Here in dry, dry New Mexico, SHADE isn't the usual problem. My home, however, is surrounded by magnificent cottonwood trees and, therefore, abundant shade, (in the summer, anyway). I would like to convert my lawns to xeriscape gardens, but I'm at a loss to find xeriscape plants that do well in the shade. Any suggestions?
Linda
Xeriscape in the shade?
Linda
What's the water table at if you are surrounded by cottonwoods?
Are you looking for hort varieties or natives or both?
And what's the soil like?
This message was edited Nov 1, 2004 9:29 AM
High altitude; alkaline soil; approx 8' water table; extreme spring winds; low temps in the teens and high temps in the low 100's (zone 7).
I'm not married to the idea of native plants. I'm mostly concerned about cutting way back on water- use while maintaining a somewhat "green" feel to the landscape. I'm not particularly fond of the gray plants/gravel look most people here seem to favor. Still, I'm in a position to experiment with many xeriscape themes, as I have nearly 12-acres to work with. (This is actually a horse-farm). Any help is much appreciated.
Linda
Is your soil slightly sandy or slightly clayey? Exactly how much shade are we talking about? LOTS of cottonwoods with deep shade all the time or some with dappled shade? Morning or afternoon sun (you must get some)? trying to get a list going for you....(have you looked at some native areas that are like yours to see what's growing there)?
Presume that you want to work from the house out and that the shade is less further from the house?
As a starter, suggest "native plants for high-elevation western gardens", Janice Busco and Nancy R Morin, published in partnership with the Arboretum at Flagstaff.
This is a large area. There is dappled shade in some places... deep shade in much of the immediate area surrounding the house. (Of course, in New Mexico, ambient light, even in the shadiest areas, may step up the light factor). It is this darkest area I'm trying to figure out. I live 1-block from the Rio Grande...Hence, I have clay soil...Sand becomes a factor about 3-feet below the surface.
Thanks for the book suggestion. I'll definitely look for a copy. Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Linda
Try a this site and maybe a vist there:
http://www.plantsofthesouthwest.com/
As well as the UNM campus-they have walking tours of their national arboretum Look at the north side of the buildings for ideas.
Also:
http://weather.nmsu.edu/AbqPlantList/
http://www.cabq.gov/waterconservation/pdfs/xeriplants.pdf
I think that many that are recommended for 'sandy' soil will be fine if you really have a silty clay loam, or clay loam- (having cottonswoods make me think that the soil is not a particularly heavy clay?)
here is a list to get you started. Some I grow and some I don't...For some of these, it may be that a particular species can take shade and dryer conditions than others in the same genus.
Native geraniums
Dead nettle (Lamium maculatum):
Sweet woodruff (Gallium odoratum):
Native Heucheras-not all are water lovers or need constantly moist soil
Juncus spp (really, some are fine without tons of water)
Iris (partial shade)
Daylilies (partial shade)
Lady’s Mantle
Columbines (partial shade)
Meadow rue
Goatsbeard (aruncus),
Primroses (primula),
Rhus aromatica (lemonade bush)
Corydalis lutea
Eriogoniums (buckwheats)
Golden currant
Thimbleberry
Campanula
Cercis canadensis Redbud
Sedums (part shade)
Pussytoes Antenneria
Convalaria (lily of the valley)
Pulmonaria
Sisyrinchium (Blue-Eyed Grass)
Salvia species
Penstemon species
Leymus spp (wild rye)
Artemesia species sages
Geum
Fringed Bleeding Heart (Dicentra eximia)
Alliums
Agave
I also don't like the stark, desert-like look of true xeriscaping. I love foliage but having everything either gray-green or spiny cacti just won't work for my love of cottage garden-looks.
I'm in a different zone than you so my suggestions may not work, but it's worth a try. I have a dry shade bed that gets a few hours of morning sun and then nothing but solid medium shade. It's not very large but because it's surrounded by concrete I didn't even put in a soaker hose -- figured this would be my experimental dry shade bed. I am willing to spray it in summer with a hose for a few minutes, about once every six weeks or so.
My successes have been:
Lace Fern (Microlepia strigosa)(gets edge-crispy in summer but always recovers)
Davallia fern (not truly drought resistant but lives nicely on a little runoff water)
Aucuba, including the variegated 'Gold Dust' which is truly beautiful
hellebores
Star Jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides)
Creeping Rubus aka Crinkle-leaf Creeper (Rubus pentalobus)(but this has short nasty thorns, don't put it where anybody will be touching it with bare skin)
Oh, I almost forgot a couple. Coleonema, which gives a lovely vertical accent and has beautiful bright green color, also works in bright shade/dappled shade conditions. There's the standard 5' one, a dwarf 3' type, and a ground-hugging golden one.
And don't forget groundcover, fairy, or bedding roses! People are so accustomed to the fussy requirements of hybrid teas that they don't realize most modern roses, particularly the smaller shrubby types, are bloom powerhouses. Much more disease resistant, almost evergreen, and partial shade doesn't bother them at all, I was surprised to find. The only caveats I have are that they definitely all want to be 2' to 3' tall, have lots of thorns, and of the half dozen different kinds I have, J&P's double-flowering varieties win hands-down over Armstrong and Monrovia.
Good luck!
Just remembered another shade xeric plant: helichrysums! They do really well and will in fact climb over other plants as they expand.
Star Jasmine? Really, does it flower?
Yes, star jasmine in fact needs shade, does much better. It flowers here two or three times a year. As my gardener said, it only has two stages: growing, or flowering.
I am also trying to zeroscape in dappled shade with a major cottonwood at the edge of my in town slopy lot. I do not want to negatively impact the cottonwood. Can anyone share thoughts on that ?
Am I welcome here? I don't really want to bute in if not wanted. Norma
Well, sure you're welcome Norma, isn't everybody.?
What do you grow in dry cottonwood shade?
That's where my sapponaria [soapwort] florishes. Also vinca major [ careful, it's a take over so and so - I keep clipping it into mounds, but it gets away.
Also have good luck with the geranium sanguineums and little tiny sedum makes a great groundcover. Any thing I plant i there has to be willing to fight for its water as the tree roots make a thick mat under there.
I've also had good luck with a buddleia and partridge feather mum. Santolina has thrived under there too. ~Blooms