skip to main content

Northwestern Gardening

Full sun, but someday shade! Are there plants that can do both?

13 years ago

My husband and I just cleared a large triangular area of grass and planted a Japanese Maple in the center (just plain old Acer Palmatum). It's probably only about 5 feet tall right now and pretty spindly. The area gets full sun now, but obviously won't forever. What are some things I can plant that can take the sun now but can someday take shade? I'd love to hear some ideas!

Thanks, Eileen

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (4)

pepperdude
13 years ago
Well, first things first I guess. You need plants that will take full sun for any number of years until the maple grows. They don't usually cast dense shade even when large so look for plants that will take full sun (now) to part shade (eventually) and you should have your bases covered. Most plant books and labels will give you this basic info.

Just avoid full shade plants and you should be fine.
PRO
George Three LLC
13 years ago
planting a tree is an investment in time. are you gonna be living with that tree in 5-10 years? for most people, the answer is no. the big shady adult japanese maple is probably not yours.

enjoy your gawky tree as is.

just plant full sun stuff that looks good and move it later. (make sure the plants are cool with getting moved around)

or.... SWORD FERN...
Related Discussions
need help with flowerbed (full shade/full sun)
Q
Comments (2)
If he enjoys planting annuals, why not get him a book on annuals that will discuss things like the conditions that the plants most enjoy, and show him luscious pictures of others he can fall in love with? Or take him shopping for annuals somewhere where they carry something other than impatiens? Get him the Thompson and Morgan catalogue (or American equivalent)? KarinL
...See More
North garden w/ AM shade, PM sun: full sun or partial shade?
Q
Comments (8)
I think you would be fine with hydrangeas there. If salvias are too floppy, try some veronicas or agastaches. You might even be able to grow baptista (false indigo). I have a similar exposure in my zone 5 Iowa yard. Trees along one side, and then it slopes too, so it is a bit of an odd long bed. It used to be grass and mostly invasive Asian honesuckle shrubs. I have only been gardening at this house for 1 1/2 years, so I am still experimenting; plus I am new to this zone and previously lived in zone 9. I first considered this area part shade and planted accordingly. Now I see there are pockets of more and less sun. In this area the plants doing best are: Hostas--This surprised me, but I see them in full sun around town now that I have started looking. Not sure if it is the same for zone 6. Foam flower--this looks GREAT right now with tidy foliage and is still blooming. I had some red tulips behind the foam flower and they looked lovely. Columbines--flowering nicely with airy foliage. Agastache--the one I have has short white flowers, but blues are common I think. Overwintered and re-sowed abundantly. My soil drains well so may be why they like it there. Garden phlox--were small plants last year from Bluestone spring sale. SO far they are growing nicely but will see if they flop. Today the whole area seemed to be in so much sun! Daylillies--will see how they do this year Foxglove--sowed last summer, getting ready to bloom, seems to be good for them in this spot. Monarda, bloomed last summer and no flopping. Soloman's seal--in a shadier pocket, but still gets some afternoon sun. Doing really well right now. helleborus--one little helleborus which has been doing great so far this spring, to my surprise. When I realized how sunny the spot was, I thought I'd move this little plant, but it is doign well. Toad lily--these are growing nicely and had attractive late flowers last year. Lobelia--there are some nice blue lobelias available. low growing veronicas--doing very well and blooming profusely. Happy planting. :)
...See More
This bed gets full sun AND full shade
Q
Comments (6)
There are quite a few plants that will tolerate sun OR shade, such as Heuchera and Columbine, which should work out just fine. I have both of these in full sun, but lots of people grow these in the shade. I would think anything that says it does better if shaded from hot afternoon sun, would do well there, such as Astilbe, Lychnis, Lobelia, and some types of Euphorbia. Because the time of year that they will be receiving full sun is early in the year, when the sun is not as strong, they should be fine. I'm sure there are many other things that would work there, these are just the ones I could think of off the top of my head. Hope this helps, Bonnie
...See More
plants in less sunlight doing better than plants in full sun.
Q
Comments (10)
I don't agree with blanket statements that more sun is always better. While this might be true in places with high humidity and lower elevations, here in the hot arid SW at 5000 feet, there is such a thing as too much sun, and plants which receive a few hours of shade/partial shade always produce better and are less stressed. Plants here that receive 12 hours of direct sunlight will develop a blasted look in the summer where the color is more grayish-green than lush green. The lower leaves get leathery faster than shaded plants, and the leaves rarely provide a flattened surface to the sun, no matter how carefully you maintain moisture levels. At a certain point here, sun ceases to be a critical component and becomes a stress factor. Plants grown in buckets in these conditions do even worse. They dry out very quickly, and the buckets can get extremely hot when placed on surfaces like concrete, brick, or stone. To help, you can put a layer of mulch in the bucket to help retain moisture, and if your ground temperatures are high, you can place the bucket higher up on some type of stand. Regarding your plants, yellow pear does have thinner, more sharply jagged leaves. It's typical of that variety. Under the right conditions, they can become obscenely large. Since you only have one plant to compare, it might not actually be the conditions that are unfavorable, but it could be the individual plant itself. When you transplanted the yellow pear, was it still in any type of peat container?
...See More
hemnancy
13 years ago
Plants that take full sun to part shade are abundant, so you could select by color scheme or height. I have a couple of very small Japanese Maples, one with red foliage and one that goes from red to amber- Purple Ghost and Amber Ghost. I planted Heucheras of various colors- Peach Melba, Crimson Curls, Midnight Rose, and green ones I started from seed, around them to do some color echo. Heucheras like shade more than sun but it is east of my house so they don't get strong afternoon sun. I think the newer ones are better in the sun, too. I really like the colors matching the maple leaf colors at various times.
jennie
13 years ago
Heuchera's are a good suggestion, I found mine don't really like a lot of shade; and they don't tend to get eaten by the slugs. Mine're ruffly though, so smoother ones might be tastier? Don't know. In deeper shade mine made like little palm trees, growing up and up. Not attractive. I put them in sun and they're happy little ground covers, they only get a couple hours shade a day and are happy.

