Is there such a thing? The front of my mobile home faces north so it has very little sun (if any) I just finished raking 2 big green bags of moss around that area. I was hoping to plant one or two flowering shrubs but I have no idea what I could plant. I was planning on putting one or two rhododendrums there but the clerk at the nursery said they won't grow in the shade. Does anyone have any ideas for me? I wan't something colorful. I appreciate your help.
You might investigate the particular kind of rhodie you had in mind. You might just find that the one you like would relish the shade. Full shade to dappled shade is indicated as being desirable for many rhodies.
If the mobile home is in the open so that its shadow is the only source of shade this amounts to a partial shade area and any shrub adapted to partial shade should be fine as far as the exposure is concerned: rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias, pieris, Oregon grape, mountain laurel, Daphne odora...there are many to choose from.
Chuck, thanks for your reply. I hadn't had my mind on any particular rhododendrum. I hadn't gotten that far into investigating them when the nursery clerk told me they needed lots of sun to bloom. So am I correct that some like the sun and others prefer the shade? Ron, you're absolutely right. The shade on my front lawn is from the house, because I can see that the shadow outlines the shape of the house. So, this is considred partial shade. The part of the lawn that's nearest to the sidewalk gets some sun. I love Azaleas and I'm just going to google 'camelia' This is great, thanks for all your help.
Lily: In most forest settings, the rhodies are the 'shorter guys' in the woods, and as such, are generally shaded.
Chuck, I'm happy to hear I can grow rhodies here. I really like them. Thank you. I was thinking rhodos mixed in with some of Ron's suggestion of Azaleas. I don't know how many plants to buy or how far apart I should plant them? There is a lilac tree on the north west side of the house. Also, a magnolia that when the movers put the mobile on the lot, they had to chop it down. What a shame but it's still alive so I think I will leave it there to see if it will grow again. I appreciate all the help.
Lily: You will also find that there are 'sun' and 'shade' azaleas. You can probably find exactly what you are looking for.
Hi Lily--can I also put in a "plug" for aucuba. This evergreen shrub does so well on our north wall, and brightens it up year round. Thing about flowering shrubs is none of them are flowering for more than a few weeks...you can look at the bright yellow aucuba foliage the rest of the time. Chuck and Ron are recommending based on two different perspectives...in Chuck's Florida many rhodos would sulk in full sun, so are more of a shade plant. Hereabouts, as the clerk mentioned, full sun works well and you get more flowers. But for sure, lots of rhodos around here are in shade and look better than many other things. Your options really are pretty numerous!
Flowers of rhododendron in full sun here often deteriorate prematurely, making the attractive period even briefer than it is already with these particular shrubs (other kinds bloom longer, some common nearly evergreen shrubs such as abelias (warm sunny positions for these) bloom for months. Leaves of some rhododendrons also cannot take full sun here, a good general guide (not precisely accurate in every case) is the bigger the leaf the more shade a rhododendron needs. The "bigleaf" types may need full shade in here. Hardy Hybrid rhododendrons are grown in huge amounts in full sun in commercial fields of Oregon and elsewhere in the region but the scorching and drooping of the flowers is not a concern under these circumstances. Also overhead irrigation employed there will have a cooling effect in summer, and less sun tolerant kinds will not be produced using open fields.
growest Thank you. I googled Acuba and it is indeed very pretty. I get lots of shade around here so it is one that I'll seriously consider. Ron I always appreciate your input and knowledge. When considering the rhodo, I will keep 'big leaf' in mind. Today, I went to the nursery just to browse around awhile. The clerk showed me some Azaleas and there was one hydrangea there that she said would work in a shady area. It was called ' Northern Sunburst' - Again, thank you all for your help. I can hardly wait until I get gardening. I will show you all some pics in a few weeks when it's done.
Re: Replacing a Shrub This morning I purchased "Dorothy Wykam" Pieris - I want to plant it in the very same spot where there use to be another shrub. The previous shrubs roots are still there and I can't get them all out, they seem to spread out quite a bit under the lawn. I have no idea what was there before. Is it still okay to plant my pieris there? Thanks
Sure. Just consider the root mass and how long it may have been dead. It can act as a soil conditioner, or, mulch, depending. A little nitrogen pitched around the planting spot will assist the local bacteria in consuming the old roots, and boost the growth of your new guy.
Chuck, thank you for your help again. I went ahead and planted the pieris. I think it will be very pretty. It's suppose to grow about 6ft tall. I don't know how wide it will get though. I'm happy to know I don't have to worry about all those old roots. I cut as many as I possibly could with them.
