posted 6 years ago
We moved this summer to a new property in northern Maine. It is a long narrow half acre lot oriented with one corner of the backyard towards the south. In addition to a cold climate (zone 3) we have quite a bit of shade on our property due to a line of mature spruce trees along the SW edge of the property and a mature red pine and paper birch in the east corner. We have a little bit of full sun near the house and a lot of area that gets about 5 hours of sunlight. We also have areas that range down to full, deep shade.
There is a lot competing for the limited area with full sun including annual gardens and flowers (to brighten our patio area) so I'm trying to optimize my use of the available sunlight. I'm aware of a number of bushes that will thrive and fruit in partial shade. However, I'm working on where to put the more typical fruit trees that want full sun. Does anyone know if some will tolerate shading better than others?
Fruits I need to find places for:
-Apple
-Pear
-Plum
-Cherries
-Apricot*
-Persimmon*
*marginally hardy, experimental
For reference, (in case anyone else is looking for cold and shade tolerant plants) the shrubs I am planning on including are:
Full sun:
-Raspberry
-Blueberry (low-high hybrid)
-Honeyberry
-Blackberry
-Grapes* (vine)
Partial Shade:
-Currants
-Gooseberries
-Elderberry
-Hazelnuts
-Nannyberry
-Raisin Bush
-Serviceberry (can be tree or shrub, depending on species)
-Red Osier Dogwood (Nitrogen fixer, ornamental and wildlife value)
-NJ Tea
-Mock Orange
-Steeplebush