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We went to Lowes today and bought some perennials. Came home and looked at the tag more closely and saw that it says morning sunlight only. Unfortunately, these were going to go in the front yard which only gets afternoon sun. Late afternoon sun, to be precise.
These are Tradescantia Sweet Katie (but under the sticker it says something about Spiderwort) and the other is a Shooting Star dianthus.
Why would it say morning sun only? I don't really understand that. Will it be a lost cause if we plant these getting the afternoon sun? They are SO cool looking, but nobody could see them in my backyard, where that morning sun is.
Afternoon sun is much hotter than morning sun and will cook heat sensitive plants. This is intensified even more if the plants are in a bed next to the house where the siding is baked in the sun all afternoon and reflects that heat build-up onto the plants.
Better you will put these flowers in some filtered sun/partially shaded area, and buy new plants for the front of the house. Something better suited to hot summer sunshine.
Tradescantia in general stem from woodland plants which got filtered light. Many varieties will get leaf burn when in full sun, but if you live far enough north they may survive more sunlight. Mine did best, to the point of being somewhat invasive in morning sun and shade from mid-day on when I lived in NY (zone 5). I live in zone 7 now and would not dare have them in more than morning sunlight or filtered light beneath trees. They also need to be watered a lot more when exposed to a lot of hot sunlight.
Dianthus should be fine in stronger sunlight as they like full sun.
The afternoon sun in Ohio and the afternoon sun in NC can be very different. We're further south, so the intensity is stronger here. Dianthus, as stated, should be able to handle full sun. The spider wort will burn in my zone with afternoon sun. I can grow it in nearly full shade due to the heat we get. It will bloom a little less, but the plants do fine.
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