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Shrub ideas need for deck

gardenbug
11 years ago

Zone 8b

Hi everyone!

I want to plant a shrub or maybe even a dwarf tree in a large pot to place on the northeast corner of my covered deck, where it receives part shade/part sun. I have a skylight. My preference is evergreen, but deciduous is fine too. I don't think I'd want it to get much over 6'. I don't want it to die in the container over winter. Any ideas please?

Comments (15)

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    11 years ago

    this has been hanging out here w/o an answer.. for what seems like forever.. i will now reply. and you watch how many replies you get .. lol ..

    i would suggest a house plant ...

    most shrubs.. as we know them.. are full sun.. for peek performance..

    you want to grow under a roof.. the skylight means nothing ...

    so a large semi tropical plant sounds perfect ...

    and i know nothing about those by name ... one would suspect there is a forum for such ...

    ken

  • gardenbug
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Hi Ken,
    Thanks soooooo much for your reply. I've been checking everyday to see if I got a reply and today I almost fell off my chair when I saw yours. haha!

    I never thought about a tropical plant. What an awesome idea. Okay, that's what I'll do. Now hopefully, someone can give me some ideas on that. Love it! Thanks Ken.

  • alexis717_df
    11 years ago

    Ken you are so funny, and so right :) On both counts. So here is another reply.

    A house plant would be perfect. 20 years ago I lived in Southern California. And I had a huge wrap around porch. I put a large split leaf philodendrome (I'm sure the spelling is wrong) in one corner. I don't think it is considered tropical but I loved it. It got so huge I eventually gave it a name. I didn't pay any attention to zones then so I'm not sure how it would do in yours.

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    11 years ago

    yeah alexis.. i was thinking of that one .. but didnt know the name.. see link ...

    but i was also thinking of a splashed yellow and green plant.. of which i have no clue what the name is ...

    something like this one: carp.. its that site that shall not be named.. lol ...

    go down the link below.. to the bottom of what THEY call page 2.. and there is a variegated one .. real cool ...

    good luck

    ken

    Here is a link that might be useful: link

  • gardenbug
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    I like the philodendron. I also posted on the Tropical form, but wouldn't a tropical plant need lots of sun? Thanks so much for helping me with this.

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    11 years ago

    a lot of houseplants.. can take the darkness of the house .. because they grow under the canopy of the rainforest ....

    same with a lot of the tropicals ... as most tropical places are near desert ... where there is no forest ... [yeah i know its probably an overstatement ... its a concept] ...

    the alternative to those types of plants.. are the cactii .. which need/want sun ...

    but one type hates water.. and one thrives on water ..

    thats about enough to get you thinking about the spot you want to deal with ... understory tropical/houseplants ... that can deal with low light .. and of course.. that does not rule out plants that are actually trees .. as some houseplants actually are ... when we dont torture them in a house ...

    ken

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    11 years ago

    Ooh a houseplant for a porch in 8b. Not sure if you mean the NE corner is open or if that's the side that abuts the house? There's Dracaenas aplenty that would be suitable, Scheffelera, ditto the Philos (so many of them!,) cane Begonias (blooms all summer,) parlor and majesty palms (although that might be too much sun for those if the skylight allows mid-day rays directly on that spot)... All of these can be brought inside for a few months when it's cold out, then put back out next year.

    Have you considered some hanging baskets to go above?

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    11 years ago

    there you go .... purp nails it... as i suspected someone in your zone would ...

    takes me back to Barbados.. and what they had in pots ...

    z8 is so foreign to me.. i may as well be in Barbados ...

    if only i could grow that pink vine that is all over the place.. carp.. just blanked ... and i will recall as soon as i hit send.. lol ... but that is probably sun ... google is wonderful.. Bougainvillea .. i bet that would winter over with a bit of protection????

    post us some pix.. when you figure it out ...

    ken

  • gardenbug
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    purp ~ thanks for your help. The corner of my patio is NE and faces out. It gets morning sun and afternoon shade. The skylight is in the centre of the canopy so that wouldn't make too much difference. It wouldn't get too hot where it is. I like your idea of the majesty palms, it wouldn't get too much sun there, mostly light shade. The begonia canes sound nice too. I have no idea what they are so I will check it out. I love Begonias. I just finished making up three huge coco fibre hanging baskets. Sorry I did that though, now I'll be watering every hour. lol Although, they do look really nice. I just needed something for that one NE corner, it's really screaming for something in a large decorative pot. Thanks again for providing me with some fabulous ideas.

    Ken ~ Thanks again for all your help. Yes, I'll definitely show you a pic when I figure out what to put there. I love the idea of Bougainvillea. Hmmmm let me check that one out right now. Sounds real pur-dy.

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    11 years ago

    Thanks, Ken. And no doubt it's really different in z8. Still getting used to it after 5 yrs!

    Although a Bougainvillea I planted in the yard last year is still alive, the jury's still out if I will get any flowers... it's just a lonely stalk at the moment. Probably only survived here because of the non-winter...

    cadence, did you put Begonias in the coco baskets? They (whether cane or wax) like to stay pretty dry, so that's a good call if so.

  • gardenbug
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    purp ~ Yes, I put in the centre of each basket a bright orange non-stop begonia. They seem to be doing wonderful so far. I hope you get lots of flowers on your Bougainvillea.

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    11 years ago

    Nice! And thanks, you too! Are they wax Begonias? You should be able to bring them in for the winter to save them for next year. I have a potted one that bloomed all winter (inside,) actually has been blooming for about 14 months.

  • gardenbug
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    purp ~ I don't know for sure if these are wax begonias or not. This is my 2nd year for putting them in my garden and baskets. I just know they are non-stop begonias. I'll see if I can still find the tag that came with them. I usually save most of my tags so I can refer to them. I'm always a little hesitant in bringing my plants inside the house in case they have bugs in them. Something I have to learn to get over. lol

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    11 years ago

    Here's about 75,500 images of wax begonias, most of them accurate, for comparison to your plants. I think "nonstop" is usually used to refer to wax or cane Begonias, both of which are excellent winter house plants as they will keep blooming if they have enough light. If/when they get too tall, you can just snap off the too-tall parts and stick them in the soil with the mama or in a new pot to make new plants.

    If they are wax, they are reliably hardy here, also 8b. If so, you could just put them in the ground in the fall. That would give you the option of digging it back up in the spring to do the hanging basket again, or you could leave it in the ground and use cuttings to start a new basket.

    Perfectly understandable about not wanting bugs in your house. You're in good and abundant company there! If you have a big bucket or plastic storage tub you can fill with water, a dunk that completely submerges the soil will cause any critters residing in the pot to evacuate. After 10-15 minutes, you can be sure there's no adult critters still in your pot. From there, it's reasonable to hope that nothing has laid any kind of eggs in there, so after it stops dripping you should be able to expect you're bringing in a critter-free pot. After that and a visual inspection for anything on the foliage or stems, I bring mine in for the winter on panic night (when a frost is possible.)

    If something does come crawling out, I might repot if it's a bug that could have laid eggs in the pot. Just depends on what it is. I do this for all my houseplants because they all go outside for the summer. HTH!

  • gardenbug
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Hi Purple,
    Thanks so much for the tip, especially about how to get rid of the bugs that might still be on the plant. The only houseplant I have outside now is my Christmas Cactus sitting on my covered deck and completely covered in buds. I'll dunk it before I bring it inside.
    Also, thanks for the link to the wax begonias. I didn't know you could snap them off if they get too tall and they'd regrow again? That's good. I learned something today. Thank you for all your help Purple.