Linda, I think I would try some shrubs. There are numerous spireas (short), viburnums (tall), forsythia (medium height) etc. In front of that I think Daylilies would do nicely. They can take drought, love sun or partial shade and they come in re-blooming varieties and loads of colors. They only need dividing about every 5 years or so. Also Gailardia and Black Eyed Susan are doing wonderful for me in a bed that is shady in the morning and full S/W sun in the afternoon. Perennial bachelor button is doing fine there too.

MeMo

That sounds good, Memo, but this bed doesn't get shade for part of the day and sun for the rest. It gets all shade for part of the growing season and full sun for the rest!

I'm pretty sure the daylilies and BES could handle it, especially since the full sun comes during the blooming time for the BES. AND I have ones that I can divide in a year or so. I'll go check on growing conditions for the shrubs.

Thanks for the suggestion!

I planted caladiums. They grew VERY well at first and made a lovely bit of color there until late July when, it seemed that the earth turned and - WHAT!? - my driveway bed is now in full, blazing sun every afternoon and my caladiums are brown and crispy.

This is obviously a problem of exposure that changes as the earth's tilt moves during the season. But WHAT can I plant there that can tolerate this?

That's very odd. For 2 months they had complete shade and now the afternoon is full sun? Are all the nearby trees still leafed out?

I have a west facing bed that stays shady until around noon. Two things that do well there are New Gold lantana and plumbago.

I'm new to this place, but could live here for hours.
The spireas would do well, they can take the sun and are extremely hardy. There are also coneflowers,speedwells,mums,sedums,pick your poison. It all depends on what you are drawn to, you have to care for it and you have to live with it. You can always change your mind, it's a gardeners' choice.
Renee

Welcome, Renee! Glad to see another zone 4 gardener here. What state are you in?

MeMo

I admit..it is odd. But true. In spring the bed was in full shade - bright light but no direct sun. I actually checked one Saturday - hourly - NO direct sun. Now when I get home around 5:30 it is in direct sun and dh says it's like that most of the afternoon (I need to check it out tomorrow to see how many hours of direct sun it is getting). I know it sounds weird. But there you have it.

The cannas? Last year I put them out in spring and they lived but didn't thrive. They grew to about 2-3 feet high and didn't bloom. After I moved them this year (to full sun) they have grown to almost 9 feet tall and are in bloom. Last summer I didn't think to check the light exposure - I have to guess that the full light late in the season just wasn't enough.??

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