Re: Elephant Ears. The elephant ears (Colocasia esculenta) that can be picked up in WalMart, Sam's Club, and the like will do fine in full Oklahoma Sun IF you water them constantly or keep them as a bog plant. Because of the huge surface area of their leaves, they transpire vast amounts of water into the atmosphere; so, to keep the plants "happy" you will have to provide plenty of water. I have found that trying to plant them in full sun without a drip system to be too much effort. They love dappled shade, however, and will thrive in it and require far less water. The borneo giants will give you leaves the size of volkswagons if you pamper them. In the wild they have leaves the size of Mack trucks. LOL.

If you are going to get fancy and try to grow a borneo giant then you had better provide dappled shade or the north side of the house. You won't get the huge size a borneo giant can provide, but you can supply adequate water for the plant to be a good specimen.

Alocasias, such as Alocasia x. calidora, will also do well here. I grew mine in pots the first year and they got huge. I overwintered them in a sunroom, and then gave them 1/2 day sun the following year and they got bigger still. This last winter I just put them in a glass greenhouse without heat. We'll see how they do, but so far they look fine, although they did die back.

I understand some people have them in Arkansas and keep them in the ground all winter with mulch. The bottom line with these plants is this: they can't get too much water in summer, and in the winter you need to keep them somewhat dry so they don't rot. Mulch them to protect from the cold.

Hostas are an art to themselves and you should look at the hosta threads and hosta societies online, which have wonderful information about them.

I have a neighbor who has ferns that have gone wild on the north side of her house. She has forgotten the names of them, but they get to about 3 1/2 to 4 feet tall in a season and die back each year.

One experiment I've tried on the north side of a stone wall I have is transplanting Iris pseudocanorus l. or "yellow flag iris". This plant is an invasive species in ponds and I have it trying to take over a small pond on my property. Every winter my pond (which is surrounded by a bamboo forest and shaded) dries up and I hire young people with broad backs and weak minds to dig this stuff up. Because I have a soggy area along a north stone wall that gets runoff, I've been planting some of it there, knowing that the full sun and dry soil nearby will contain it. This is a beautiful plant--long, cattail-like leaves about 3-4 feet high with breathtaking yellow blossoms that are slightly smaller than garden-variety iris....just don't let any seeds or rhizomes into your ponds, if you have them, because then its like the invasion of the body snatchers and watch out!

Also take a look at Astilboides tabularis, another plant that requires moisture. (My north side gets a lot of runoff). It is a great specimen plant and a conversation stopper. It has huge round leaves and is quite unique. Available from Heronswood nursery online--which is a subsidiary of Burpee.

Hope what little info I could provide has helped. If you want I can post some images that might help you get an idea of the shade I've been providing these plants.

Hostas and ferns will be okay on the north side against the foundation. I have Azaleas planted against my foundation on the north side, and Hostas actually in my Southern exposure, which has mature trees to the East, South, and West of me, so not a lot of direct sunlight, some filtered, and some pretty dark shade.

Another good shrub that gets large, but you can get smaller versions if you want, is Oakleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia). I recommend it to everyone in Oklahoma because it does so well here compared to other Hydrangeas. The leaves are very large, oakleaf shape as name indicates, huge conical white blooms in mid to late spring, that gently turn to a pink shade. The foliage turns red in the fall, and the winter branches are interesting, too, because they peel to a rusty red shade. It is pretty much an all around outstanding plant for Oklahoma. Doesn't require as much water as the other Hydrangeas either, once it is established. I planted it the first summer I lived in my house in 1999, and I have never regreted it. Some say it is slow to establish, but mine grew very quickly. Maybe because I purchased it in a 5-gallon container so it was pretty good size to begin with. It can grow to about 7' tall by 9' wide in fabulous conditions, but will generally run about 7' side and 5' tall.

You can place some medium size hostas in front of it, perhaps variegated to add some interest, and small hostas and ferns in front of them. Japanese Painted fern is very pretty. I grow a few Hostas, 'Sum and Substance' which is a monster and has lime green foliage with leaves up to 18-24" long. It can take more light than the Blue Hostas and variegated hostas. Anything with the bolder lime green colors can generally tolerate more light. I also have 'Blue Angel' which is also a monster with powdery blue foliage. The leaves aren't as big as S&S but the plant itself gets huge. Give this one a pretty shady place as with all blues. There are hundreds and hundreds of Hostas available. Check out Plant Delight Nursery which has a nice selection, just to give yourself an idea of different textures, sizes, and colors.

I don't really grow ferns except for the Holly fern which has done so well for me for about 10 years also. Doesn't need as much water. Hellebores, Epimediums, variegated Solomon's Seal, Jack in the Pulpits, Campanulas, Meadow Rues, Heucheras, Tiarellas, Toad Lilies, some Clematis, some lilies, will all do well in part shade.

The only problem with shade around a lot of homes is tree roots. Hard to dig and prepare soil - amend, amend, amend with compost, chicken or cow manure, etc. But, the roots will eventually grow back. The plants I've mentioned will likely co-exist just fine with some tree roots.

Your Elephant Ears will take some sun very nicely. More than a lot of folks think. They are Colocasias in the Aroid family. A better bet is Alocasias which look very similar but have a more upright habit, sold in many of the nurseries as Upright Elephant Ear. The foliage is a bit shinier, and they get every bit as big without needing as much water.

Generally speaking, in a southern exposure you will get more sun, in the West you will get a good amount of sun along with heat. The north and east sides offer more protection from our relentless summer suns. However, that can change with things such as how large your trees are, how much shade they cast, the closer you plant to your house will afford more shade.

Dawn suggests that you have your soil tested to see how much you need and what your soil needs, Consider mulching your plants, too. Fertilizers? I'm a lazy gardener so I use Espoma fertilizer products which you can just add at planting time or sprinkle on top in the spring. Some needs to be added monthly and some will last 2 or 3 months.

If you want to add some butterfly and hummingbird attracting plants, let me know,

What fun! You have pretty much a blank slate to work with. And.....welcome to the forum!

Susan

Here is a link that might be useful: Oakleaf Hydrangea

Susan:
I've been thinking of ordering some "Sum and Substance" hosta. Can it take moist soil or does it prefer something a bit dryer like that which is under oak trees?

Thanks everyone! I think I figured out where I'm going to put what... Thank you for all the suggestions. I made sure I took notes :)
Jennie