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Erecting a sunshade for fatsia

last year
last modified: last year

We planted a fatsia in a location that's shaded with 1-2 hours of afternoon sun. The band of shrubs starts with fatsia and alternate with camelia (Professor Sargeant). The intention is that they'll grow as a privacy border along our back fence (as some day a house will likely be built there).


Today our neighbor cut down four large, trees that used to provide the shade (they were very tall native NC pines that sway in the wind but the homeowner was sure they would topple down on them so they removed them). Their trunks alone provided needed shade. Now several fatsia will receive 4+ hours of sun.


Not to throw my husband under the bus, but he knew the neighbor was taking down several trees and didn't fully consider the impact. This full back area is well shaded during the morning/early afternoon. About 3 p.m. is when the affected plants are more exposed. Considering this is Oct, a full blown summer day will burn these plants.


My husband won't consider removing the plants (he spent too much time researching and working with nurserys), which were installed 3 weeks ago. I suppose we build a shade screen?


A fatsia starts the alternating line of fatsia/camelias. The farthest left and a 2nd one in will likey be the most affected. I don't think the camelia will tolerate the afternoon sun either.




Comments (8)

  • last year
    last modified: last year

    Is that picture before or after the trees were removed?

    How intense is your sun? Your zone doesn't tell us that. You need to give a geographical location. In my z8 both species can be planted with barely any shade at all because of my latitude.

    Fwiw neither Fatsia nor Camellias would provide much privacy from a house. They are not tall enough.

  • last year

    Much like floral's situation, both those shrubs can be grown in almost full sun in my location as well. I am pretty far north and it rarely gets very hot in summer.

  • last year

    The fatsia will do well in that sun exposure.

  • last year

    I had a lot of plants fry this summer in western Oregon due to too much sun PLUS HEAT, and I thought I had chosen the plants and locations very carefully. I was wrong. Camellia Bob Hope, Camellia Black Magic, Hydrangea Lets Dance Can Do, Hydrangea Tough Stuff Ah-Ha, Leucothoe keiskei, Rhododendrons Taurus, Hotei, Fastuosum Flore Pleno, many evergreen ferns, three different types of Saxifraga stolonifera, Chamaecyparis obtusa Wells Special, Podocarpus macrophyllus, Griselinia littoralis are among them. All of these were in mostly shade, but not enough shade, it turns out.


    My working theory is that the PLUS HEAT part, is key. A lot of these plants could take the limited sun, or the heat, but not both. When the temps are as high as they are becoming, for extended periods of time, combined with some sun, this can lead to burn. Here in the west the very low relative humidity is another added factor that might not be a problem in the SE.

    All that said, until you see your Fatsia and Camellia actually burn, I wouldn't panic. If they do, I would consider moving them. I transplanted many of the above plants into more shade this autumn, but others I refuse to move as I think they will eventually be shaded by my young trees. For these I use the common "market umbrellas" to provide shade when needed. I use screw-type earth anchors to hold them, rather than the heavy bases, very easy to move/remove when needed. Umbrellas like these are sprouting like weeds in well loved gardens all over the west, and they aren't shading people!


    Gardening well is increasingly becoming a moving target, but I love the challenge!


  • last year

    Griselinia is a full sun shrub here. Is it hardy in Oregon?

  • last year
    last modified: last year

    Griselinia was hardy in Seattle. Remains to be seen how hardy it is here in the Willamette Valley, this will be my plants' first winter. A lot of plants were full sun plants in the climate we used to have.

  • last year
    last modified: last year

    It's considered ideal for exposed windswept seaside gardens here, not shady ones. The clue's in the name 'littoralis'.

  • last year

    @floral_uk - I wish my climate was like SW UK, but it is most definitely not. My specimen of Griselinia, purchased on site at cistus.com, was growing in a partially enclosed greenhouse in mostly shade. The plant looked super healthy and had quite large leaves, most likely in response to the shady situation. I planted it out into part shade with about 2 hours of direct afternoon sun. It promptly dropped everyone one of those large leaves while growing many new, much smaller leaves from every branch.


    I've been obsessed with Griselinia for years, I know where it comes from and what it's supposed to like. In my climate, with a dozen days over 100F, hot dry winds and zero summer clouds or fog, it definitely appreciates some shade.