A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2006 Any suggestions?

I'm wondering if any can tell me some good flowering bushes that would suit the following conditions.

1-Hardy to zone 6
2-They would be in mostly shady conditions--the area gets early morning sun and then gets pretty shady.
3-They would also be up against a 7-8 foot concrete wall so height doesn't really matter...

I really want something other than the typical rhodys or azaleas....I thought of hydrangeas but I have 5 already and I wanted something different so I thought I'd throw this out for some suggestions. I usually plant flowers in this bed along the wall, but I wouldn't mind something more permanent.

Thanks!

I'm not sure how much shade Cinquefoil or Burning Bush can take, but you might want to look in to those 2. They do well in full sun, but I know they can take shade as well.

Our Burning bush only gets sun in the morning & does very nicely, & is absolutely gorgeous when it starts turning red in the fall. (It's deciduous... goes bare in the winter time.)
Our Cinquefoil (also deciduous) gets more sun, with shade later in the day. We had 1 on the "total shade" side of the house, which didn't throw as many flowers, so I didn't think it was really happy there & gave it away!

Mock Oranges are pretty and smell heavenly..
and they are Full Sun/Partial Sun

And I love Deutzia x *pink* and I have the Deutzia (white) Full Sun/Partial Shade
but likes a tiny bit on the moist side..
*but I abuse mine and it's still pretty*

Ughh! Stay away from burning bush. Such an invasive species. Sounds like the perfect conditions for rhodies, azaleas and hydrangeas lol! The only other suggestion I could make would be Mountain Laurel.

John,
May I ask why you say the burning bush is invasive?
Very curious???
My dad has one in his rock garden on the hill
and my mom has one now at this house next to me..
and haven't had any problems with it, actually it
just there...

the one I don't like are the Spirea's.
They get really big, bushy and push the poor other plants out of the way if not pruned..
and if I let the flowers go, I have a ba~zillion babies all over the place..

Just very interested on your take of the burning bush.

Besides the fact that you see them EVERYWHERE!!!!, here's some reading on it weezie...

http://tncweeds.ucdavis.edu/alert/alrteuon.html

http://www.hort.uconn.edu/plants/e/euoala/euoala1.html

I'll bet it's from the birds scattering their berries, they do produce alot of them...

I live in the country here, so, I would have to say, ther'es not many planted in the first place..
so, they haven't taken over...

But I'll bet where people have many, many landscaped yards... I could see where they would all come from....

And yes, I do agree they are used alot, when I watch a gardening show or something of the likes..

Most people that put those in a landscaped area,
want low maintainence and some type of impact *fall color* and are used alot...I agree...

I took out mine last year and replaced them with hollies. The masses of roots from the 3-4 foot shrubs was absolutely incredible!

I have never seen a burning bush volunteer in WV. They are used widely, and I have never known them to be a problem.

Maybe certain situations allow them to get rampant.

Also, if they are not in sun, they will not get that brilliant red in fall.


Shade shrubs: viburnums (many); bush honeysuckle; dogwood; blueberry; striped maple; witch hazel; currents

Well, lots of suggestions in such little time! And yep, without the full sun they won't be as bright....

The Deutzias look interesting....that might be an option.

Thanks--I didn't expect such quick replies.

Give it time.

Oh, sorry, markr. Camelias only do well in zone 8 and warmer. I live in zone 7, and you will NEVER see one here...maybe in more southeasterly parts of zone 7, but not in the plains states, and not in zone 6, where loz is.
I don't know why burning bush is considered invasive. Few people around here plant them, because they only hold interest for about a week in the fall, and are not evergreen. I've never seen one self-seed or reproduce by runners.
I think Mahonia Reptans (Oregon Grape Holly) may be hardy in zone 6. They do well in shade. How about Oak Leaf Hydrangea? Nandina? I think it's a zone 5 or 6. Good blossoms, great red cluster of berries.

Ummm Dave, I have a Camellia! And it's hardy in my area and is thriving!





Maybe I'll get a few more to plant there.....when they bloom they are so pretty and I like that they are evergreen..... I never even thought of getting more of them....

I'm in zone 7 (close to zone 6) and camellias are quite common in South Carolina and especially the Upstate.

Those are pretty flowers on that bush that u have Laura!
Camellias are my favorite flowering bush, besides butterfly bushes. I have about 35 camellias and about maybe 40 butterfly bushes.
What's good about camellias is that some bloom in the spring, late summer, the fall, and in the winter. I have some with dark pink flowers that will be blooming in the next 2 weeks.

I like butterfly bushes because they are so easy to grow (they grow fast); there are all kinds of colors; they are fragrant, and most of all, they attract a lot of butterflies! Most bloom from early summer all the way till frost.

My third choice would be gardenias. I love their scent. Unfortunately, they don't bloom as long as the others i mentioned and i'm not sure if they can grow them where u live.

Notice i haven't mentioned azealias... lol I have about 10 of the "rebloomers", but it seems like everyone has them here. They bloom in the spring and fall. What's weird is i have one that is blooming right now. I think it must be on "drugs" and confused. lol

Oh, btw, i looked at your photos. Very nice Laura! I can tell u worked very hard. Lots of nice pics!

oh, i have some camellias that have a flower like the one u have shown above.
I sort of "snatched" them from a job site. I was remodeling the exterior of an old house when i spotted them. They were "suckers" from the "mother" plant;so i don't think the home owner gave a "rip". They probably looked like weeds to him...

Thanks Bob!

My neighbor has a really pretty butterfly bush.....they prefer full sun though right? The area I'll be planting in is mostly shady.

If I had a good spot for a BB I'd get one in a heartbeat! Hers is always covered in butterflys!

I didn't realize that you had so many bushes....I think I might have to check out Lowes after a while and see what types of Camellias they have. Mine is a Sasquana hybrid.

Purple Smoke Bush's are very neat and
are hardy up to zone's 4....

Or a YELLOW lilac....

Wow, I had no idea that camellias would blossom in zone 6! All the things I've read about them suggest that they're hardy to zone 7, but may not bloom here as they bloom in the fall and are damaged by early frost. I only knew one person here who ever had one, and they only got a few blossoms once as the blooms didn't open until November. I have no idea why the nurseries here don't carry them if there are so many varieties with so many characteristics. They're considered to be useful only in the southern part of my zone and best in zone 8! No one, and I mean no one, grows them here!

Hmmm Weezie, that purple smoke bush looks pretty neat! I might have to look for that....If I got a few of them and a few of the pink camellias they would look pretty good together with the colors.

loz, is it sasquana, or sasanqua? I'll google both.
It's just ridiculous that they're not sold here at any nursery.

Oops...it's C.sasanqua .

I threw the tag away 2 years ago...I knew it was something like that....I was just a bit off huh?

Check around here soon at the garden centers and see what they have out.....I bought mine on clearance for 4 bucks or something.....

I just thought of one that I just love. Keria Japonica. There's one that has a double blossom, but I like the standard single blossom. They have fewer blossoms in the shade, but they have a long season.
Someone mentioned currants earlier...they can be invasive, but they are strong scented.

Hey Laura, check this out!

http://www.michiganbulb.com/product.asp?pn=58222

Kind of unusual. I wonder if it's just one plant or 3 ????!!!!!
It does say that it will grow in partial shade.

U know, i have about 8 butterfly bushes that are in the shade from noon onward. The may not get as tall as my others and may not produce quite as many flowers, but they still do okay.

Bob....my neighbors BB was one of those 3 in 1's...She said the first year it bloomed all 3...the second year just 2 colors, and now it's just one solid color....

She said when it was all 3 colors at once it was so pretty.