Nell, are you not worried that the Oakleaf Hydrangea will be in too much afternoon sun now?

I just bought a small one to plant and am trying to find a spot sheltered from PM sun here, but full morning sun.

Do I need to be this worried about the shade thing?

The Hydrangea is underneath the limbs of a large pecan tree and partly shaded by the oak across the driveway in the second pic. The fallen oak was high shade at best, few limbs on the west side. Like many of my plants, this has morning shade and evening sun. It works. The roots go deep. If it wilts, I water. In the late afternoon, the trees in the woods across the road shade everything.

Shade varies with the seasons, too, not just leafless trees, but the sun moving from south to north and back on axis. I only worry about all day sun. Think about plants along the woods -- the ones growing on the west side of woods get afternoon sun but not a lot of midday sun. Much of my garden has morning shade.

Maybe I should plant some tulip poplar seeds I gathered in the winter at my brother's house. The pecan tree could fall next, but the tree people who sawed up the oak seemed to think it was sturdy.

if you want a tree, my favorite is crepe myrtle..
they should do good in your zone, and you can grow them
from seed...

I have a pinkish/purple "Hopi" which is a small one, and my mom has a white and a pinkish/purple the large size

will be glad to send you seed if you want...
it does take a bit of time to grow...

Linda in Louisville

Thanks, Linda. You're very kind to offer and crape myrtles are a great idea.

If you squint, in the 3rd picture you can see a white crape myrtle at the end of the bed perpendicular to the Oakleaf Hydrangeas. It has reached that point where they begin to gain some real size, just not enough for much shade yet.

I have pinkish purple 'Lilacina' in the front, several of them. It's an old, old cultivar that has grown here forever that I rescued from the shelter of a pecan tree in a pasture.

Thanks,
Nell

Here is a link that might be useful: The second pic in the blog is the crape near the oakleafs

Nell,
You have lots of good looking large trees on your property and across the street. I think a bush of some kind would be good to plant there.

Sue