Nick Maclaren writes

In article ,
K writes:
|
| Both are deciduous, so there will be light and water in spring. Even
| bluebells don't do well under evergreens, even when there is plenty of
| water.
|
| Both had good leaf cover before the lily of the valley appeared, so I'm
| not sure how valid the argument about light is. Water is likely to be
| the key factor.

Could well be, but they still wouldn't make dense shade - there is a
world of difference between the shade under such things and under, say,
solid holly or conifers.

I'd agree with you about the magnolia, but the willow is a relatively
dwarf one with incredibly dense foliage in many layers - it's certainly
denser shade than the nearby holly. I'd have thought it was comparable
to a juniper with a metre and a half clearance - that's if I've read
Janet's post correctly.


--
Kay