Full shade evergreens and landscaping - Ask Extension
Front of house flowerbed faces north: full shade. Current hostas die back for 6 months, leaving dirt bare. 4.5 wide, 30 ft length. Need foundation pla...
Knowledgebase
Full shade evergreens and landscaping #892313
Asked February 05, 2025, 1:37 AM EST
Front of house flowerbed faces north: full shade. Current hostas die back for 6 months, leaving dirt bare. 4.5 wide, 30 ft length. Need foundation plantings at a minimum; prefer 3 ft evergreen balls w low shade perennials in front. Help!
Multnomah County Oregon
Expert Response
Hi Sue,
Thank you for using Ask Extension.
There are several natives that may work well for you. One is evergreen huckleberry Vaccinium ovatum. The literature says it will grow 4-8 ft tall but I have several in my yard in the shade and they are 3-4 ft tall. this is a slow-growing shrub and you can prune it to manage the height/width.
Other options include Cascade Oregon grape (Mahonia nervosa or Berberis nervosa), Oregon boxwood (Paxistima myrsinites)
Rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias and pieris are all good foundation plants but watch the varieties to make sure they don't grow too tall. They may not flower as much in the shade.
Ferns and Heuchera could be an interesting counterpoint to your hostas because the leaf-forms and colors will contrast. A lot of ferns will be evergreen for the winter but you can cut them back in early spring for the new growth. Oxalis oregana is semi-evergreen (it will die back if it gets really cold) as a groundcover.
Thank you for using Ask Extension.
There are several natives that may work well for you. One is evergreen huckleberry Vaccinium ovatum. The literature says it will grow 4-8 ft tall but I have several in my yard in the shade and they are 3-4 ft tall. this is a slow-growing shrub and you can prune it to manage the height/width.
Other options include Cascade Oregon grape (Mahonia nervosa or Berberis nervosa), Oregon boxwood (Paxistima myrsinites)
Rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias and pieris are all good foundation plants but watch the varieties to make sure they don't grow too tall. They may not flower as much in the shade.
Ferns and Heuchera could be an interesting counterpoint to your hostas because the leaf-forms and colors will contrast. A lot of ferns will be evergreen for the winter but you can cut them back in early spring for the new growth. Oxalis oregana is semi-evergreen (it will die back if it gets really cold) as a groundcover.
