Nandina domestica (holy bamboo) - lovely plant, not really a bamboo, three-season interest, grows very well in PNW.

Fargesia nitida (purple fountain bamboo)- really a bamboo, clumping, loves shade, hardy to -20 (or was it -40 F?), favorite food of giant pandas (and my cat :)

Ribes sanguineum (red-flowering currant) and Acer circinatum (vine maple) both very nice PNW natives, but might get too big for what you want.

That's a start, anyway :)

- Evelyn

Carol ann,
Have you considered Camellia japonica?
With 3,000 cultivars to choose from, I'm
sure you will find something surprisingly
suitable for your soil and your taste.

Hi Carol

Evelyn and Mike made excellent sugestions.
mahonia , acuba, peirce japonica , mautain laurel. rhododerdoron, azalea. hydorengia, kerria japonica, fatasia japonica.paeony.gardania etc. those are just portion of list of shurbs you can choose from ........... Mike

I had a fatsia japonica in my front yard.
I never watered it, but it thrived!
I did not know it was a Japanese plant.
It has not been watered once for a whole year,
because I don't go in the front yard much,
so a very low maintenance... especially for a
semi-arid region here.

The bamboo... I water every other day.
There's some spectacular camellias...
perhaps your library carries:
"The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Camellias"
or click below for a huge camellia site.

Here is a link that might be useful: Website with 1,003 camellia photos

Hi Mike
Thank you for beautifull photos/website.
Many name of places in the web site remind me many things. Atsugi city is where my cousin lives. I drove though Atusgi city countless time in my early 20's and late teens.

Enoshima: I dateed with my high school sweet heart. we went to beach of Enoshima one night ,( Enoshima is next to kamakura city.) That night I send her back to home 1:30 am and her Father was standind at door in red face , I had to leave without one word.

Jindaiji .: Jindaiji is name of old temple. it is about one hour and half from my parents home by bus and train. I went to Jindaiji 4 th grade field trip

Ofuna botanical garden: I visited the garden many times in my early 20's

Saitama botanical garden : this is in metro Tokyo area. Around Saitam botanical garden, there are many top Japanese bonsai nurseries, large mail order nuseries, specialty nuseries located this area. I have few friends in nusery trade over there. If you have chance to visit to Japan and want to see many plants in shortest time, this is where you should visit to .
Head quater of Ameriacn camera soceity. Fort vally , Ga :
about 120 mile south of where I live now. I have visited recently. The garden has samll Japanese garden. last year members of ameriacn bamboo society helped clean up bamboo groove and I was there too and made new a friend.

Flowers are very beautifull and I should not write about those places where I had my memory.
Thank you. mike................................ mike

Enkianthus, either campanulatus or perulatus are garden plants of Japan, and while they are more in the 6-8' x 4-6' range they are very vertical and prune like a dream. Not terribly quick growing so you should be able to keep them to size very easily...

8)

Scott

How about Ostrich Fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris)?

Shade to dappled shade, to 6' in areas with good rich soil and lots of moisture (but I believe it will take a PNW summer), shaped "like a shuttlecock."

- Evelyn

Berberis julianae would fit your needs. Also, I have used the deciduous Cornus mas is such situations. It take the Japanese-type pruning well and its form is most attractive in winter with maturity.

Yama-san: Interesting comment about your memory of Enoshima. I've been there, too...but with 19 adolescents in tow. Awesome place. We climbed up the mountain, spent time on the rock-beach, and watched for dolphins from a fishing boat, looking back at Enoshima. My memory of the "shade plants" is mostly of the wonderful gaku ajisai--"frame" hydrangea that were in full bloom on that June day.

Please tell us more about Saitama. Bonsai is my special interest. I am hoping to get back to Japan in the next year or so, and seeking out bonsai displays (and nurseries) will be a priority. Any leads will be appreciated!

Hi

Scott:
I knew something missing. you made very good sugestion. enkianthous flower is very prety, In fall leave turn to redish color and it is beautifull. In winetr, tip of branchs show flower buds. she/ Carol may not able to find at home depo, but well worth to find it.

Gardner :
I forgot to tell, Enoshima has aquarium . I can not remember what grade I was,( may be 4th or 5th Grade .) I had field trip to Enoshima aquarium also my father took whole familly to the aqurium.
after my kimchi breath are gone, I should give mikee big hug. ;):) :),

Saitama mihon Shokubutus en/ Saitama sample Botanical garden. whole nusery industry and local goverment put resourece togather and showing What Saitama offer to whole sale buyer ,home owners, hobiest.
Omiya city is famus for Bonsai. Kawaguchi city, Angyoy city
area is mecca of nusery trade , and also has many bosai nurseies. Saitama chapter of Japan nusery association is most active chapter of the the trade association.
If you need more information about nusery trade, Ask to
JETRO / Japan external trade association. it is free service. If you have trouble to find JETRO send me E mail.

