As difficult as it is to think of an evergreen that will grow in the heavy shade you describe, what will really defeat the project is the dryness and lack of nutrients in the soil, mostly caused by the maples' fibrous root system. Perhaps you can put a "facing" of wood or lattice on the chain link fence.

While I agree that the maple roots will be a problem, it's not an insurmountable one for the right kind of plants; you really need something that can accept dry shade, and the choices are limited. Your success will depend on the distance away from the maples, the *kind* of maples, your ability to get water to the young plants, and your choice of plants for this hedge.

Euonymus kiautschovicus is a non-invasive, fast growing, somewhat lax evergreen shrubby vine that will grow in fairly dense shade. I have it near maples and spruces, and it does fine, but you'll need to mulch well and run a soaker hose along the base of the plants to make sure they get enough water while they're getting established. 'Manhattan' is the most popular cultivar, but I've read that it may not be as hardy as the species (though that's not an issue for me). I have both and they do well here - very easy to root cuttings too, if you have the time for that. They actually have wonderful masses of tiny white flowers that absolutely buzz with insects in summer, even in deep shade, followed by decent pink berries.

I've also had very good luck with yews in deep shade. There are upright ones that will stay fairly narrow, I have some growing along a stockade fence, starting about 10' from the trunk of an old maple, where it's incredibly dry. Same goes for watering, though; soaker hose on a timer will be needed for the plants to compete.

Neither of these plants will grow as quickly as they would in an area without the kind of competition that maple roots provide, but they will grow and cover that fence for you.

Thanks! I am glad to hear of some possible suggestions! I was really disspointed initially since there was nothing that could be done. I will give the euonymous a shot or even the yews. Hopefully this works since I was rather hoping more for a natural cover rather than a fence since those can be quite expensive.

I had a similar problem a few years ago. I hired a local contractor who put in a combination of Eastern Hemlock evergreens, viburnums, fothergillia and oak leaf hydrangea. Added to this are shade perennials such as hosta, astilbe, and iris. The result is great, though not entirely evergreen. I have some trees intermixed in the border including oaks and a maple.

Good luck - let us know what you decide to do!
Elaine

Hemlock grow well in shade. However, they can be difficult to acquire (at least in my area) due to the woolly adelgid. But maybe that isn't an issue in your area.

Yews=deer candy - protection - expensive
Hemlock=eventual invasion of wooly adelgids (they stayed away for 5 years, but they found me)

I'd go with the Euonymus suggestion. Lay a soaker hose around the plantings, plan to periodly water it well until established. You'll be pruning it too, but better than ugly fence, or lots of $ spent on additional fencing.

Maybe this should be a new post but I have a similar situation. I want to fill a visual hole in my lot border that will stay filled in winter. It's an area totally shaded by a big white pine and a medium-sized silver maple. I'd like to fill the hole between these trees and also the space on the other side of the pine, between it and a (blue?) spruce.

{{gwi:239606}}

I see some of these suggestions on this post and have also looked up evergreen shrubs that grow in full shade. Are these leafy suggestions actually evergreens (euonymus, holly, etc.)? Or are they just evergreens in areas which don't get as much cold and snow as in MN? I only see coniferous evergreens growing natively here. Which reminds me, if it's a native shrub/tree, that's a plus too :)

So all I'm asking for is a cheap, native, fast-growing, evergreen that will grow in acidic soil in full shade in my zone. I don't think that's such a hard request :-P

I've been looking around - Gardening in Shade forum might provide a few more ideas.

Sometimes what works for one is a total disaster for someone else, but I've got a spot under some limbed monster Spruce that supports yews and so far the deer herd has thumbed their noses at those, northern developed "Northern Lights" Azaleas, Ninebarks, Barberry (not everyone's favorite, but they do serve a purpose), as well as hostas, astlbe, bleeding hearts, some chunks of Stella d'Oro, forget-me-nots, Siberian Squill, Muscari, and hopefully this spring new daffodils.

Boxwood is supposed to work well in shade too - and will try some around the yard as they seem to crop up routinely at the big boxes. Last year, my new addition was holly, largely in a shady spot. I tend to go for inexpensive items for iffy areas - if they work out, and they often do, you're ahead of the game; if they don't, the expenditure wasn't so great.

