Plants for Shade

[3KillerBs]

I missed this one: https://www.willisorchards.com/product/gran-nain-banana-plant

I happened to be looking them up as a possibility for a place where we need a couple small, attractive trees.

 

[Boise-girls]

Oregon grape, possibly? Mahonia aquifolium - native to western U.S. from Canada to Mexico, evergreen.
Most of the others that spring to mind might need a colder winter than you have (e.g., lilacs, forsythia).

 

[Boise-girls]

A different look, but you might also consider vines on a structure of some sort. My run doesn't get tree shade till mid-to-late afternoon. A favored spot until then is a retired compost structure that's been overtaken by Virginia creeper. Lots of shade and nice, loose soil!

 

[Boise-girls]

While I didn’t have much experience in your zone, we did use a book we bought to choose 2 trees for our property. The book did shrubs snd trees for this area (not sure if it was Ohio specific), but it was extremely helpful bc one needed to be wind tolerant-really wind tolerant. The other needed to not have a huge root spread, and be on the larger side, etc (a few other site specifics). This book gave very good info on height, roots, spread, etc. also listed what trees/shrubs worked well in certain conditions (like wind, or heavy deer population etc). It was worth the cost to have in our hands and mull over options.

I’m sure you could begin with your library -they will have a section on plants/shrubs/gardens/landscape.

we chose Serviceberry for one location -I like serviceberry bc it has an attractive look all year-more of a bushy tree, but with small leaves. Not sure if that would do well in your zone. Can’t remember the other tree -but it’s a slower grower.

I love serviceberry, and the chickens love the berries!

 

[The Duck Dad]

I really, really did read a bunch of other posts for answers before posting this, but nothing seems to quite fit my situation.

I am building a near-chicken utopia on my property. They'll have about 1000 sq ft of chicken pasture in an area we cleared in our woods. But because it's been cleared, there are no shade trees for them, and it gets very hot here in the summer. The pasture will be covered with heavy-duty bird netting (because hawks).

I need to add shade, so I'm planning on adding shrubs and shade cloth in some areas, but I'd like small trees that can create a canopy if sorts as well as visual interest. But since the area will be covered, I need something that will stay relatively short - like 4-5 feet tall.

I thought about butterfly bush, but the ones I have now are about 8 ft tall and need constant cutting back. I'd prefer something a little lower maintenance, if at all possible. I'm leaning Mexican sage, but those can get tall, too. And something broad-leafed would be ideal. There's gotta be something out there. I'm just drawing blanks right now...

Any ideas? We're in hardiness zone 9a.

TIA

I like to use pumpkins for my ducks. they seem to like to take naps under the pumpkins and to like hide when there is a hawk or something in the sky

 

[Quatie]

Heavenly bamboo doesn't grow too tall. It is a nice plant that is easy to control. I just planted a viburnum (spring bouquet). It is not suppose to get super tall. Citrus trees can work too, but you will need to put blankets on them in the winter till they get big enough to keep themselves warm. Pineapple guava are a cool plant that grows fast and is pretty easy to keep small. Delicious fruit. Olive trees are also easy to keep shorter, and my ducks love the olives that fall from the trees. I also have a bay bush. Well a tree I have kept as a bush. A hedge trimmer once or twice a year will keep it small. You could do pomegranates, they grow pretty slow. Camelias also could work. You can make them trees or bushes. Lilac is another idea as well. Flowering quince are pretty as well. A magnolia tree would be another idea. I could just keep walking around my yard for lots ideas.

Lots of apple types will work in our area. I have several varieties, but they are a lot of work to prune every year. It would be able the same if you did a pear tree. Mulberry is a nightmare. I had one damage an old porch roof. Things grow like weeds.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Any grape in 9a would have to be a muscadine variety - I'm 8b, they do great here. Too warm for blueberries or jostaberries. Likewise on peaches and similar. I have no serviceberry experience - considered planting some, but my understanding is that it grows too tall for what the original poster is seeking.

Suggest looking into rosemary - yes the leaves are small, but its hardy, fast growing, drought tolerant yet can suffer the occasional flood. You will have to protect it initially, they can break fresh stems tripping over the plant - but in half a season or so, it should be woody enough, and thick enough, that they can bed down right next to it for shade. Given just a couple years and some marginal pruning, you could easily have a plant 4' tall and as much in diameter.

