I have a whole list of yellow flowers for you, but I've forgotten when many of them bloom. I'm sure most of them will love your sandy soil. They should all be hardy in zone 6. Some of these are specific plant species, while others are specific cultivars. They all bloom yellow though and I plan to acquire them sometime in the future if I don't already have them! -Verbascum nigrum -Gentiana lutea -Lysimachia punctata -Solidago (goldenrod; most species and cultivars yellow) -Berlandiera lyrata (smells like chocolate!) -Echinacea paradoxa (there are also many cultivars, like 'sombrero yellow' for instance) -Aurinia saxatilis -Achillea (yarrow; most species and cultivars) -Coreopsis (most species and cultivars) -Kirengeshoma palmata (needs lots of shade) -Hollyhock "Chater's Double yellow" (technically a biennial but reseeds like a perennial) -Helianthus multiflorus 'Flore pleno' -Heliopsis helianthoides -Frittilaria imperialis 'Lutea' (also available in orange) -Ligularia (most species and cultivars; needs lots of shade) -Penstemon pinnifolius 'Mersea Yellow' -Thalictrum Flavum 'Glaucum' -Daylily 'Stella D'Oro' (I'm sure there are other yellow cultivars but can't think of them at the moment) I'm sure there are many more that I'm forgetting but this is what I can think of at the moment. I actually didn't mind researching this for you. I was meaning to compile a list of yellow perennials for myself anyways. Hope this helped you out. P.S.-How is your aglaia odorata doing (you grow this, correct?)?? I got one last year but it has unfortunately died (left it outside for ONE night below freezing by mistake, and that was all it took...).

'shade' means little ... on words alone bright shade.. cave ... very bright.. etc ... its hard to be definitive.. w/o being able to understand such ... i have some full sun plants.. in near all day shade.. from 60 foot trees.. but there is clear blue sky above.. apparently.. they get enough light.. that said.. the bigger the flower.. usually means.. the more energy they need.. and as light declines.. its ability to make a lot of large flowers starts to falter.. i guess when it all boils down.. you are just going to have to try things.. also... for most of the growing season.. 4 to 9 or 10 pm.. is a heck of a lot of sun ... presuming that is what you meant ... when 8 hours is usually considered full sun ... there isnt really much that will out and out die ... its all about vigor and performance.. and if something struggles.. you move it to more light ... if you have it ... i am sure our friends will come up with many specific suggestions ... and also keep in mind that a lot of the 'shade' plants are just shade tolerant ... and can take a lot of sun.. usually based on how well they are watered.. its all about whether the plant has enough water.. to offset increased sun.. e.g. hosta... its when they transpire more water than they are able to process .... that they start getting real ugly ... ken

Lavender is also a great blooming medicinal, though I have trouble keeping them looking like a neat mound. The Spanish lavender in particular has nice flowers. California poppy will reseed here and come back year after year. Fennel, anise, and dill are annuals but liked by butterflies. Lovage is a perennial or biennial. If you have room for vines you can plant the runner bean, which has red flowers that attract hummingbirds, and beans that can be eaten as snaps when young or as shellies when mature. Some perennial medicinal vines include Schizandra chinese, Polygonum multiflorum (Fo Ti or Ho Shu Wu), and Hops, Humulus. Tough perennials- Lady's Mantle, Alchemilla, will reseed freely, very freely, and can be used as a tea, as can Achillea millefolium (yarrow). The PNW has lots of "weed" medicinals too, like Self-heal, Prunella, which has been developed into named varieties; Cleavers; Ribwort Plantain; Stinging Nettle; Red Clover; even the lowly dandelion. Of course they grow and multiply like weeds.:-) Here is a link I googled, in Seattle. Here is a link that might be useful: Butterfly herb garden

I'm new to this forum and am so glad that I ran into it - what fun and laughter just reading on 'Venting on squirrels', 'sudden demise of loved perennials due to voles', 'Why Blue' etc. etc, tee hee hee! This time I do need help and since this is a fairly recent vine forum thread, someone might come to my rescue. My Nikko Hydrangea - a gift on Mom's Day 1990 from my 3 kids, planted on the east side, close to our house for better protection, has lost the dappled shade that she depended on, when we had to take down a 25y/o problem Locust tree. Like a nut I enslaved myself covering Nikko, first with a bedsheet then (by end of May ... tired of baby sitting) I purchased a roll of plant shading fabric and long bamboo sticks and temporarity made her a tent, until I could figure out whether to move her to a shady place ... the thought of digging a 16y/o Nikko scares me! By the end of June the makeshift tent bugged me, so I got an arbor for her (just one of those Home Depot ones), not wide enough to prevent her pathetic afternoon collapses, we threw the shading fabric over the arbor ... again just for now. I thought of Clematis or Sweet Pea, since I have experience with them but perhaps with your suggestions and experiences with Silver Lace and Mandevilla or a Climbing Hydra (arbor is not too sturdy) ... will greatly appreciate your thoughts! Ditas Z5 Midwest.