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rugger88

Need shrub ideas for dry shade screen

rugger88
13 years ago

Hi everyone,

I've been researching a challenge with dry shade and clay soil I have, but was hoping for some input and ideas.

I have a long property line with an unpleasant neighbor and property, which I'd like to screen out with tall shrubs. There are two areas that are causing me difficulty.

Area #1 is about 25' long x 8' wide and is between a small pin oak and a mature pin oak. It receives maybe 2 hours of sun a day if I keep the large oak and another nearby shrub pruned. Otherwise, my house and the neighbor's plus the trees keep the area in shade. I'm thinking about Viburnum dentatum here, but am not sure if it will do well under these conditions.

Area #2, on the other side of the mature pin oak, is more troublesome. This area is slightly larger, about 28' long and 10' wide on average. It is bounded on one side by the large pin oak, and on the other side by a mature Norway maple. This area gets no direct sun except at sunset during the summer, and then only for a brief time. It is very dry, except that after severe thunderstorms this area gets a lot of water for a short time because of the grade of the property. I've no idea what to plant here, except maybe to take my chances with Viburnum dentatum or perhaps leatherleaf or 'Alleghany' Viburnum.

I'm not looking to do a lot of watering after establishment, in part because I understand that oak trees really hate that. So what I plant should be able to survive on its own with minimal watering during drought.

I would really appreciate any ideas.

Thanks!

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