I have beauty berry and mulberry too - not a problem in my pasture, WAY to quick growing and ultimately too large for the space proposed.

The other thing you should consider is your chicken's diet - when whatever is in season, if you can't effectively harvest, will be dropping to the ground where your feathered dinosaurs will likely consume it. Treats are fine, but when it exceeds 10% (by weight) of the daily diet, there's a real risk of nutritional imbalance.

 

[Aunt Angus]

Fantastic ideas! I'll research all of your suggestions. THANK YOU! I can't wait to get this project underway. My chickens and ducks are not very tolerant of each other. More room, more stuff to do, and a better, more natural environment should help.

Viburnum is already on my list, as is blueberry, lavender, and sage (I have about a gazillion sage bushes here, so I know it will grow well). Pumpkin is a fabulous idea.

Apple, olive, and pineapple guava, too. Are great suggestions. Apple grow well here. And I'm not sure how I overlooked quince!

Been planning this for months. We're getting the perimeter fencing installed next month. I'll be sure yo plant when planting is appropriate, and we won't move the flock in until the grasses are established, at the very soonest.

Now I gotta go plan the duck pond! I'm going to need plant suggestions for that, too.... But that'll be later!

Love this site and the folks on it!

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Fantastic ideas! I'll research all of your suggestions. THANK YOU! I can't wait to get this project underway. My chickens and ducks are not very tolerant of each other. More room, more stuff to do, and a better, more natural environment should help.

Viburnum is already on my list, as is blueberry, lavender, and sage (I have about a gazillion sage bushes here, so I know it will grow well). Pumpkin is a fabulous idea.

Apple, olive, and pineapple guava, too. Are great suggestions. Apple grow well here. And I'm not sure how I overlooked quince!

Been planning this for months. We're getting the perimeter fencing installed next month. I'll be sure yo plant when planting is appropriate, and we won't move the flock in until the grasses are established, at the very soonest.

Now I gotta go plan the duck pond! I'm going to need plant suggestions for that, too.... But that'll be later!

Love this site and the folks on it!

Ducks??? I have ducks. Ducks are responsible for breaking most of my rosemary plants. They LOVE bedding down next to it. Unfortunately, they are even more ungainly than chickens, and kind of drunken fall into it, more often than not. Don't place it right up next to a fence, that's a favored bedding/nesting location, and will only encourage them - to the detriment of your rosemary.

My duck pond measures roughly 25' x 35' - and about 3' deep. Its quite green, I've been unable to establish any growing plants in it. The gallons to fill it are "substantial". Are you planning mechanical filtration, or a bog filter?

 

[Aunt Angus]

Any grape in 9a would have to be a muscadine variety - I'm 8b, they do great here. Too warm for blueberries or jostaberries. Likewise on peaches and similar. I have no serviceberry experience - considered planting some, but my understanding is that it grows too tall for what the original poster is seeking.

Suggest looking into rosemary - yes the leaves are small, but its hardy, fast growing, drought tolerant yet can suffer the occasional flood. You will have to protect it initially, they can break fresh stems tripping over the plant - but in half a season or so, it should be woody enough, and thick enough, that they can bed down right next to it for shade. Given just a couple years and some marginal pruning, you could easily have a plant 4' tall and as much in diameter.

I have beauty berry and mulberry too - not a problem in my pasture, WAY to quick growing and ultimately too large for the space proposed.

The other thing you should consider is your chicken's diet - when whatever is in season, if you can't effectively harvest, will be dropping to the ground where your feathered dinosaurs will likely consume it. Treats are fine, but when it exceeds 10% (by weight) of the daily diet, there's a real risk of nutritional imbalance.

Blueberry grows great here in the woods. There are some plants that grow well here that shouldn't in 9a. Strawberries, for example. They grow like weeds in our lawn - haha!

My flock are foragers, primarily. They aren't free range because they are fenced in, but their primary diet is whatever they find. They get pellets, fermented feed, and calcium, too. They start out eating that in the mornings and go back to the feeders right before turning in, but so far, the added things they find in the yard hasn't caused issues. I figure this is how they'd eat if living wild. I think it's a pretty good life.