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Any summer bloomers for partial shade?

17 years ago

Hi,

I have a narrow strip that receives part sun after the trees leaf out. Full sun til then. The soil is very dry. I would like to plant a few summer flowering bulbs here, but cant think of any. Lots of spring flowering ones come to mind. Any ideas? Not sure if any lilies like part sun. Thank you!

Jen

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Comments (6)

shadeyplace
17 years ago
Lillies (orientals and Asiatic) will do well....also Hemerocallis.
ego45
17 years ago
Lilium speciosum could tolerate a great deal of shade
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L. pardalinum giganteum is also shade tolerant, but would need some moisture to prosper.
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I second the shrub idea. I have a similar situation. In my case, there is a large Hemlock and a large oak anchoring the space that are sucking the moisture out of soil which is not great to begin with. I've only been gardening on this property for a couple of years and the last two summers have been wet. Totally different story this year so I've had to rethink some of my previous choices. Besides Hydrangea paniculata, I'm having good luck with Wiegela and Physocarpus, both bloom earlier than you want but are tough and offer many choices in foliage color which IMO expands their season of interest beyond flowers. Going forward, I plan to experiment with grasses, and add some late blooming daylilies. Thanks for reminding me about Chelone. I've always had good luck growing C. lyonii Hot Lips in difficult sites and have plenty to divide.
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cranebill
17 years ago
I agree that the lily types mentioned will do beautifully. Given your specifications, the only other plant I can think of is Belamcanda chinensis - "Blackberry Lily" - which will tolerate part shade (it's an orange late summer bloomer). It's not so much the partial shade, but rather the dry conditions that are the more limiting factor. I'm assuming also that you're only looking for perennials that are hardy in Zone 5. If tender summer bulbs are not out of the question for you, you'd have more plants to choose from. If you wish, I can give you some suggestions there.

cranebill
tjsangel
Original Author
17 years ago
Yes, I am looking for hardy bulbs. Those lilies are gorgeous! I have to look into those. I've tried daylilies here and they just dont bloom well. Thanks for the suggestions everyone.

Jen
janet_grower
17 years ago
My Iris do well in partial shade, if you don't mind lifting in the fall Caladiums are gorgeous foliage plants should be available now, I just potted some newly bought ones last week. Although those aren't bulbs (tubers and corms) I thought you might be interested. Janet
jaceysgranny
17 years ago
Jen, there are several different types of daylilies and thousands of them. Some naturally don't have many blooms but some of them have scads of them. If you do your homework, you can ask on the daylily forum, and you prepare your beds right you shouldn't have a problem with the right ones. Also, there are rebloomers. Good luck with what you choose.

Nancy

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