one of my gardening books.

Plant in a moisture retentive soil, which has had well rotted manure or compost dug in. Some Hydrangeas thrive in full sun but most prefer partial shade, so choose a sheltered site against a wall, under high trees or in the lee of, but away from, a hedge. Avoid east facing sites as tender young growths are damaged by late spring frost. In early spring feed established plants with a balanced fertiliser and apply a 4in thick mulch.

The blue varieties of H. macrophylla are blue only on acid soil. On neutral or slightly alkaline soil, apply an annual dressing of well decayed compost or manure in the spring; during the growing season apply aluminium sulphate to induce blueing, and sequestrine to combat chlorosis. Pink or red varieties of H. macrophylla may be less clear or turn shades of blue on acid soil; apply a 75g per m2 (2oz per sq yd) dressing of ground limestone annually in winter to preserve the pink colouring.

 

I have two potentilla fruticosas - Red Ace and Tangerine - which grow very happily in the shade of my shed and flower prolifically every year. Of course, they don't have competition from the sycamore roots that anything you planted would have. Have you thought about vincas, major or minor? Not really shrubs but can hold their own against most things.

 

Sheal, thanks for that.

Lorna, Vincas not really the sort of thing I want. Potentilla fruticosa, on the other hand is an interesting suggestion. Very interesting.

I've just discovered the RHS Plant Selector. What a useful website! It's given me a couple of ideas - two shrubs I'd never heard of: Viburnum x burkwoodii and Viburnum x juddii.

I'm going to go away and think about it. I've been thinking about it since last year, and there is no harm in a few more months thought. I'll probably decide just to leave it alone and do nothing, but we'll see.

 

Good idea - Autumn is the best time to plant shrubs, so you've got some "thinking time"

Ok, Next Autumn then

 

I've thought about it, and have decided that planting a shrub under that sycarmore was a daft idea.

However, this thread has been thought-provoking, and I'm now going to have to find a spot in my garden for the Hydrangeas and Potentillas and Viburnums!

 

Dangerous territory that ...

I liked the Hydrangea walk at East Ruston Old Vicarage when we visited it [My Blog] a couple of years ago.



(better pictures on the official site). Trouble is, I didn't have Woodland or Hydrangeas. I had a walk though:



so I sowed some Eucalyptus seeds (not very successful, only got a couple of plants) and every time I saw a nice looking Hydrangea I nicked a cutting ...

.. then last Autumn I got a couple of pigs in to Dig & Fertilize it for me:


which might have been a bit premature as my cuttings weren't ready to plant this Spring (but we have some good grub on the BBQ this Summer!).

So Plan B is to dig it again this Autumn and plant in the Spring ...