Peggy, I know exactly what you mean. My house faces north-northeast and it gets a lot of sun at times. I think what you've got would be well described as part shade. Full sun is usually considered to be 6 or more hours of midday sun.

You will find, if you keep track, that your area there gets several hours of sun in June, and much less in August. Which is a bit of a blessing for us up north, that we get those extra hours of "northern" sun in the mornings and evenings.

What I have planted against the north side are a Philadelphus (mock orange), a Bridal Wreath Spirea, and (until last year) a Nanking Cherry. The Cherry died of non-sun related causes and it did well up until then. I found several seedlings growing back in the same place this spring from dropped seeds so I hope it will be back to normal in a couple of years.

Hope this helps you out. Most shrubs that are listed as "full sun or part shade" will probably be ok for you.

Thanks, Northspruce. Yes, I usually try to track the shade in May, June, and July, but forget all about it in August!

I did think about Bridal Wreath Spirea, but wasn't sure it would do well. It's good to know that it probably will. Thanks!

Hope your Nanking Cherry comes back for you.
Peggy

The part shade/full sun thing can get confusing because it's not an exact science. To further complicate matters, there are different types of shade as well. For example, the shade a plant gets on the north side of a building is brighter than the shade it might get if it were growing under the canopy of a large tree.

A plant that likes full sun likely won't die if planted in a shadier spot, it just might have a more open habit or scraggly appearance that you may or may not like.
The north side of my house gets 3 hours of morning sun. I tried a bridal's wreath spirea and it did well, but I did notice that the leaves seemed larger on this plant than another one located in full sun. But, I rather liked the appearance. It grows very quick so I trimmed regularly.

I removed it, however, when I built my pond. Now I have trellises with clematis (hagley hybrid) and some blue bell type, and a kiwi vine. Also have a yew which is another story, since they need mega wrapping in our zone to survive winter.

I guess sometimes the only way to know what will grow and do well in a spot is just to plant it and experiment.

Glen

Glen, you're right - I guess gardening is all about experimenting! We'll spend some time doing more research, and looking at other yards on our side of the street to see what's there and doing well.

If you're interested, I have a picture of my front yard in the thread titled UG sprinklers, lawn and a tree. The tree casts very dense shade, not dappled, so that 3 and a half hours of hot afternoon sun is all there is. There is no morning sun on the most westerly corner of the house. I consider this the toughest spot in the yard to figure out! Oh well, it's fun trying.
Peggy