I have not grown any of the shrimp plants. I did get some cuttings going, taken from Carrie's garden last fall.

This is just from what I've read about them:
They need light shade, and can take some morning or late afternoon sun but keep direct over head sun off of them.

Since yours are in pots you can try them in that spot and see how they do. If they don't like it you can easily move them and try something else.

Welcome! Some of us sneak across to Oklahoma all the time. You all are very welcoming. :-)

I've not had experience with either shrimp plant or lollipop plant either-- the only time I may have seen them outdoors, they were on the overhung north side of a building. Which says nothing about whether they could take part afternoon sun. Good luck.

I have both of these plants growing inground in full sun here in North Texas. The lollipop has been in the same location for almost ten years. They do require that they be kept moist though.

I appreciate all your thoughts and experience. Most of what I've read gives ideal conditions for these plants which does NOT include hot afternoon sunlight striking the leaves for a couple of hours. So I am encouraged to hear that you Carrie have succeeded in full sun. It's really been hard finding flowering plants for this situation. So far the brown leafed double flowered Begonias are about as interesting as it gets for me and I want something else. Thank you neighbors for taking the time to help me...Maryl

I have some in hot afternoon sun. In fact, they are on the edge of a concrete walkway. They get blasted around 3-6 pm in the dead heat of summer and they don't mind. Others get full sun earlier for 3-4 hours. I have not tried to leave them in ground. I did them and put them in my greenhouse then replant in March. If I could be trusted not to dig their roots up when I plant tulips, I might try to leave them in ground. I don't think you could get away with it though.

I love this plant!

Hi, Maryl, I come over here every now and then because I get so tired of nothing-but-veggie talk. I mean, there is a limit, huh?

I grew the Justicia in a pot 2 or 3 years ago. I thought it would be attractive to hummers, but it wasn't......not at all. I grew it in partial shade and the resulting blooms were not as bright as I'm sure they would have been in full sun.

If you're not necessarily going for bloom, there are lots of tropicalesque plants with great foliage for partial shade, like Alocasias (Colocasias, too, but they need a lot more water than the Alocasias), Spider Plants (Chlorophytum), Caladiums, Ti plants (Cordyline).

Blooming tropicals, which is where it looks like you are headed, include the Dragon Wing Begonias - a lot more flower punch and leaf color than the bedding types, and as with most Begonias, they grow in part shade. I'm attaching a page from Logee's catalog, of various Begonias so you can see that the Wax or Bedding Begonias are not the most attractive Begonias available. There are several "types" such as cane aka fibrous, shrub, rhizomatous, tuberous (don't grow well in the south IMHO, Rex (difficult to grow), thick-stemmed, trailing/scandent, etc. You can find some of them locally in OKC at TLC and Horn's. The attached link is just FYI.

Chenille plant, Tibouchina or Glory Bush, Heliotrope (fragrant!), Hibiscus rosa-sinensis varieties, Lipstick plant (Aescynanthus), Pachystachys (Lollipop flower).

There are lots of summer bulbs that grow well in pots - inexpensive - like Dahlias, Calla lilies, dwarf glads, asiatic/oriental/orienpet/trumpet lilies, Crocosmia, Agapanthus. Sometimes, at reputable stores, you can purchase a bag of bulbs that flower at different times during the summer so you have something in bloom all the time. Agapanthus will bloom from late summer thru fall. Dahlias bloom all summer and fall. The others have a specific bloom time so you might want to grow several of them together in a pot as suggested. One online source I recommend is Brent & Becky's bulbs. But if you're on a budget, Lowe's or HD or Walmart usually have packages for a low price. I feel the bags to make sure the number of bulbs inside is the number listed on the bag label. Some may rot in transit. I like to get bulbs that are a bit moist but not soaking and you can tell by squeezing the bag.

Hope this helps some at least.

