Needs sun? Not so fast!

Throughout our experience of growing and selling perennials, and from increasing reports from customers, we are discovering a new trend in where you can position sun-loving plants.

Sun-loving plants have always been those that prefer/require at least 4-6 hours of direct sunlight or more. One would never think of putting a Daylily or Peony or Iris in a shaded area, it just wouldn't survive. Or at the very least, it wouldn't grow well.

However, it is exactly these types of plants that are now often seen placed in shady areas these days, seemingly doing just fine. In fact, many of these sun-loving plants seem to thrive even more than if they were in sunny areas. Why is this?

One reason would be lack of care. If a plant is not receiving adequate moisture that it needs in a sunny area from its owner, it would benefit from some shade until it does receive a good watering. Weekends away at the cottage, vacations, busy lifestyle and not being home a lot can make the garden less of a priority. So naturally, not having the sun beat down on an already stressed plant can make a big difference.

Another reason would be that planting sun-loving plants in shade has simply never been tried. If the label on pot says "full or partial sun," it can't possibly grow in shade! Not so for many plants. We have done many trial tests on typical sun-loving plants such as Daylilies, Salvia, Iris, Sedum, Peonies, and many other common perennials as well as annuals. We have found that the vast majority of them do well in shade, with just a few select types that might flower a little less or grow a little taller. But for the gardener with lots of shade, give a sun-loving plant a try and disregard what those labels say for a change...you may very well be pleasantly surprised.

One more reason would be the range of winter and summer temperatures in our area. We receive cold temperatures in winter, which usually requires a more winter-hardy cool-weather plant. Yet, when it comes to our West Michigan summers, we receive many days of very warm and humid temperatures, which cause those same cool-loving plants to suffer. Giving some shade to these plants lends a significant amount of relief for those warm summertime stretches, and also helps the plant to remain healthy heading into fall.

Obviously there are some exceptions, as there are plants that still do require direct sunlight. But if you have a shady area in your yard, give a sun-loving plant a try!