Looking for ideas for a plant to create shade

General Gardening
#41

Thanks, @Antmary, I think I am leaning toward Honeyberry. I have actually decided to move some large hostas down hill where they will have natural protection from sun from fir tree. I will only leave smallest hostas on that strip between 2-3 Honeyberry bushes.

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#42

Asparagus! Mine grows to six or seven feet by June every year, and that is after picking some to eat for a month. At my old house, I planted a double row 40 feet long along my corner lot chain-link fence, so I did not have to see the most-unpleasant neighbour across the street and his vicious dog. By the time summer arrived, I could not see out, and he could not see in. Works well, and delicious in May too! Here is a view from the sidewalk, outside the yard, from August. That is a 4 foot chain-link fence in front of the asparagus ferns. The fence ran N-S, and the asparagus was planted on the E side, with the perennial flowers on the west side for full afternoon sun.

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#43

I love asparagus, but there is something in my soil that asparagus doesn’t like. I tried it in several locations for decorative purposes, from crowns and from seeds. It grows miserably for 1-2 years and then just doesn’t come up. Not sure what it is - may be root knot nematodes I have in my soil.

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#44

make sure you pick mildew resistant cultivars. with the humidity the northeast has this is important. many honey berry cultivars mildew easily. i had to rip out a russian cultivar for this reason. i think the aurora is pretty mildew resistant. keep good air circulation around them you will be ok.

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#45

yes, Aurora is good, but I have difficulty choosing second cultivar for pollination because of mildew. What do you have? (If you have it.)

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#46

i have tundra, aurora and indigo treat. aurora is one of the few that is self fertile somewhat but better to get another for more berries. any of these 3 will pollinate each other. the 2 most productive are aurora and indigo treet and they are very mildew resistant. check out honeyberryusa.com. there may be better cultivars there since i planted mine.

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#47

Ok, thanks!

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