Susan

Here is a link that might be useful: Logee's

Nice to see you Susan. "Viddals" aren't my thing, and from many visits to the DFW area I know that Texas has many people interested in the beauty of ornamentals as well as just edibles for "suppa"...The area I'm doing is just a smallish entry way with multiple containers. When the ice storm of '07 took down my tree many of the plants (such as Clivia, Hosta, Cane Begonia) became way too exposed to the western sunlight which strikes this corner off and on as the sun travels across the sky in the afternoon. Many flowering plants (such as Pentas and Periwinkle,which accept light shade)really need more sun to flower well. So I'm stuck in the middle with part hot afternoon sun. Not the easiest thing to find container plants for. My mainstay is Sansevieria Trifasciata Laurentii (Golden edged Mother in Laws Tongue) and I'm designing around those......The Colocasias/Alocasias were on my list as possibles. I don't know beans about growing them though. Aren't most of them too big for a 10-12" container?...I've tried Calladiums over the years but regardless of how they are treated they all seem to decline and flop as soon as summer temperatures moderate in the fall - just when I want things to perk up. Sun Coleus works alright, and I have a Pachystachys (lollipop plant) on order. I hadn't thought about heliotrope or some of the other more locally available plants on your list, and I appreciate the input....Cynthia. Thanks for taking the time to share your experience. It is most encouraging...Maryl

Have you thought about Salvia coccinea types - Lady in Red, Forest Fire (red Flowers with black calyces--very striking), or Coral Nymph (pinkish and white bi-color blooms. or Snow Nymph (white)? All very easy to grow from seed. They flower nicely in shady areas, too. I grow mine under a huge squat pine tree.

Not all Alocasias are too big for containers, and quite a few would do nicely in them. They grow from tubers, so not huge root systems to deal with. Brent & Becky's Bulbs has a few, and Plant Delights used to have a bunch of them. I suggested Alocasia and not Colocasia because the Alo's don't require as much watering. I grew several, but my favorite was Alocasia lutea, a variety with bright green foliage, yellow stems and veins. It was gorgeous! Keep in mind that some varieties are smaller than others. Xanthosoma is another group of aroids you might like, too, particularly 'Lime Zinger'. I'm attaching a link to a wholesale site that has photos and descriptions such as size, so you can get idea of how many are out there. Some folks sell these for extemely inflated prices, so be careful. Horn's usually carries a few here locally.

I had to give up growing my Aroids (except for a couple of Arisaemas I still have) when I quit gardening in the back yard, and also butterfly/moth/hummers take up most of my energy now. I am going to try growing Japanese Morning Glories this summer. Some of them are smaller than the old fashioned I. purpureas and they're certainly not as invasive. I'll be growing a lot of them in containers. They have huge blooms and striking colors and patterns.

Susan

Here is a link that might be useful: Alocasias, Colocasias, Xanthosomas

I've been all over the net looking at Alocasia, Colocasia and Xanthosoma (which I'd not heard of before) including your link (Very, very nice site). I think I saw some of them growing in pots at Lowes last year and I may try one if I see them there again this year....I think you of all people will appreciate why I can't grow most of the Salvias; one of their arch enimies is Pyrausta inornatalis (Southern Pink Moth).It had been at least 10 years since I gave up on any form of long blooming Salvia in my garden. I thought surely after so long a time they would have forgotten about me. But, to cut to the chase, I bought a Salvia Gregii last year and by fall it was loaded with those tiny iridescent bud worms again. They are apparently a constant pest in my area and if you find the map of their distribution, they go all the way to southern California. Tis a pity but no Salvias....Good luck on your butterfly/moth hobby. I saw some black Swallowtails laying eggs on the parsley I planted late last year but the cold weather moved in before the caterpillars matured I'm afraid. Not a good year in my area at least for butterflies...Thanks again for all you help Susan....Maryl

So sorry to hear about the invasion of the Southern Pink Moth in Oklahoma. I've read about several gardeners who had their gardens eaten by these beautiful but obviously pesty moths.

The Lady in Red might give them a run for their money and once it's planted you'll always have it!

Yes, the small but beautiful pink moth is here to stay. I've not had a problem with early blooming Salvias such as S. Nemorosa 'Blue Hill', culinary sage, Salvia Friesland or May Night etc. Just those that bloom from say June on such as the annual Victoria or the perennial S. Gregii. I've even seen it cropping up at the nurseries on containers of Victoria. I can only imagine what the buyers think once they get those plants home if they don't know to inspect it before purchasing it for those tiny budworms.......Tis a shame.....Maryl