Your suggestions may not perform to their best without full sun. I'd suggest looking for plants that do best in morning sun and afternoon shade. Is the planting area dry, average or wet? What type of soil do you have?

In mid summer, should get atleast 6 hours of sun in that spot. The soil is more clay but is raised bed so (I think) has good drainage. Is not dry, I would say average but I do have sprinklers covering that area so obviously that can be controlled.

6 hours of sun is on the cusp of partial sun and full sun, so try your luck and see what happens.. The raised bed means the soil is likely in a perfect condition or can be made that way, and water can be controlled, as you say. Your 18" boxwood hedge would push me toward plants that reach 24" at minimum, but preferably taller.

Certainly the bluebird aster is tall enough to be seen very quickly. Stoke's aster such as Peachie's Pink only grows 20", which I would put as a marginal height for your space.

Also, since your hedge in front is a solid green and you are looking for fall flowers, why not go with some colored foliage to make things interesting? How about Sedum "Matrona" for it's burgundy foliage? You might also look for something in the plan to extend blooming from late summer into fall, so you don't have to wait completely until fall for a flower? How about Monarda "Jacob Kline" or "Violet Queen"? These will spread nicely but be controlled in a raised bed. Echinacea "Fatal Attraction" has black stems for early season interest.

These are all easy to grow for a new gardener.

Sedum matrona is not a bad idea since it seems to "stand up" as compared to other sedum. The boxwood hedge is only a foot high so the plants need to be atleast 18 inches high. I picked the aster bluebird since it seems to be more erect than the other asters. The plants will be next to summer bloomers so thats ok. Main concern is that they don't overwhelm the space within one season and appear somewhat tidy. Thanks for the ideas.

I have had bad mildew problems with bee balm so am a little wary of them.

My favorite fall bloomer is helianthus angustifolius 'First Light'. It grows to about 48" and is LOADED with blooms that last a long time. Matures quickly, but doesn't seed around. You can easily divide it in a few years to make more plants.

It is rated for zone 5-9 and I'm in zone 7. It starts blooming for me in August and lasts through September.

The photo is from my garden on Sept 23, 2008.

Cameron

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Wow, I've been drooling over pics of Helianthus on the web. But I get the impression that it can get quite large and might look out of place in my small garden. Any dwarf versions of this?

Cameron, love that bright yellow. Any experience with Echinacea Maui Sunshine? I'm looking for a bright solid yellow that blooms late and withstands drought.

Would you consider something like a 'Fairy' Rose? Mine bloom from June until into November most years. A single plant would fill the whole space and you could cut it to keep it in bounds if necessary. There would be no variety though.

I grow both Aster 'Bluebird' and Chrys. 'Mary Stoker' in a part shade situation, and can't say for sure if they bloom at exactly the same time here. I believe that 'Mary S.' blooms a bit earlier than 'Bluebird'. I pinch back the chrys. but not the aster, so 'Mary S. blooms at only 18" or so for me. It's not floppy but it's a leaner, at least in part shade. The aster is more upright,but it may lean as well if too shaded. The aster is strictly a clumper, but the chrys. spreads outwards slowly into a "patch" rather than a clump. Sedum spectabile is a much neater plant, but in my mind, a more boring one. It depends on what plants you like and what general effect you are trying to create.

Looking basically for two fall blooming plants with colors that go well together to throw into the middle of my summer bloomers. Since I have limited space, the aster being a clumper is nice. The sedum being shorter would go nicely in front of it but I'm open to suggestions.

How tall does your aster bluebird get in part shade? Wouldn't happen to have a picture lying around would you?

I don't have e. Maui Sunshine. I have rabbits, so I am backing off of the echinacea and only keep enough where I can protect the plants when emerging.

There are many improvements on the domesticated helianthus for a shorter stature. The one in my photo tops out at 48" (or less, if the deer pinch it back for me early on).

It is deer tolerant, rather than deer resistant. They will nibble, but not enough to destroy the plant, all the blooms, or my enjoyment of it. The foliage is also nice before the blooms pop.

Pair helianthus 'First Light' with salvia guaranitica 'Black & Blue' -- trust me! :-)

Cameron

I like japanese anemones with sedum, especially the white Honorine Jobert. It does spread, but it's to pull out wandering bits.

The aster 'bluebird' would also look great with the 'First Light." I'm adding a link to a picture on a commercial website (LazyS's farm). Don't know anything about it, but the picture of the combination is lovely.

Here is a link that might be useful: bluebird with first light

Wow, cyn427, great post with the pictures - all the plants we've been discussing. Substitute Matrona for Autumn Joy in the middle picture, and voila!

Great choice of pics! More and more tempted by Helianthus. I could always pinch back the tall version.
There is a dwarf version I found on the web Helianthus salicifolius "Low down". Some sites says it gets 18 inches, others say a foot tall with a two foot spread. Might be a better fit for me.

http://www.northcreeknurseries.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/plants.plantDetail/plant_id/467/index.htm

gotta love google, pinballer!

Cynthia

Another dwarf helianthus: table mountain, has the flowers on a flat top. About the same size as "low down" although some sites have it listed at 16-18 inches as opposed to "low down" which is generally listed as 1 ft ht.

Think I will end up pairing one of these with the aster bluebird. Would love to hear from anyone who has grown these.

Thanks for all the great ideas guys.

Here is a link that might be useful: Helianthus table mountain

Random question:

How well do you think Salvia East Friesland would do in part shade?