DIRECT SUN plantings

8 years ago

All this recent talk on the other thread and sun shading

I've got some big 'old Hydra's that sit in direct sun in the summer. 6AM-6:30 in the morning - currently it starts shading around 5:30-6PM. As July-August soak in, add more hours.

They don't flop over with their big canes but on the sustained heat wave days, the leaves do look really really miserable....

Anyhow, my potential goal is to actually dig these big bertha's out and replace them with new Hydra's. Am I really asking for trouble here ? As a test bed, I put 2 potted ones in the same site to see how they would fare out, and just short of some early browning on the blossom tips, they are taking the full sun hours just fine.

Can full sited sun locations be doable. Or literally it's like my big bertha's of a mac - it will take MANY years of acclimation, root growth, etc in order for a Mac Hydra to take on said Sun Conditions.

Featured Answer

luis_pr

8 years ago

last modified: 8 years ago

Paniculatas have smaller leaves and are thus the most sun tolerant. They do well in the northern states but the leaves begin to suffer as you get down to areas with a strong summer sun.

But... you do not get the same form of blooms, no blues or purples.

The big berthas probably have an extensive root system now. And yet, they suffer in the summer. New shrubs, with a tiny root system, would fare worse. Unless you plant a shade tree for them. ;0)

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Comments (7)

a1an
Original Author
8 years ago
I should have mentioned this. No other hydra's are in for consideration....I want big round color blossoms of blues and such ;-)

I actually have LL in treeform and also as a leading row behind our boxwoods. Indeed they take sun very very well. No leaf suffering sofar.
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gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
8 years ago
They can grow and flower perfectly well in full sun here. But then we are pretty far north so sun intensity in midsummer is much less.....and we are much cooler as well :-) And the ones one sees thriving in full sun conditions here are older and very well established plants.....young plants will experience considerable distress until fully established.
a1an
Original Author
8 years ago
At some point, there was a shade tree for sure, which I'm sure helped during it's infancy. I've found a stump.

What I don't want is to RNR - rip-n-replace and find myself in the same situation as the the other poster. However, same site conditions with trials, seem to be faring well. I do have the controller set to keep them pretty well hydrated.
a1an
Original Author
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
I'm still trying to understand/learn the root systems of these plants..... Case in point. On these large old macs, when I redid the drip lines, digging right past the drip line, I could not see any roots anywhere.

On my panicul, they seem to love just hanging out on the upper surface of the soil. Everywhere in it's proximity, if I pull back mulch, for sure I will see some roots. If I poke a shovel in, I'm poking into a mesh of roots .
cearbhaill (zone 6b Eastern Kentucky)
8 years ago
Hydra. Panicul. Are those additional characters that difficult to type? A 'hydra' is a mythological snake, lol. Not a fan of this abbrev- it's been frosting my patootie for a couple of days now, sorry :)

Anyway... IMO you can do it but not with automated watering. You'll need to be going out there and observing/holding a hose. I am a big fan of the slow trickle method of watering to ensure that the rootball is hydrated to a sufficient depth. I also use either a wide ring of pound-in edging or a cut off top portion of a plastic pot to surround newly installed pots to eliminate the water running off. I want it to stay where I put it and sink in, not run off down the hill. Unless your drip system really runs a while and you know it is penetrating I'd be supplementing by hand.

Plant them and observe them- if they wilt in the afternoon and you see a pattern of them being picked back up at dawn they're probably OK. If when you check them in the early morning hours they are still wilty then they need water and they need it to penetrate to a sufficient depth. If you aren't certain whether or not this is happening then you need to dig down and check.

A lot of this depends on your planting, too. Don't just stick a wad of root mass in a hole. Open up the roots, spread them out- direct them. Wad of root can actually repel water.
a1an
Original Author
8 years ago
Just a quick observation on all rebloomers planted in late 2017. All of them bloomed quite early, started browning (un-usually hot spikes this year), but the browning has actually turned the blossom in the late color change of blue to darkish pink hues. NO new brocolli blooms observed on the ones planted in full sun at this current time but I am seeing newer younger green leaves here and there.

For the 2 that I have in morning sun/afternoon shade, I guess they are less stressed as more new foliage/new stems/new brocolli & blooms (reblooming) I'm seeing the effects of at this current time.

Heh. I'm going to oberseve and see what time they bud out/bloom next year.

The old mac's just bloomed out about 10 days ago /