I have an area close to my back door that has 30% mid day sun and 70% shade that I would really like to plant a lilac Bush/Tree. Will it grow there? Is there a variety of lilac that would work there? I also have other areas that are mainly shaded. I like the smell of the lilac and would like to put more of them in my gardens, so what can I do?
Thanks,
Just Getting Started
-
Just Getting Started
- Full Member
- Posts: 48
- Joined: Mon Apr 06, 2009 11:46 am
- Location: Cleveland
-
Just Getting Started
- Full Member
- Posts: 48
- Joined: Mon Apr 06, 2009 11:46 am
- Location: Cleveland
Kisal,
Now that you mentioned Azaleas as liking shade, I have 4 of them in various shadey spots and they all are not doing real well. Do you think that is because I live in Cleveland and the winters are so cold. What can I add to the soil to make the Azaleas do better?
I'm a real knucklehead on this stuff,
Just Getting Started
Now that you mentioned Azaleas as liking shade, I have 4 of them in various shadey spots and they all are not doing real well. Do you think that is because I live in Cleveland and the winters are so cold. What can I add to the soil to make the Azaleas do better?
I'm a real knucklehead on this stuff,
Just Getting Started
They like to be pruned, and they need acid soil. You should sprinkle some azalea/rhododendron food around them early each spring, very gently rake it in a bit (be careful, they have shallow roots), and if it isn't going to rain within a day or so, water the plant. Repeat this procedure after blooming is finished, but no later than mid-July.
Prune them immediately after they have finished flowering, or you'll be cutting off the buds that will become next year's flowers. Don't prune away more than 1/3 of the living branches, and remove all deadwood. If the plant is already the size you want it to be, then just clip a few stray ends here and there to keep the shape nice.
The do need some sun. In the wild here in Oregon, rhodies grow around the edges of the forest, just inside the tree line, and in little open areas among the trees. In those areas, they get the early morning and/or late afternoon sun. You won't find them growing in the dark depths of our rainforests or out in the middle of a meadow, just around the edges. Deer prune the wild rhodies.
Prune them immediately after they have finished flowering, or you'll be cutting off the buds that will become next year's flowers. Don't prune away more than 1/3 of the living branches, and remove all deadwood. If the plant is already the size you want it to be, then just clip a few stray ends here and there to keep the shape nice.
The do need some sun. In the wild here in Oregon, rhodies grow around the edges of the forest, just inside the tree line, and in little open areas among the trees. In those areas, they get the early morning and/or late afternoon sun. You won't find them growing in the dark depths of our rainforests or out in the middle of a meadow, just around the edges. Deer prune the wild rhodies.