Shade-Tolerant Evergreens for Acid Soil

Defining Shade

• Partial or filtered shade indicates two or three hours of shade per day on the plant. Light shade is defined as a garden area that receives dappled sun fifty percent of the time. Full-shade areas do not receive any direct sunlight but do receive some reflected sun. Heavy, dense, or deeply shaded areas do not receive direct sun or reflected sun.

Defining Acid Soil

• Soil acid and alkaline are measured in units of the pH factor scale from 0 to 14. Most plants grow and thrive in the 6.0 to 7.0 range. Acidity increases as the numbers decrease below 6. The differences affect how molecules interact in the soil. Excess acidity caused by continual use of high-nitrogen chemical fertilizers destroys the biological activity in soil. Natural acidity occurs in the Eastern United States and western soils are more typically alkaline.

Native Evergreens

• Monterey manzanita is a native shrub that tolerates semi-shade and thrives in slightly acid soil. Its bark is smooth reddish-brown and the evergreen leaves are light green. Bell-shaded light pink flowers bloom in summer followed by glossy bright red fall berries. Native evergreens are adapted to the local soil and rainfall conditions, requiring less maintenance than other types of plants.

More Evergreens

• English ivy, Japanese spurge, false cypress, Japanese holly and Oregon grape holly are evergreen plants for shady areas. Kinnikinnick, also known as red bearberry, is a native plant that typically grows in acid loving pine forested soil. It has thick, leathery, paddle-shaped evergreen leaves that change from yellow-green to reddish-purple throughout the year. Its bright red berries persist into the winter months.