How many hours of filtered sun are we talking? Depending on the size conifer desired and the space allotments, I would think a Pinus Strobus or Parviflora, even Abies Koreana 'Silberlocke' would work well if good amount/ duration of sunlight were available. A Picea Orientalis 'Skylands' could be magnificent if the light were right and space allowed...

Thats my beginner advice; others on here will have more definitive info!

gets no direct sun, but is bright with filtered sun.

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this is going to be a 'vigor' issue ... and we can not.. in any manner.. understand what 'filtered' shade.. means.. in your garden ... we can gaze at our belly buttons and pontificate all we want.. but ONLY you can figure out what that means ...

i have been in filtered shade.. and my glasses have turned dark ..

and i have been in filtered shade.. where i needed a flashlight at noon to see anything ...

so on words alone.. it will be very hard.. for me.. to encourage you in any specific direction.. in regard to a conifer ...

but more importantly ... its a tree competition issue regarding getting a babe established.. under large exsistant trees ...

i have two picea pungens.. in full shade ... they grow very slow ... lack of sun.. rarely kills things outright.. itself.. its whether the plant.. can perform to expectation ... e.g. a rose will probably live in shade .. but it wont produce many flowers in shade ... and thats is what i meant by 'vigor' ...

in shade.. skip yellow conifers.. they wont color right.. blues.. with the waxy coating on the needles MIGHT also suffer.. stick with green ..

frankly ... with no sun.. i suggest you go in another direction.. unless you just want to prove you can do it... been there.. done that.. go for it.. if you wish ...

any chance at a pic.. we might be able to be of better help.. if we could 'see' the spot ...

ken

Thanks Jalapenos & Ken,

Ken, I have read a lot of your posts about shade and understand the Dilemma with defining it correctly. I will try to post a picture tonight, although most of the leaves have now fallen, so it looks much brighter than it is for the majority of the spring/summer season. I think I was probably too optimistic when I said "bright" filtered. I think it is more of a moderate "filtered" sun. The location is at the SW corner of my lot and the shade is caused by some 50-60ft maple trees with heavy canopy's. As I mentioned, there was previously 3 Blue Spruce planted here (maybe long ago when their was less competition for light) and 2 lost all of their needles and are dead. The last one has no needles on the bottom 2/3rds of the tree.

I know a Yew would survive in this spot, but was hoping for another option I hadn't thought of. I also currently have a GG, Tsuga Everitt's Golden, and Sparkleberry Holly. All seem to be doing OK, but this final spot is set deeper in and gets less "bright" sun. I might even be able to get away with another GG or or type of Thuja, but was looking for some diversity. Maybe Abies Nordmanniana?

Canaan fir has done really well for me in shade, as has eastern hemlock. I've also got some red spruce (Picea rubens) growing in the shade - They remain vigorous, though growing at a slower pace than ones in the sun.

Picea abies may also be worth a shot and I would not count out Chamaecyparis obtusa or Thuja occidentalis. If it is deciduous shade you'll have sun for a couple of months when the soil is above 40 degrees.

tj

Here are a couple pictures of the area. It's blurry, but will give you an idea of the condition.

another shot

The overhead view from where the trees are. It is deciduous shade so all the leaves are gone now, but you can imagine how much that fills in.