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Trees & shrubs for shady areas

Sunlight is more intense in Colorado than in most other regions of the nation. Newer home developments here often need more shade to keep the homes cooler in the summer. In an older neighborhood, the situation may be reversed, with excessive shade from mature trees. Mature trees may cast dense shade, affecting the growth and appearance of sun-loving plants below them. Large trees, in addition to the shade they cast, compete with smaller plants for water and nutrients.

Shade can vary in degrees from part, filtered to dense shade. For example, part shade suggests that sunlight reaches the ground only part of the day. Filtered shade is some sunlight filtering through the foliage of a tree. Dense shade describes the shade under a large, heavily-leaved tree. Shade can also be categorized as dry or moist, depending on soil moisture and how often the area is watered.

Small trees that can be grown in dry shade include ginnala maple and hoptree. Trees that do well in moist shade are serviceberry and redbud. Shrubs for dry shade areas include buckthorn, privet and Japanese barberry; moist shade shrubs include redtwig dogwood, gray dogwood, viburnums and daphne.