Planting Under Roof Overhangs In Shaed

Tolerating dry shade is not the same as thriving in it.

Planting under roof overhangs in shaed.

Rain snow and ice will damage any plant in that location sometimes terminally. Planting under evergreens is tough because there s little light and plants have to compete with roots for. It s going to remain as natural and rustic as practicable using native plants where they make sense. When planting under trees keep in mind that tree roots suck up much of the available water and give a fair amount of shade once the leaves fill in.

Even if other areas under the overhang receive partial sun for a few hours per day the back row is unlikely to get a significant. Meanwhile house eaves often shelter plants from rain and not in a good way. You could fill the area with river rock mulch bricks etc. A roof overhang can create a band of dry shade near the house.

Hi i d leave that area as an access trail for painting etc and either move plants or plant outside the eave perimeter. Notice how the trees and shrubs in this foundation planting are placed beyond the drip line of the overhanging eaves. Fixes for dry shady plantings. They are 24 plus gutters so about 30 deep.

One thing i didn t consider how dry it is under the roof overhangs. I ve noticed how dry it is under the eaves now that the gutters are up. I don t have much use for them but maybe aspidistra cast iron plant. Dry shade can even be found under plants.

At my house in the sandhills the roof overhang is about the only place that gets enough water to keep the above plants alive. Rain snow and ice will damage any plant in. But i don t think i have as much shade as it looks like you have. You could try them they all tolerate a lot of shade.

Design the back layer with plants tolerant of full shade. In addition to providing shade plants can assist cooling by transpiration. Planting directly under the drip line is asking for trouble. By moving out from under the overhang there will be much less maintenance work and the plants will love it.

Blocked shade is when a building roof overhang wall or fence keeps out sunlight. If you plant beneath an overhang be prepared to water these plants throughout the growing season. Note too that water cascading off a roof can damage plants below. A building or fence that blocks the wind may affect the rain direction in windy storms.