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Evergreen canopy?
Good morning hive-mind!
I have a semi-shaded corner in my garden, which gets some afternoon sun, but not a huge amount.
It is also lacking any form of canopy. I’m looking for suggestions on something evergreen to plant in that space, that doesn’t require a huge amount of sun (if the plant gets above fence height it will get some morning light) but will form an evergreen canopy to shelter the border below.
There is probably around four metres of canopy required.
Any suggestions?
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13 Replies
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Hello, I if you are frost free I would suggest Radermachera sinica, sold as a house plant but I grow in the ground in full sun and also in shade. Otherwise google searching points out to some firs and such. Sorry I can’t be of more help.
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Might be an obvious choice but you can’t beat a good old fatsia japonica. Cheap, readily available, looks its best in semi-shade (for those deep green leaves) and quickly sizes up to form a canopy.
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I have a couple of fatsia on there, one regular, one spiderweb. I didn’t think they would be tall enough to be a canopy. Fingers crossed they are!
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Spider’s web almost certainly not, but my regular fatsia was planted from a 2 litre pot 3 years ago and is currently around 1.6m high – should be able to start underplanting it this year and in the next couple of years will be an evergreen canopy.
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if you hard prune most of the younger trunks and new stems and remove leaves from the lower third of the Fatsia Japonica it will grow higher and faster! i have just done thins to my 2 year olds growing in the ground as they where forming like bushes, hard pruned them and just left the 2 prominent trunks with the lower third leaf less and in 2 weeks they have shot up 30 cm’s with all new growth!!!! I could not believe it… started feeding them to and the warmer weather might of helped but it still seems crazy how fast they have grown…. so they are now forming medium height canopies and i’ll continue now to keep the lower sections bare…..
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Fatsia polycarpa has been as fast growing as japonica for me, but has a much more exotic looking leaf 👍
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Will Fatsia polycarpa reach the same height as japonica?
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Camellia, Rhododendrons, Aucuba and evergreen Viburnum tinus can all look great and do really well in shade. Some Bamboos do fairly well too and will give you instant height. And then there qre tree ferns if you’re willing to remortgage your house! 😁
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Camelia is growing nicely on the sunnyside of the garden. I’ll run it passed the wife as she does like them.
I’ve shaped the laurel into a tree shape to allow for under planting, as that is situated with in slightly less shaded area.
The tree fern is in, but I’m not sure if it’s alive or not. It does seem to have sent out roots (I made a small hole to add a further stake and noticed roots) but no signs of fronds (although it’s only been a couple of weeks since planting). If there’s no sign of life in the crown next year, I’ll put a small one in there.
I’m hoping to put some ostrich ferns around the bottom of the tree fern, interspersed with some hostas and Salvia Amistad.
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I’ve got a corner canopy which is just plain old ivy. A pain as it is to keep away from houses etc. It’s evergreen, quick growing, bushy, fine in shade as much as sun. Perfect for the birds to nestle and hide in. I’ve had a Robin nest in it for many years now. Ive cut it back but is at least a 4 feet overhang. Later in the year the bees love the flowers, another bonus. I think the climbing ivy up the fence is a perfect backdrop for my tropical attempt at a border (excuse the scabby paint work)
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This is a great suggestion! You can also get a plant that is a cross between Fatsia and English Ivy called X Fatshedera. It has larger leaves than regular ivy but isn’t quite as rampant.
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Is this that Fatshedrea Ivy ? Is scrambling over a neighbours fence.
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No @Builderboy , but that is a nice leaf shape. I think there is one called ‘cartwheel’ that looks a bit like that. This one is X Fatshedera ‘Lizei’, a variegated form.
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