I have an eleagnus (which I'm probably spelling wrong) along my back fence where it is thriving in the shade. It grows fairly fast, too.

gomanson, I don't know how evergreen the Manhattan-type euonymus or the hollies would be in your area, since I'm in zone 7 where they retain all their leaves in winter. You might try your regional forum for more information on that, unless someone else here knows.

You should probably consider moving your proposed screening plants closer into the yard, away from those tree trunks. The problems I've had in establishing screening in shady area have always been compounded because it's so tempting to try to "save space" for the main part of the yard. Dedicating a little more room for your screening plants makes it much more likely that they'll work well in the long run. I can't tell from the photo, but it looks like you're trying to plant right between those tree trunks; moveing out to where the rope is on the ground would still provide the screen and would give the plants a little more space to grow. The visual effect will probably be better, too, looking more like a natural woodsy area than a barrier.

Diggingthedirt, great point about giving more room to a screen. The best foliage screens I see as I drive around have some depth to them (e.g. a staggered double row of spruces). The problem is, that side of my yard is only a few feet out from the garage, and I at least want enough room to walk :) I will go out there tomorrow and see if I can manage to plant something farther out. Thanks for the tip!

Not sure which is the main issue - the appearance of the fence or "privacy." Simply in terms of what might survive under all those trees, you could try either eleutherococcus sieboldianus ('Variegatus' is a very pretty shrub and does OK in dry shade) or akebia quinata vine whose exuberance will be muted without access much water. Neither is evergreen.

I have three rhododendrons within reach of the roots of my large maple and two dogwoods and they're doing OK. They look better now that my neighor cut HIS big maple down and they get more light.

Agree with digging about the yews - they'll grow in the basement. They can also get very large, so don't plant them right up against the fence.

I know these are not fast at all but they are native, and do well in acidic shade -Salal. From what I have read and seen, in deep shade they can get up to 6 feet tall :)

We are putting in a patio with a fire pit and during the summer we get the west sun, HOT. I would like to know what we should plant for and a little privacy and fast growing shade tree. I would like to plant next to the patio or even use as a boarder around the patio. I would like to make it look something like tropical.

Rather than attempting to dig into the soil around some established pines that had lost their bottom limbs and left an open and privacy negating space, I placed Yew [spreading type] on top of the ground in their burlap balls and then mounded humus rich soil around them. I did this in the heat of summer so I kept them well watered until fall. The only problem is that the deer love Yews. I placed a green vinyl coated six foot high wire mesh fence around the entire planting of about seven Yews and it has done the job, albeit slowly.
A native shade tolerant non evergreen but fast growing vine is dutchman's pipe.

mary .. you might get a few more responses specific to your situation.. if you started your own post.. instead of tagging onto a 3 year old post ...

a picture of your site.. would help me greatly ...

give it a try

ken

I am also looking for privacy hedge that will get to 6' or taller. For privacy. Spines would be great. A old camellia is thriving. the cedars have died, the crepe myrtle is a ten foot stick looking for sun. Would a toyon work? I'd like drought tolerant. So Cal near Arcadia Arboretum

Full shade in zone 5. Are you sure English Ivy is invasive there? Most ivies won't even survive those temps let alone thrive in them. Try 'Thorndale' (zone 4), but under those conditions it'll be pretty slow. If you can cut down some trees for light, a great alternative would be a row of 'American Pillar' Arborvitae. They grow rather fast, but need the sun to thrive.

An older post that may help. I have a similar problem with a shady area.
I just put in three Nandina in shade. Not experienced in shrubs but have had many successes without much effort.
I've taken a few drives through the neighborhood to see what does well. I have stopped to ask if a friendly looking gardener type owner is out fussing. First, compliment their yard and plantings!, (grin).

-i purchased before researching...
I have a clumping bamboo from my parents yard that has done well...(Not a spreading one!)
It was a test.

link from page 51...

Here is a link that might be useful: shade

ditaroy,

I may have missed something in this thread, but you did say it's your neighbor's chain link fence? So whose property is it on? Who maintains it? If it's theirs, they may not appreciate you growing anything on it, or through it. So please elaborate.