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Oklahoma Gardening

Best Flowers ---2 hot afternoon hours of sunlight

15 years ago

Hi. PLEASE help. I have a strip of garden in front of a hedge that gets shade all day until 2 hours of sun from 2:30 to 4:30. I've tried SO many things there in the last 3 years..Some things wilt, some thing don't flower well. It's my biggest gardening puzzle. Suggestions MOST welcome. Who has had simlar conditions with success? Thanks! Mike (OKC)

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Comments (2)

Okiedawn OK Zone 7
15 years ago
Mike,

Can you tell me what kind of flowers you've already tried there? If I can see what kind of flowers have NOT grown well there, that will be a clue to help me recommend some that probably could grow well AND flower there.

In my yard, I have four o'clocks in similar conditions and they grow and bloom like crazy. However, unless your shrubs in the hedge are very large, 4 o'clocks might get too big. My 4 0'clocks in full sun get about 4 feet tall, but the ones that are mostly in shade get 5 to 6 feet tall. However, they do bloom well in either location.

Also, are you specifically wanting annuals, perennials, or flowering shrubs?

Dawn
susanlynne48
15 years ago
Also, is it total shade, filtered sun, or partial sun?

I have a shady back yard that gets 2 hours of sun during different times of day. I have some asiatic lilies planted that get two hours of sun and they do fine. Some of your lemon lime colored hostas (Sum & Substance) would do fine with that amount of sun, too. But, it gets really big - 6' across and 4' high. Leaves are between 1'-2' long and wide. All perennials.

Campanulas would probably do all right, too. Agastache foeniculum should be fine there as well. Might get a bit leggy, but it will bloom fine and attract the honeybees that we need so badly right now. These are perennial and reseeding plants.

Hydrangeas (the dwarf varieties) can probably take that amount of sun, too. But think about the name - hydra - which means water, and they like a lot of it. Perennial

Some salvias will also do okay. My 'Black & Blue' salvia does just great with a small amount of sun during the day. It's a gorgeous plant, too! It is perennial here.

My coneflowers do okay too with just a little bit of sun. There are so many beautiful cultivars out there now as well. Perennial

Clematis can take a lot of shade as well. They would be pretty climbing up thru your hedge. But they need their feet to be shaded, so mulch them well. Some varieties need more sun than others, so do you research on them.

Holly ferns would grow fine - they can take a bit more sun than other ferns, and they are so pretty. No flowers, but the foliage is a bright shiny green. You can get them reasonably cheap at Home Depot or Lowe's.

Susan
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