Our land is about 1/24 th of USA . 70 % of land are moutain. we have about half of USA population, and we have 3~4 time more nueries than USA. Of course it is much samller than Us nuseries. Many of nuseris are specialized one kind of plant or Bonsai.

about berbery:
berbery take more time to clean, becourse of sharp spine and may have to pune more offten than other plants.
you have to tough skin or have to have thick leather gloves
. If you have only one or two plants, then it is not so bad.
growing under some shade, berbery may not develope to dence, compact form . it may grow a little bit leggy and may not have nice fall color.

Thank you mikee......... you made my day !.......mike

Thank you, everyone, for so many suggestions! I'm new to the NW so many of the plants listed are new to me as well -- I'm having a lot of fun looking them up and learning about them and mulling over my decision. I look forward to visiting the many wonderful nurseries here (Portland area) to see some of the plants in person!

Thank you, Mike, for sharing your memories, and thank you again, everyone, for all your help.

Carol Ann

Carol Ann,
Have you look into the camellias?
They are really more amazing than photos can show.
Another one... I'm considering is flowering quince.

Mike, I'm glad you enjoyed website.
Thanks for recommending David Engel's book.
I'm finally finding time to read it and it's very good!
Did you ever find a copy of it?

michael

Hi, Michael!

I've always wondered about flowering quince: they have nice flowers and great-looking branches, but do all of them have big, sharp thorns?
(And why don't most plant reference books tell you whether a thing has thorns or not?)

- Evelyn

(I can hardly wait until I need a plant to discourage intruders somewhere: then I'll be all over flowering quince! Er, wait, maybe I should re-phrase that... :)

Hi Mike
kind funny feeing to call mike :):):)
I enjoy camelea web site.
book of David Engel : SC Bonsai / John gave me the book as gift . what luky guy I am !. now I don't have to visit liburay
I can read it when I want to .I don't go fishing nor hunting , I like to read book and listen good music. I tresure time . time to read good books.
I have visited my friend who collect plants from china and Japan. I saw nice photos of Boke/ quence . I am going to get information from him and after I get it , I will post it for retune for your camelea site . you never saw it . It is so beautifull.

Gorfram.. I'm discovery many cultivars.
Some have less thorns than others.
There is one I know with no thorns:
Chaenomeles 'Cameo' used for bonsai.
Double salmon pink flowers, prolific bloom.

Hi Mike..
The book you recommended on the best book post
was "Japanese gardens for today".... I thought
you were looking for that one. I think my library
is getting some other of his books.

Hi mikee

This is beautifull flowering quince site. It is for you to enjoy. I enjoyed Camerias and many name of places show on website. It reminded me my youth time . ......mike

Here is a link that might be useful: Boke / flowering quince

Thanks Mike, I loved all the wonderful photos. Quince are nice because they flower on the old growth, so when you prune it brings the flowers front and center. I visited the new owners of the building I sold. The quince I planted years ago was flowering this fall. An early surprise for me, kind of like the bush was saying good-bye to me. I will miss seeing it's beauty every Spring.

Cheers June

Hi June
Boke is easy to start from cuttings, next spring you ask for cuutings or rooted sucker,or buy new one you like, Bulding gave you enought money to buy few extra plants :) :)

mike

Hi June
sorry , Building ,not bulding ;) ;) ;)......... mike

As pretty as Japanese Quince is when it blooms, it has a few drawbacks in my view. It suckers profusely and has the branching pattern of a pile of brush on end. Fall color is 'iffy' at best. An established one can be very hard to dig because of the extensive root system. I had a hard time digging a very large one with a bulldozer once.

However, if it suits you and your garden, go ahead and plant it. Quince is one of those plants I appreciate very much when they are in bloom in early spring in other people's gardens.

Because quince suckers so profusely, June should have no difficulty getting a cutting to grow into a new bush at her new home. :)

I am interested in planting gardenia (August Beauty). Everything that I read makes me wonder if I am having a senile moment but I think, the fragrance would be worth the trouble. Any suggestion would be helpful IE location, light, soil. My house is in North Carolina but we are only 10 minutes from the Virginia line and about an hour from Richmond, VA. Thanks, Jen

Here are some plants that might fit the bill:

-- Nandina domestica. Nice upright form, winter berries, bamboo-like form, evergreen.
-- Northern Sea Oats. Upright grass that grows well in shade.
-- Oregon Grape or Holly. Form similar to nandina, holly-like leaves, blue berries in winter.
-- Some of the smaller Japanese maples, such as the theadleaf varieties (eg, Koto-no-ito, Villa taranto) that grow more upright than wide.
-- Pleiblastus bamboo (can't remember the full botanical name), beautiful green and yellow variegated foliage, can grow in shade or sun, need to control the roots.

If you think about some perennials too, even between or behind shrubs SOLOMON'S SEAL, POLYGONATUM is very good in shade, nice texture, small white flovers in early spring on. Mine is 3' tall.

Fargesia nitida 'Eisenach' is a nice bamboo for shade and it is clumping. Most of the Fargesia are good in the shade.
Paul