underplanting

I have a fairly dense canopy that provides lots of shade.... previous owner had planted day lilies and they have spread well but little to no flowering. (The canopy may not have been as dense as when they first planted the day lillies)
the second issue is I would like to plant some type of shrubbery or other planting that could be planted under this canopy and provide privacy screening 8-10 feet high 4-6 ft wide.

Canopy in the area is pine and Oak mostly

Thanks for any advice

Any 'ole plant will do? Or are you looking for particular qualities with the plant, apart from size of course?

Third, is it solid shade or dappled sunlight?

Privacy is primary.

we are open to suggestions as we know there are probably solutions we haven't even considered!

Dappled intermittently.... As the sun moves across the sky different density of the canopy allows different amount of sun in at different angles, there is also a two story out building that contributes to the shade in the morning.

at the 8 10 ten foot level i'm dealing tree trunks 6 to 8 feet apart and an area that is 20 x 20 with no trees

Thanks for responding and any suggestions are appreciated.

Let me know if you need more info..

Hmm, what about goumi or autumn olive? Both should reach the 10 foot mark no problem. They'll take a bit longer to grow due to the shading, and probably won't produce fruit but you'll get the height you need. I'd also look into gooseberries but they'll only hit about 5-6 foot taller (maybe there's taller varieties?). I'm a big fan of multitasking so if I can get food and the screening I'd go for it first.

Not sure if such a thing exists, but look for a bamboo variety that works in your area that can tolerate shade. You'll get a nice, dense privacy screen and you'll get it quick.

A Yew would fit the bill too. Grows to the height you need plus some, will grow in shade, and it's evergreen so no losing the privacy screen in winter. Downside being they're poisonous, but if you don't have small children or grazing animals it won't be a problem.

Thank you for your input it is invaluable especially when i am not very knowledgeable about plants other than the major vegetables and herbs.

Would building a pallet A frame 8 ft tall and maybe getting some kind of edible vine thing growning up one side and down the other.... thinking as you do edible screen.... be feasible?
at least when the leaves are gone in the winter the vines and pallet would also lend some privacy... could we do a vertical hugul type deal where i infill the pallet tower with decaying wood for a substrate

could mushrooms grow inside the A frame....

we are in zone 5b / 6

thanks for the input Blake... I will have to look at goumi / autumn olive. Bamboo scares me as every growth stand we've seen up here seems uncontrollable...or untended and are just horrendous looking.

Yeah, bamboo wouldn't be my first choice either. I hate grass, so the last thing I want is grass on steroids or something I constantly had to keep under control.

Building a trellis type system wouldn't be bad though. I didn't figure you'd want to go that route though or else you'd just build an actual privacy wall.

Check out Arctic Kiwi. I believe they do better in shade than the other varieties, and would need a support to grow up. No personal experience with them, haven't found a place to put them or I'd have some, but they pack on growth like mad from what I hear. That would make me believe it would quickly cover whatever frame you build it on. They also produce massive amounts fruit, I've heard reports of 100+ pounds per season, so you'd need a sturdy structure. I'd definitely fill the area in with something. Around here such an area would get quickly filled in with poison ivy otherwise.

I'm a big fan of goumi/autumn olive myself. They fix nitrogen, grow fairly thick, and can even grow around walnuts should you have any hiding in your property. People raise a lames about them being invasive, goumi much less than autumn olive, but I honestly don't concern myself much with it. Especially growing under a canopy where they won't produce as much fruit. I got a few berries off the goumis I planted in early spring and the taste was quite pleasant.

I'd personally stay away from trying a huge loss type thing with the pallets. Not enough space in the pallet to get the mass needed to serve the purpose the hugelmound is supposed to serve. It MAY work if you built an A-frame with the pallets and filled the gap between the two actual pallets with material but even then I have my doubts. Just filling the interior of a single pallet would leave you with a pallet full of dry sticks I'd imagine.

Ha a pallet of dry sticks... bonfire screen!! Talk about your privacy.

No I didnt want an eyesore fence i definititely wanted green... and if i can eat it all the better!

I think that this is, as usual with me, bigger and bigger... but if I can build pallet wall for labor and gas, build in sections

start something from seed that is quick growing that will meet my requirements in 3-5 years i'm in.

Poison Ivy is the bane of my existence in my woods.... I have no issue, I can roll around in it and nothing happens...I mow it every week.

anything we plant that we will eat probably be in a raised structure above grade seperated from existing soil....unless it's a tree.

Thanks ..Greg

Lol, I think we both have the same issue. Have a bad habit of jumping in head first myself. My personal motto being if something is worth doing it's worth over-doing lol.

I wish I was that lucky with poison ivy, I can practically look at it and break out, though momentum currently is in my favor in the battle for the backyard. I've become quite adept at skipping around in the woods to dodge it though lol.

I took the same route with the raised beds thing. I don't have bad soil, I was actually surprised by the quality of it, even if it is a bit to alkaline for my liking (the problem with living in a state built on limestone), but I wanted to know exactly what was going into it, if no other reason than seeing if I could one-up Mother Nature on soil building lol. Trees and shrubs of course went into soil though.

Yeah you just can't stop cranking it up a notch... drives the wife crazy...

I bought Artic Kiwi last night so I am going ahead with the pallet trellis thing... I am elevating the bed because I have read so much about the long lingering Urushiol and nobody uses it in compost so

I have great soil in the woods which I have contaminated by mulching the posion ivy... the tress and shrubs dont seem to care...

Thanks for your help I would not have gotten here without you getting me thinking before i act...lol

greg... ill postup pics when i get this thing done....thanks