If you don't mind flowers, I'd try some annuals there too or lupins perhaps. For a greener look, salal or the low oregon grape are nice; I find both grow pretty well in sun or shade.

I have some little maples with hardy geraniums under them, I particularly like the geranium I got at a plant swap a while ago and which I've forgotten the name of, it has pretty lacy dark red leaves. The maple has varigated red and cream leaves and they just look nice together I think.
Another one has pulmonaria under it, but while pretty in bloom, it gets a bit ratty later on.

Related Stories

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Axminster Gold Comfrey for Sun or Shade

Plant this perennial for bold color that will light up shady spots, sparkle in the sun and add interest from spring until fall

GARDENING FOR BUTTERFLIES Great Design Plant: Columbine Grows Happily in Shade and Sun

By Paintbox Garden

Its ethereal beauty comes from complex forms and wide-ranging colors, but columbine’s benefits are highly attractive too

GARDENING GUIDES Packera Aurea Puts On a Springtime Show in Sun or Shade

By Curtis Adams

This vigorous native ground cover welcomes bees with its early-blooming flowers and makes an attractive lawn alternative

GARDENING GUIDES 10 Drought-Tolerant Shrubs That Thrive in Full Sun and Reflected Heat

By Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

Got a hot spot in your garden where plants often die? Try these tough shrubs that add beauty while shrugging off the heat

BLUE AND GRAY FOLIAGE 6 Stunning Silver-Leaf Plants

Bring luster to your garden with these shining examples of silver plants for both sun and shade

LANDSCAPE DESIGN Great Design Plant: Retreat to the Shade of Hardy Catalpa

By Jocelyn H. Chilvers

Big foliage and a towering height provide a shady respite in summer, but that's not all hardy catalpa offers dedicated gardeners

ARCHITECTURE Shade in Summer, Sun in Winter

Louvered sunshades filter light when it's hot, let it in when it's not

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Thalictrum Dioicum Thrives in Dry Shade

By Pollination Press LLC

Plant early meadow-rue in eastern U.S. woodland gardens for its tolerance of dry sites and shade

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Solidago Flexicaulis Colors the Fall Shade Garden

By Pollination Press LLC

Plant zigzag goldenrod in eastern U.S. gardens for its bright yellow flowers and tolerance of a broad range of conditions

LANDSCAPE DESIGN Great Design Plant: Sun-Loving Bougainvillea Showers Yards With Color

By Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

Bring unbeatable vibrancy to a garden or wall with this unfussy and trainable shrub packed with colorful bracts

Sponsored

8 Reviews

Custom Kitchen & Bath Designs for Everyday Living in Springfield, VA

More Discussions

What kind of animal lives here?

4

Pistacia x (atlantica x integerrima) 'Red Push'

4

What's wrong with this Dogwood?

20

Microclover lawn...

1

Bare root hostas

2