I have three huge redwood trees in my yard and I'm struggling to find things that will grow under them. So far what has done the best is button fern, Polystichum setiferium divisilobum , and hellebore. I've tried farfugium, hosta, tiarella and several other ferns to no avail There are a couple of kurume azaleas and camellias but they are leggy and not happy. The trees are so dense that no rain fall gets to the ground there so I have to water both winter and summer.
Duff. ; ) Ok, I'll quit yanking your chain. You live relatively close to UC Davis. They have a forestry dept. They probably even have a Master gardener program, I'd check with them. Iceplant is the only thing I have found that likes shade under the trees, but requires a lot of water too. Sorry I couldn't be more help.
WIB!
SW
When I get home from work tonight let me check a couple of my CA natives books--I'm pretty sure one of them has a list in the appendix of plants that grow under redwoods. Or here's a link from Las Pilitas about the redwood forest plant community--there are some plants listed as you go through the article, and at the end there's a link to other plants that grow in that plant community so anything on that list that likes shade would probably do fine for you http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/communities/redwood-forest
ecrane:
You always have good information. I kept thinking about it, but can't remember the names of the flowers I enjoyed out among the redwoods. I was wondering about hostas, would they do well for doss?
WIB,
SW
Thanks Ecrane for the information. It's really good. Sword ferns grow like weeds but reading the information it seems as if it would work to really increase the watering in that area. Not going as far as misters. These trees are 30 years old and never been misted!
I've tried hostas Singing Wolf but they don't seem too happy. I'll know more next year. This was their first year in the garden. That in addition to the fact that hostas really want four weeks of weather under 40 degrees in the winter.
Rats, I was hoping they'd grow for you. They don't grow for me either.
WIB,
SW
I can grow them, just not in dark shade. They grow pretty well in dappled shade and even shade just in the afternoons. I have about 50 different types that I am trying. Some hostas are genetically more favorable for less cold. Plantaginea and Golden Tiara grow like weeds here. Be careful where you get your hostas though. I only buy from good on-line vendors because of a virus that can infect all of your other hostas if you get it. You can find diseased plants in the big box stores and good nurseries too.
I need to start watering my redwoods more--since they were CA natives I figured they didn't need a ton of summer water, but as I've been learning more about them since I'm farther inland than their native habitat they do actually need a decent amount of water. When I first moved in here there was a lawn in the front yard next to the trees and I figured they'd be happier now that the lawn's gone, but now I think they might have been happier if I would have left the lawn there (although I wouldn't have been happy)! So next summer I'm going to try watering them a bit more frequently and hopefully keep them a lot happier. I don't plan to mist mine either, way too much work! I don't currently have anything growing under mine but as I continue to run out of room in the rest of the garden I'm sure I'll be trying to do something under there eventually! LOL
Well, ground ginger is listed as one of the things that grows under Redwoods on the list you gave me the link to but I've tried ginger and it wasn't successful. Perhaps it was the water that was the problem though. I had some polygonatum that faded away in the middle of the summer but came back in the spring. That should have given me a clue that there wasn't enough water there. Hope that it comes back this year so I can give it more water.
Have you considered Redwood Sorrel, Oxalis oregana> http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/78526/ ? They use it in GG Park as a groundcover under their redwoods. Doesn't need much water, in fact you can over water if not careful.
I did check my natives book, and they don't have a specific list for planting under redwoods (but if you ever have a native oak that you want to plant under let me know, they do have a list for that!) It did have a list of general woodland plants, but since there are many different types of woodlands in CA I think the list from Las Pilitas specifically for the redwood forest community is probably more accurate for your situation.
The REdwood sorrel looks very good. Thank you. Even the name fits! Now to find a place that carries it. Maybe I can special order it from my local nursery. That would be best.
And thanks for checking your book for me ecrane. The Sunset Garden book used to have a section for planting under oaks but the new ones don't have it. I think that it is a big loss. What's the name of your natives book?
Here's the book I was looking in--California Native Plants for the Garden http://www.amazon.com/California-Native-Plants-Garden-Bornstein/dp/0962850586/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1227067884&sr=8-1
Thanks so much!
I have that book - it's great!
Doss, I also did a Google search of 'Sequoia sempervirens companion plants' and there were a few more suggestions, depending on what size/type of plant you want.
What about native irises and perhaps lilies?
Native iris is a good suggestion. There used to be some growing under there but they have since gone the way of many good plants. I don't think that there would be enough light under the trees for the lilies though. It's reall dark back there. Maybe I should go for plastic plants! Then I'd just have to dust. LOL
Native Iris do need some direct sun, they are beautiful and they really don't like summer water (well maybe once a month if your not in the fog belt).
Styrbing has an incredible collection of Douglas Iris, I use to collect the seed in early summer (I asked the lady in charge of the CA native section, she didn't mind. Once she told me that when she was deadheading she would leave the cut flower heads in the path hoping someone would take the seeds {that someone would be me!})
Here is a clump of hybrid yellow I saw in Pacific Heights, SF CA.
Wow are they beautiful and I am a real iris fan. IT's probably much too dark for them under there. If it's so dense that rain can't find the ground then you can imagine how little sunlight there is there.
I just got a couple from Annie's Annuals to grow under our pine trees - the area gets part sun, so I'm hoping they will grow there. What do you think, Dale? I would like to get some yellow, too. I think Las Pilitas near me has them sometimes.
I have some under oak trees that do just fine. The shade under the redwoods is much denser although it does get small amounts of dappled shade.
