I tried one Mac in 2 hrs of sun on the west side of the house below a small tree that shaded it most of the day but, it still suffered. It was the year when we almost hit a record of 100 degree days. I had to water it too much and the summer breezes here, although some times light, will dry things up in no time.

The north side and the east side of the house -or a tree- work for me most times. They benefit from shade by 12pm or earlier.

The sun after 12pm will scorch everything. Even my roses stop flowering and the stripped roses revert back to their parent's type of bloom color until things cool off. A Rose of Sharon would be a good choice though.

Try a paniculata hydrangea--they can take full sun here in Kansas, though my paniculata (Vanilla Strawberry) would appreciate a bit of shade in the later afternoon--but doesn't get any, so it will get some brown edges if the temps stay 100 or higher for weeks at a time (which they often do here in late July and August). What that means is that I have to give it extra watering at that time---despite some sun damage, the paniculatas still remain good looking. With no sun damage, they are spectacular.

Just go to google and type in "paniculata hydrangea"--all sorts of choices will come up. The Limelight ones, plus the Vanilla Strawberry one I have (I also have a Pinky Winky), are all popular ones, but there are a number of other excellent choices also.

The arborescens hydrangea called Annabelle can take quite a bit of sun also, but straight western sun with no protective shade at all would be too much--at least it was for mine. Its a good looker also--only in white, however.

If you can plant Annabelle and one of the paniculata, then you will have gorgeous hydrangea blooming all summer--Annabelle the first half of the summer, and the paniculata the second half of the summer. If they get lots of water and don't fry in a western location, that is. : )

Maybe you need to plant some crepe myrtles--they are showy and love the heat! Impossible to sunburn them, I do believe.

Kate

Thanks for your input Kate and Luis. I just moved into this house, and we have 4 roses already in the front yard. They are doing quite well! Of course, I water them every day.

I really want to plant an Annabelle because my youngest daughter is named Anebelle (pronounced the same)! I'm going to give that a try at the SW corner of the house as it has morning shade, and a few hours of sun from 1- 4ish, and then shade again.
As for your suggestion for crepe myrtles, they do so well here and are beautiful. My neighbors to the left and right have a couple of them. In fact, they're EVERYWHERE, hence the reason I don't want them LOL.
I have a Little Lime (still in pot bought from Lowes) that gets morning sun and afternoon shade, and it's doing well there. Do you think it can take 3-4 hours of afternoon sun?

Again, thanks for your helpful responses,

Kachana

Hmmm, be careful with that during the summer. I had a hydrangea that was shielded from the sun by a CM and it lost its protection after bad weather. Two weeks later, the leaves in contact with the sun started turning all yellow. I had to erect a contraption to shield it for the rest of the summer.

You could try to get some dwarf CMs. The are quite rare around here and can be kept about a height of 1-2'. A neighboir has a hedge of purple ones.

This post was edited by luis_pr on Sat, Jul 12, 14 at 3:08

I have never grown Little Lime, so I can't say for sure, but I have grown two different paniculatas in full sun--and the sun can be a scorcher here in southeast Kansas (practically in OklahomaI), so I know it can be done. My new Vanilla Strawberry (3 years old) is thriving out there in the hot sun--no shade at all.

That said, by the end of August, it definitely can get a singed look--brown edges on petals and leaves. If I more conscientiously watered it, that might help, but I must admit that after days and days--even weeks and weeks-- of 100 plus heat, I start avoiding the outdoors myself--and some of my poor flowers don't get the care they probably should.

Here it is just this week--beginning to open (after having singed edges last August):
{{gwi:291303}}

I'm inclined to say, go ahead with your plans for Little Lime--but if the watering chores become too much after a season or two, be prepared to move it to a spot that gives more sun in the morning and some protective shade in the afternoon. But I can't emphasize enough how impressed I am with how much sun the h. paniculatas can take.

Kate

Kate (dublinbay) what's that pretty pink flower in the picture?

I love hydrangeas too, but with the consistent drought in CA, it's difficult to grow one that requires moist soil. Are there nice hydrangeas that take full sun and require low water? :)

This post was edited by phylis on Fri, Jan 16, 15 at 19:06