Plants for Shade

[PrimroseMom1]

Dwarf bananas?

I don't know much about planting for your zone, but until you do get your plants grown up you could put up some cheap picnic pavilions. End of season sales should be coming up soon what with the tendency of stores to start stocking up fall and winter things in mid summer.

That’s a good solution. I used one for years until a hurricane came through. Then I built a permanent one out of 4 porch posts someone threw out. Four posts and a roof, basically. I made a structure before putting the roof on.

 

[PrimroseMom1]

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.

Chickens shouldn’t eat citrus so I would check out which fruits or leaves could be poisonous to chickens first because sooner or later they’ll eat what falls from it. Apple seeds are poisonous.

 

[3KillerBs]

Apple seeds are poisonous.

They'd have to eat an awful lot of them at once.

 

[Shayne B]

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

 

[Shayne B]

Sunflowers planted in large clumps. I have wild KS sunflowers plus sunflowers sprouted from Cardinal food and some actual large sunflowers. They don't require much water, they grow sturdy and tall and throw great shade, plus in the fall your birds will eat them and the fallen seed will sprout next year.

 

[The Duck Dad]

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

and if you don't want the big pumpkin part, you can just cut them off. the pumpkins

 

[dables1]

You will be limited by the shade. Trees do not grow well in shade always stretching to get the suns rays. Many have suggested dwarf trees but dwarf trees have shorter lives than regular size ones. Best to get a normal tree young and when planted trim it back to about knee high just above a bud. It will branch out from there and remain strong and long living. Keep pruning it back t keep it short.

 

[3KillerBs]

and if you don't want the big pumpkin part, you can just cut them off. the pumpkins

Not want pumpkins?

*does not compute*

 

[The Duck Dad]

Not want pumpkins?

*does not compute*

yeah, if the pumpkin the fruit part is too big and you just don't want them, you can just cut them off

 

[3KillerBs]

yeah, if the pumpkin the fruit part is too big and you just don't want them, you can just cut them off

I just can't imagine not wanting a pumpkin.