Douglas Iris should grow anywhere on the West Coast, anywhere that has some ocean influence. Tough as nails plant.
S.African bulb (?) at Berkeley's Strawberry Canyon Botanical Garden>
Our ocean influence is minimal, but we do get the marine layer so perhaps that is enough. Hope so. I would love to eventually have a large group under the trees.
San Diego County has marine influence, until you get to the desert.
GG Park, SF>
Ah-ha, that helps. :-)
You know, I was reading this thread and thinking about when I lived up in Sonoma County where there are lots of redwood forests. The first thing that came to mind was the azaleas and rhododendrons that grow in those deep dark redwood forests. I remember being shocked that they could survive and bloom with no light and no rain but what mother nature provides. I also lived in a spot in Occidental where there were three massive redwoods fairly close to the house. There was, however, a big old wooden water tank wedged in them about 30 feet up. When someone left the pump on too long it would overflow and the ground beneath it get drenched. What thrived there were callas. I mean I've never, ever seen such happy callas as in that dark spot with acid soil. My callas here don't need a huge amount of water to thrive, in fact the neighbors never water theirs and they're happy as can be, though they do die back significantly during the heat. Just some things I've seen in nature that I thought were worth mentioning.
Callas are a good idea. I tried some there but I believe that I haven't been watering enough. Might try some there again. Thanks
I think if you were to dig up some of the callas that naturalize in your area (we sure have oodles here) and plant them now so they get all the rain possible over the winter, maybe they'll "take" better. I know the big bulbs that I've gotten from nurseries tend to be fussier until they acclimate. But the ones that have naturalized just keep coming back in the weirdest places. I have a calla that grows up between the wooden slats of the deck, and blooms! Probably a gopher carried it there at some point.
Here is an idea that is sure to scare some folks - Ivy. Some of the small leaved 'exotic' types are not as invasive as their large leaved cousins.
Here are some scented geraniums (pelargonium) I use as a groundcover under the oaks that are so common around this part of FL>
This is a great thread.... I have 5 redwoods that will, someday, be large enough to plant under. I'm glad to see there is such a variety of things to choose from.
The pelargoniums certainly look lovely. I'll have to see if I can get some.
Ivy will certainly grow under redwood trees. My neighbor has some on the other side of the fence. However, we have Norweigan roof rats in our neighborhood and I don't want to do anything to encourage them. They've cost us thousands of dollars in damages as it is.
What about one of the really pretty small-leafed variegated ivies? The variegation would bring some light to the area, and as I recall the small varieties don't get woody and encourage rodents....?
Doss,
Here is a company or two that sells pelargoniums>
http://www.geraniaceae.com/
http://www.goodwincreekgardens.com/
http://www.mountainvalleygrowers.com/herbsordermethod.htm
Scented Pine Pelargonium>
Thanks Dale!
Some great plants not mentioned above that I often see while hiking in coastal redwood forests:
Rubus parviflorus, Thimbleberry
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/65344/
Trillium ovatum, Western Trillium
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/2731/
Trientalis latifolia, Western starflower
http://www.plantexplorers.com/twiningvine/index.php/manufacturers_id/10/filter_id/40/page/1/sort/3d/language/en
Viola sempervirens, Redwood Violet
http://images.google.com/images?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4GGIH_enUS238US238&q=%22viola%20sempervirens%22&um=1&sa=N&tab=wi
V. sempervirens is available at http://www.parkdalegardens.com/
Lovely Susan_C! Good job, this helps a lot of people.
I really like the hyperlinks.
WIB,
SW
I forgot to mention I am especially enamored with the Western starflower! : )
WIB!
SW
Thanks susan. I'm saving this list to order in the spring.
I'm glad you guys found the list helpful; The Western Starflower is a beautiful little plant. I've seen it carpeting large areas where it is happy. I've never gardened with it, because it's hard to find.
I should mention that the thimbleberry does have a couple of issues. It suckers quite a bit, so it needs to be planted in a spot where it is free to roam. Also, in deep shade, it doesn't bloom or berry much, at least not for me. I don't really mind because the foliage is nice, and I have it in an extremely difficult spot. -north side of the house, in a corner, covered by an eave and next to a gigantic pine tree!
In that same spot, I have Lamium galeobdolon, Yellow Archangel, as a groundcover. This plant can be super invasive, but the competition from the pine tree roots in this spot keeps it well behaved. Similarly, I have a lovely pink Japanese Anemone, 'Pamina', planted around the pine tree, and it is beautifully behaved there. -I have to keep a close eye on my Japanese Anemones in the front garden, where the soil is nice and loose, or they run around like mad things.
Lamium galeobdolon
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/1124/
Anemone 'Pamina'
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/99066/
Susan,
Can you send a photo? Sounds lovely, and I have several really shady areas to plant. Such a change from when I first moved here and there was hardly any shade. I'm with doss, I'm saving your list for spring ordering.
Thanks! : )
WIB!
SW
Hi SW,
Unfortunately, I don't have any photos; I am digitally challenged... This summer, when the anemones are blooming, I'll have the DH take some. I did think of another nice plant I have in that area. It gets a little more light, (early morning sun, followed by bright shade) but is still against the north-facing foundation of the house and has to deal with the pine tree roots.
Check out Dichroa febrifuga, False Hydrangea, Blue Evergreen Hydrangea. It blooms and produces metallic blue berries nearly year-round for me. It is closely related to Hydrangea, so the flowers will be blue or pink based on the acidity of the soil. You can ensure that they are blue by treating with aluminum sulfate, just as you would a hydrangea.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/54759/
