Yews will work, so would Abies balsamea (Balsam Fir). Hemlock would work, but Hemlock Wolly Adelgid is an issue in Maine. Your Hinoki (Chamaecyparis obtusa) may get a bit leggy but should do ok. Chamaecyparis pisefera (Threadleaf Cypress) may do better. Chamaecyparis pisifera âÂÂFilifera Aureaâ get to 15-20 feet eventually but there several much smaller cultivars out there. How big do you want these plants to be?

tj

Here is a link that might be useful: Sawara Falsecypress

tsugajunkie - thank you for your input. I have heard about the hemlock issues. And yes, my Hinoki is leggy - and it turned brown on the inside this fall - very off. I will research these options over the winter and make some decisions before spring time. I am actually looking for most of these evergreens to get some height - enough for a little privacy. Thank you again!!

Kpowers,

tsugajunkie knows his stuff when it comes to conifers. If you want to keep the maples, the only way you can plant under them is in containers. Hosta in containers will work. Rhododendrons like acid soil, so you can use them, but you can't plant companions with them. An azalea and rhody garden would be nice. However, no matter what plants you choose, you won't be able to plant under those maples unless it's in a container. Eventually the maple roots will dominate. I just took a chainsaw to the Norway maple in my front yard and I'm replacing it with a blue spruce.

What hardiness zone are you in? The selection of broadleaf evergreens hardy enough for zones 6 and lower plummets, discounting conifers, and conifers tolerant of dry shade are limited as well.

As to being able to plant under the maples, it is certainly possible without containers but does take some planning. You need to look for plants tolerant of dry shade. These may not necessarily provide the height and year round presence of a broadleaf evergreen shrub or smaller conifer but they can provide an attractive and lush looking shade garden. As with any drought tolerant plant they will need regular irrigation to get established, but once established should thrive under these conditions. And as tree roots also hog soil nutrients in addition to soil moisture, you will likely need to supply additional fertilization periodically or at the very least, mulch with a high organic mulch.

Some dry shade plants: (btw, many of these are evergreen or mostly so)
Epimediums
Euphorbia robbiae
Dicentra - bleeding heart
Sarcococca (borderline zone 6)
Hellebores (do best in dappled or light shade)
Hardy cyclamen
Some ferns - check drought tolerance before selecting
Geranium macrorhizum, phaeum
Lamium maculatum
Mahonia
Ilex crenata, Japanese holly
Hostas - contrary to common belief, once established, hostas are very drought tolerant and make an excellent plant for dry shade.

One of the primary caveats of planting under a tree canopy/dry shade situation is to start small. It is far easier to get smaller plants established under these challenging conditions plus the presence of so many tree roots makes digging larger planting holes for larger plants problematic.

If in an appropriate zone, I'd consider English laurel or Aucuba for larger screening plants - they are both well-suited for dry shade. Again, will need regular irigation to get established.

I'd avoid planting English ivy anywhere. While it may not be the invasive thug in MA that it is here in the west, it IS an aggressive spreader, perhaps too aggressive for most gardens and it provides an ideal habitat for slugs, snails and all manner of rodents, rats in particular. Use the lamium for a groundcover or pachysandra, vinca minor, salal (Gaultheria shallon) or bunchberry (Cornus canadensis).

kpowers,
I have a heavily shaded back garden under a very large poplar tree. I have found that polygonatum variegatum works very well in dry shade conditions. My fothergilla mt. airy shrubs have done quite well as well, although I've had to baby them a bit with more water when it's not raining as often.

{{gwi:1019210}}

Not a great photo, unfortunately, but the fothergilla are the shrubs on the left (cute brush-like blooms in the spring; REALLY cool serrated leaves!) and the variegated solomon's seal is behind the daylilies.
MCG

There's dry shade and then there's dry shade of a silver maple. I'm not sure what kind of maples you have but here is my in the ground experience in my nyc zone 6b-7 garden..

After 4 years of frustration I did some research and found some plants that are native to maple forest. My absolute favorite is columbine canadensis (note other columbines all died). They not only survived but thrived. The foliage is beautiful and stayed green and lush all the way to late fall. My native witch hazel (hammemalis viginia) did very well. It has a natural graceful demeanor. The only bummer is that the pretty yellow fall foliage hides the flowers as they happen at the same time. Trillium erectum did well as did native wild ginger. My geranium (sorry not sure which cultivar) is pretty but doesn't really thrive. I can't get huechera to grow. The polygonatum that I tried shriveled up and died completely. I've tried rhododenrons, azaleas, and mountain laurel (this one is meant to do well in dry conditions so maybe it was the heat and humidity) and they all died. Mind you this is quite near the base of the tree so they may survive a bit farther out.

Plants that I'd like to try that I've read can take the dry shade and nutrient poor soil are:

cordyalis lutea
maple leaf viburnum
kerria japonica (i've read this flowers better with a less rich soil)
viburnum dentatum
grey dogwood

The only evergreen plant that i could recommend is acuba. My neighbor has it growing on the otherside of my fence near the maple.

Sorry all most of my recommendations are deciduous. Good luck and let me know what you go with.

By the way mycitygarden nice job! What a beautiful garden!

I don't know what book or article would recommned hostas for dry shade. They will not do well in those conditions. Their leaves will get crispy and look tatered by early summer. If you go that route, use cheap hostas, not pricy recent ones as you may lose them.